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PALM HARBOR, Fla. – Brandt Snedeker is a self-proclaimed big stats geek, and it didn’t go unnoticed by him that nearly all the winners on the PGA Tour this year have been using a mallet putter, and primarily a TaylorMade Spider.
“If you're not paying attention to that, you're doing yourself a disservice,” Snedeker said. “There has to be something to it.”
So, despite using a trusty Odyssey Rossie 2 model almost exclusively since his college days, he got a Spider built and tried it at home and determined he was putting better with it.
More: Brandt Snedeker named 2024 Payne Stewart Award winner
“I said, what the heck, I’ll try it,” he said and put it in the bag two weeks ago at the Puerto Rico Open.
“Putted really well, just nothing wanted to go in,” he said. “So, I decided to stick with it. Today was a great putting round. I feel like inside six, eight feet, I'm way better with it; it is way more consistent for me. And then the one thing that's been lacking is making some long putts, and today a few of those went in, which was nice.”
Indeed, they did, including a 50-foot bomb at the 12th hole at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course on Thursday. Snedeker posted a 6-under 65 at the Valspar Championship to sit one off the early first-round lead set by Sungjae Im.
The 45-year-old Snedeker, who will serve as U.S. Presidents Cup captain later this year, was willing to shake things up after missing the cut at all four of his previous starts this season and blamed it on his short stick.
“Just wasn't putting up to my standard,” said Snedeker, who has been one of the best putters of the last two decades. “If I'm not putting good, it's going to be really hard for me to compete against these guys. So really refocused on what I do well.”
He ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting on Thursday, gaining nearly five shots on the field. It helped him shoot his lowest round at Innisbrook in 49 career rounds. Snedeker, a nine-time Tour winner who was once a top 10 player in the world, has dealt with injuries in recent years and entered the week at No. 306. But he still loves the pursuit of better.
“I think I'm probably just dumb enough to realize that I think I can still compete. I feel like I can still play with these guys obviously has to be the right conditions, the right golf course for me anymore, but I still think I can,” he said. “And on days like today, it gives me hope to go back out there and keep grinding.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Brandt Snedeker's putter change at Valspar
Continue reading...
“If you're not paying attention to that, you're doing yourself a disservice,” Snedeker said. “There has to be something to it.”
So, despite using a trusty Odyssey Rossie 2 model almost exclusively since his college days, he got a Spider built and tried it at home and determined he was putting better with it.
More: Brandt Snedeker named 2024 Payne Stewart Award winner
“I said, what the heck, I’ll try it,” he said and put it in the bag two weeks ago at the Puerto Rico Open.
“Putted really well, just nothing wanted to go in,” he said. “So, I decided to stick with it. Today was a great putting round. I feel like inside six, eight feet, I'm way better with it; it is way more consistent for me. And then the one thing that's been lacking is making some long putts, and today a few of those went in, which was nice.”
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Indeed, they did, including a 50-foot bomb at the 12th hole at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course on Thursday. Snedeker posted a 6-under 65 at the Valspar Championship to sit one off the early first-round lead set by Sungjae Im.
The 45-year-old Snedeker, who will serve as U.S. Presidents Cup captain later this year, was willing to shake things up after missing the cut at all four of his previous starts this season and blamed it on his short stick.
“Just wasn't putting up to my standard,” said Snedeker, who has been one of the best putters of the last two decades. “If I'm not putting good, it's going to be really hard for me to compete against these guys. So really refocused on what I do well.”
He ranked first in Strokes Gained: Putting on Thursday, gaining nearly five shots on the field. It helped him shoot his lowest round at Innisbrook in 49 career rounds. Snedeker, a nine-time Tour winner who was once a top 10 player in the world, has dealt with injuries in recent years and entered the week at No. 306. But he still loves the pursuit of better.
“I think I'm probably just dumb enough to realize that I think I can still compete. I feel like I can still play with these guys obviously has to be the right conditions, the right golf course for me anymore, but I still think I can,” he said. “And on days like today, it gives me hope to go back out there and keep grinding.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Brandt Snedeker's putter change at Valspar
Continue reading...
