For the second time in 2015, Adam Scott has gone to a traditional-length putter. This time, he says it's permanent.
The Aussie former world No. 1 finished his PGA Tour season with The Barclays, not advancing past the first stage of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Ranked 158th this past season in strokes gained putting, Scott decided to use his offseason to make the switch from the anchored long putter.
“It was a good time to make the change and I spent some time working on it, a similar amount of time actually when I went to the long putter,” said Scott at this week's Presidents Cup in South Korea, according to Golf Channel. “It’s kind of refreshing to make a forced change because my putting stats are certainly unimpressive this year.”
Scott is using a putter similar to the one he first put in play at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March. After seeing some positive results in the first week at Doral, Scott struggled in subsequent starts, running back to the long putter in time for the Masters and throughout the major-championship season. Asked what he intended to do about the looming Jan. 1, 2016, anchoring ban, Scott said in August that he intended to keep the long putter but keep it just off his body while still using the same stroke.
The biennial exhibition match is an awkward time to come out with a new putting stroke, but, as Scott knows, his limited schedule offers few "safe" places to make the change.
“There has to be a week where I start and it may as well be here," Scott said, "and I’m very confident I can make myself one of the best putters on Tour.”
