Why is Robert Streb using his wedge to putt at The Greenbrier Classic?
Equipment PGA Tour

Why is Robert Streb using his wedge to putt at The Greenbrier Classic?

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If you tuned in late into final-round coverage of The Greenbrier Classic on Sunday, you were probably surprised to see contender Robert Streb putting with a bladed wedge. Well, he's doing it out of necessity.

Streb damaged his putter after the ninth hole when he tossed it to his caddie. Under the Rules of Golf, you can't replace equipment not damaged in the normal course of play, so Streb was forced to putt the entire back nine with his sand wedge. And he's putting out of his mind with it. Streb birdied three of the first four holes on the back nine with the bladed wedge.

TIP: How to putt using your sand wedge

The first two weren't that impressive because he only needed to make a combined 4 feet, 3 inches worth of putts. However, he made a 26-foot, 8-inch putt for birdie on the 13th and a 10-footer on the 16th to get into a share of the lead.

The sand-wedge-as-a-putter let him down for the first time on the par-5 17th when he three-putted from 24 feet to drop a shot and fall out of a tie for the top spot on the leaderboard. On the final hole, though, the wedge-putter did it again. Streb hit his tee shot to the par-3 finisher to 5-and-a-half feet, making the birdie to finish at 13 under par and tied for the clubhouse lead.

The five back-nine birdies on Sunday with the wedge matched the total number of birdies on the back nine in the first three rounds with the putter. However, with a looming playoff, PGA Tour officials have told Streb that he can putt a new putter into his bag if he does go to sudden-death. As for the original putter, Streb told CBS after his round that he intends to get it fixed and have it back in the bag.

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Ryan Ballengee

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