Rule 14-1b isn't to go into effect until Jan. 1, 2016, but it can already claim to have forced one prominent player to deviate from the anchored stroke.
Carl Pettersson, who has used an anchored putter for 15 years, has abandoned the putter and stroke, according to a Golfweek report.
The Swede used a traditional-length putter in the final round of the John Deere Classic and reportedly liked it enough to keep going with it this week at the Open Championship.
The 37-inch putter (2 inches longer still than many standard-length putters) has an Anser-style head, which Pettersson used with a split-claw grip -- a direct translation of the grip style he used with the anchored putter.
Pettersson is one of nine players that hired a high-powered Boston-based attorney on retainer in case they wanted to pursue a lawsuit against the PGA Tour for going along with the anchoring ban made official by the USGA and R&A in May. After the Tour's Policy Board approved implementing Rule 14-1b on schedule, most of the those nine potential litigants said publicly they will not chase the Tour in court.
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