[Winners Club] Schaeffler 'TaylorMade Spider Putter'

Arnold Palmer Invitational: 5-Stroke Victory
Success in Switching from Blade to Mallet Putter
Average 27 Putts, 1.58 Putts per Hole

Scottie Scheffler (USA) is ranked number one in the world. He is the best golfer, combining both distance and precision. However, there is one area where he has been lacking: putting.

Scottie Scheffler cheers after making a birdie on the 15th hole of the 4th round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. [Orlando, USA = AP·Yonhap News]

Scheffler has addressed his weakness. On the 10th (local time), at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge (par 72, 7,466 yards) in Orlando, Florida, he secured a commanding 5-stroke victory at the PGA Tour’s prestigious event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational (API, total prize money $20 million). This marked his seventh career win, his first in a year since the Players Championship in March last year, with a winner’s prize of $4 million (approximately 5.3 billion KRW).

Last season, Scheffler ranked first in greens in regulation and scoring average. However, he was 162nd in putting, frequently missing short putts. At this tournament, his green play was outstanding. On the final day, he recorded six birdies without a single bogey, showcasing flawless play. He tied for 6th in average putts (27) and ranked first in putts per hole when hitting the green (1.58).

Before this tournament, Scheffler made a bold move by changing his putter. Following advice from Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), he switched from a blade putter, which suited his feel-based putting, to a mallet putter with better straight-line performance. He chose the TaylorMade Spider Tour X, and it paid off handsomely. Wyndham Clark (USA), who finished runner-up at this event, said, "If Scheffler puts well, there’s no one who can beat him."

＜Clubs used during Arnold Palmer Invitational victory＞

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (8 degrees)

Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)

Irons: Srixon ZU85 (#3-4), TaylorMade P7TW (#5-PW)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50, 56 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60 degrees)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Ball: Titleist Pro V1 **Data provided by PGA Tour