Scottie Scheffler made a big, interesting equipment change

Scottie Scheffler is experimenting with a new, and unknown, putter this week at the Hero World Challenge.

Scheffler is coming off a historic ball-striking season, finishing first in strokes gained, SG/off-the-tee, SG/approach and SG/tee-to-green en route to winning twice and finishing with the best scoring average on the PGA Tour. However, the World No. 1’s season also classifies as a what-if, as his year was weighed down by his putting performance. The reigning Player of the Year ranked 162nd in SG/putting, and though he had a whopping 17 top-10 finishes in 23 starts, one doesn’t have to squint too hard to wonder how many more trophies he could have racked up if the flat stick was cooperating.

The Texan has bounced between various Scotty Cameron models this season, and briefly flirted with a TaylorMade Spider X during the tour’s postseason, but nothing has stuck. Still, it was surprising to see Scheffler wielding a new putter at this week’s Hero World Challenge. Especially since it’s a putter widely unknown to the sport.

Scheffler has been using a putter from Olson Putter Co. in the Bahamas. The brand, started by Logan Olson, has been around for roughly seven years, and is known for making custom putters. Scheffler’s putter is based of the Anser 2 model, and appears to be a one-piece milled head.

Most notably, Scheffler—who has remained steadfast in his conviction that his putting woes were nothing more than a blip—acknowledged earlier this week that performance on the greens has gone a bit off the rails, and has started working with noted short-game guru Phil Kenyon.

“Putting's one of those things, I think what Phil has helped me the most with is just getting a clear mind,” Scheffler said. “Right now I feel like my mechanics are in a good place to where I can use my athletic ability instead of using it more as a crutch, kind of overusing my athletic ability. It's kind of hard to explain, but I felt like I was using too much, like too much hands and stuff like that in my stroke. That's something I also battled with my swing when I was in college. I found myself in certain mechanical positions in my swing that I was having to use my hands so much that they became more of a hindrance, if that makes sense.”

Scheffler saw some early results on Thursday at the Hero, finishing with a positive SG/putting figure on the day. Scheffler’s move continues a trend of players opting for lesser-known brands with their putters; just this week, Will Zalatoris is using a L.A.B. Golf putter following Lucas Glover’s success with the company this past summer. Justin Rose, also at the Hero, uses an Axis 1 putter, which he has had in the bag since 2019.