Scottie Scheffler enters Sunday just 18 holes away from history. After recovering from a surprise slip-up in the middle of his round on Saturday, Scheffler is in pole position at Augusta with a second green jacket on his mind.
It’s rare for the Masters to begin with such a decisive favorite, but those who watched Scheffler in the weeks leading up to golf’s most prestigious tournament knew they were witnessing a special run. Scheffler won two PGA Tour events in March, finishing second in another, and he seemed to put his entire game together better than he had at any point in his career.
Scheffler’s strong short game is more than just the result of practice and adjustments. The 27-year-old has a new putter, and he’s confident that it’s making a difference.
Here’s what you need to know about Scheffler’s new putter and why he thinks its benefiting his game.
MORE: Why Scottie Scheffler could still withdraw from Masters
Why is Scottie Scheffler using a new putter?
Scheffler’s relationship with his putter “soured throughout the summer” in 2023, according to pgatour.com, and he began experimenting with new putters before settling on a new one in August.
That putter still wasn’t the solution for Scheffler, but it was fairly close. He worked with the TaylorMade team to produce a putter that resembled the one he began using in late 2023, and it made its debut in an Arnold Palmer Invitational win in early March.
Not only did Scheffler win the tournament, but he led the pack in strokes gained by putting. With his short game making strides, Scheffler stuck with the new putter and won The Players Championship before finishing second at the Houston Open.
Scheffler told reporters at The Players Championship that his new putter has simply made putting easier for him in recent weeks.
“I don’t have to use the line on the ball. I line the putter up really well, and I line up in the middle of the face, and pretty much as simple as that,” Scheffler said. “Kind of gives me just a really good visual.”
At the very least, Scheffler appears destined for another top-five finish with new putter. Top-five won’t cut it in Scheffler’s mind, though. He has his eyes on a second Masters win, which would etch his name among some of the all-time greats.
What is Scottie Scheffler’s new putter?
Scheffler is using a TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter, with custom front weighting according to his preference.
The putter has an alignment mechanism called TaylorMade True Path, which allows Scheffler to more easily line it up with the ball and the hole.
Scheffler’s new putter is a customized version of what he originally began using last August: the TaylorMade Spider Tour X “SS Proto.” While Scheffler was happy with the progress he made with the putter, the customization to his preferences has paid dividends with such instant success over the last handful of weeks.
With an improving short game to go along with the rest of his skill-set, Scheffler has found a combination that has made him the unquestioned world No. 1 golfer. A win at Augusta would put Scheffler and his putter in the history books again.
MORE: How Rickie Fowler’s putter change led to 2023 resurgence
Scottie Scheffler Masters score
Scheffler is 7-under par through the first three rounds of the Masters. He finished Saturday one stroke ahead of Collin Morikawa and two ahead of Ludvig Aberg.
Scheffler’s short game experienced its share of highs and lows on Saturday. The 2022 champion saw putts on the 10th and 11th holes just barely miss, dropping him from 7-under par to 4-under and threatening his chances of even winding up in the final pairing entering Sunday.
While the putts themselves weren’t ugly by any means, Scheffler’s newfound precision wasn’t there. That changed down the stretch, as an eagle and two birdies for Scheffler over the final six holes put him right back in the lead through three rounds.
Scottie Scheffler is starting to get his putter rolling again.
This eagle on 13 puts him back in it tied for the lead at -6! pic.twitter.com/bre1nZdDIJ
— Idiots Talk Sports (@ITS_pod_) April 13, 2024
As Scheffler already knows, he will need everything to be working on Sunday to finish the job and win the Masters. That includes his short game, which will face some tense moments on the back nine if he can’t pull away early on in the day.
