Adam Scott is making the switch.
Scott, who is making his 2015 debut at the WGC-Cadillac Championship, is expected to use a new, traditional-length putter this week at Doral. The Aussie, who has used a long putter almost exclusively since the 2011 WGC-Accenture Match Play, came to the decision after testing a slew of putters in his offseason.
The change comes well ahead of when the USGA will ban the anchored putting stroke on Jan. 1, 2016 -- the stroke Scott has been using in conjunction with the putter. Last year, Scott enjoyed his best season in terms of strokes gained putting since going to the brookstick. He finished 55th in the category after three consecutive seasons ranked worse than 100th in the statistic.
The 2013 Masters winners was seen during practice rounds using an Odyssey White Ice Core No. 7 putter, which was one of four putters he was fiddling with on Monday at TPC Blue Monster. It is a 360-gram model, likely with a 34-inch shaft. It's still not certain Scott will use this putter on Thursday and throughout the week, but he said Wednesday he has enjoyed the discovery process.
"I’ve kind of enjoyed experimenting at home the last couple months because I’ve had so much time up my sleeve,” said Scott on Wednesday. “I’ve got about 50 putters I’ve collected over my career back home in the garage, so to speak, but then I’ve also tried out lots of other putters at home in Australia over the these last few weeks.”
Though he knows there will be a transition, Scott, who will employ a "Claw" grip with the new putter, seems confident the switch will go well.
“You know, I’ll just go out there and like I said, just stay patient with it all,” Scott said. “It’s going to be demanding, certainly if the wind is blowing. But I’m thinking, you know, my stroke and everything feels as good as it ever has."
