Scheffler has been testing a TaylorMade Spider X Tour SS Proto putter since Tuesday at TPC Southwind.
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — As a lot as Scottie Scheffler doesn’t need to discuss in regards to the putter, he is aware of it’s a subject of debate lately. The 27-year-old has placed on a ball-striking clinic most weeks that’s produced two wins and 15 top-10 finishes in 20 begins. It’s the sort of season most experts would love to expertise simply as soon as of their profession.
The season looks much more unbelievable whenever you notice Scheffler presently ranks a hundred and fortieth in SG: Putting — and nonetheless leads the Tour in mixed Strokes Gained.
Look again at Scheffler’s tools historical past and also you’ll discover little in the best way of tinkering, notably with the putter. Prior to 2022, Scheffler loved common success with a Scotty Cameron Tour Rat 1 blade earlier than switching to a Special Select Timeless Tourtype GSS Prototype forward of his 2022 Masters victory. But the mojo didn’t final.
He ultimately sought placing recommendation from Steve Stricker, briefly tried out a Scotty Cameron T5.5 mallet on the CJ Cup, went to a Newport 2 with a flatter lie angle, and wielded a wide-body Newport 2 Plus on the U.S. Open. Nothing appeared to stick for very lengthy.
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After almost a full 12 months of looking, Scheffler’s hoping the newest putter within the bag offers the consistency he’s been craving on the greens. For the primary time since he signed a TaylorMade workers deal final 12 months, Scheffler is strongly contemplating the thought of utilizing one of many firm’s Spider Prototype mallets on the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
On Tuesday, Scheffler was noticed conducting testing with three Spider putters with completely different shafts — two metal shafts and one with LA Golf graphite — alongside together with his previous Scotty Cameron Tour Rat 1 gamer. By the time he left to play a apply spherical with Jon Rahm, Keith Mitchell and Sam Burns, solely the steel-shafted Spiders and Cameron remained.
By Wednesday’s pro-am, Scheffler had pared it down to a single steel-shafted Spider, a sign TaylorMade’s hottest mallet is probably going to get the decision at TPC Southwind.
According to Scheffler, he’s labored with TaylorMade’s Tour staff previously on Spider, however nothing ever really felt good till the model he began testing this week.
“The guys at TaylorMade have done a lot of work for me with the putter,” he mentioned. “I’ve always liked the visual of that Spider putter, but I really just did not like the feel. That’s something we discussed, kind of the feel.”
Unlike the earlier variations of TaylorMade’s Spider that featured a Pure Roll insert, Scheffler’s seems to be a milled product with 4 screws positioned across the fringe of the face. Scheffler famous the addition of extra weight nearer to the face made it simpler to get the ball to the outlet on a constant foundation, one thing he’s struggled with at instances this season.
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“I’ve always struggled with putters that have a lot of weight in the back side of it, and this one is a bit different than a lot of the Spiders that they’ve made, and the weight is more in the front so it has the feel of a blade putter that I like but it also has a lot of that visual on the top where it’s easier for me to line up,” he mentioned. “It feels like at times this year I’ve hit a lot of good putts that have gone right up to the edge and not gone in. Maybe it could be my alignment. If your alignment is a half inch off, the ball lips out instead of going in the middle or lips out instead of lips in. The margins in this game are so close, so it’s something that I feel really comfortable with where the balance point is on this putter. I’m excited to try it out this week.”
It’s additionally attainable the screws safe the face to the physique — a design TaylorMade has tried previously with the detachable face plate on the xFT wedge — or they may very well be there to merely place extra weight up entrance. (Take a have a look at the only real and also you’ll additionally discover the same old heel-toe again weights have been eliminated to get mass out of the rear portion of the pinnacle.)
Scheffler received’t make the change official till Thursday, however all indicators level to him placing the Spider Prototype in play as he looks to jumpstart a key membership within the bag and chase the season-long title.
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