Equipment
Evian Championship 2018: The hot putter Angela Stanford used to break through
Stuart Franklin
As Angela Stanford played the last couple holes at the Evian Championship last weekend, there was a moment she thought back to all her close calls in majors in her 18-year career. The 40-year-old still trailed Amy Olson by a couple shots, but didn't lose sight on the possibility of potentially breaking through—now 16 years after losing in a playoff at the 2003 U.S. Open at Pumpkin Ridge.
Stanford proceeded to knock in a seven-footer for eagle on the 15th hole, then a 25-footer for birdie on the 17th—two clutch makes that proved to be the difference, and giving Stanford her major title at long last.
Through three rounds at the Evian Championship, Angela Stanford stood five shots in arrears and her putting had been so-so at best. That changed Sunday when Stanford’s chilly putter suddenly turned white hot. Stanford needed just 25 putts over 18 holes with her Ping Vault 2.0 Dale Anser, a club designed to work with a slight arc stroke. Stanford’s winning putter is 33 inches long with 4 degrees of loft. Stanford also puts five wraps of tape under her grip to build it up.
Or in other words, for this week, just the right amount.