Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Scheffler has experienced some putting woes in recent weeks but hopes to put those behind him at the U.S. Open.
Scottie Scheffler has the yips.
From tee to green, he looks like Tiger Woods in the early 2000s. The stats this season literally back that up. But once he gets to the putting surface, he becomes a double-digit handicapper.
Knowing this, Scheffler admitted Tuesday that he is experimenting with different putters ahead of the 2023 U.S. Open.
“I don’t ever take decisions on switching equipment lightly,” Scheffler noted Tuesday.
Testing different putters before a major is quite a development for the world’s number-one ranked player. But golf is a game where everyone has strengths and weaknesses, including the best golfers in the world.
“I think it’s strange that I’ve been struggling the past few weeks with my putter,” Scheffler added, “At the PGA, I actually felt like I rolled it pretty good. Few putts here or there that lipped out that should have gone in. [At the] Memorial, I obviously had an off week on the greens, or I probably would’ve won that one.”
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
LOS ANGELES —Scottie Scheffler of the United States speaks to the media during a press conference during a practice round prior to the 123rd U.S. Open Championship at The Los Angeles Country Club on June 13, 2023.
At the PGA Championship at Oak Hill, Scheffler ranked 35th in the field in strokes gained putting.
The next tournament he played, the Memorial Tournament, Scheffler’s putting performance was disastrous. He lost more than eight shots to the field and ranked 65th at the Memorial in strokes gained putting.
Yet, Scheffler missed the playoff in Columbus by only one stroke.
“Sometimes you just got to bring another putter around there to make the original one scared,” Scheffler joked. “I’ve never really been one to try and overthink things, so I try and keep things as simple as possible. I looked at that one that’s a little bit bigger, and I still am kind of undecided on what I think of it.”
Scheffler then teased the media, saying everyone will “have to wait and see” to find out which putter he will use in the U.S. Open.
“Putting is such a weird thing,” Scheffler added. “Sometimes when you’re on the green and feel good, you feel like you’ll never miss. Then sometimes, when you feel terrible, you feel like you’re never going to make it. Putting is just so different from the rest of the game, so when it comes to putters, it’s all personal.”
Scheffler has a personal connection to the Los Angeles Country Club, the site of the 123rd U.S. Open. As a member of the United States Walker Cup team in 2017, Scheffler helped the Americans defeat the British and the Irish team at LACC.
Perhaps Scheffler’s familiarity with the course, and his fond memories of victory, will help him regain his confidence with the flat stick, regardless of the one he chooses.
