Collin Morikawa benched a brand new putter after the primary spherical of the Masters. Now he is one off the lead.
Darren Riehl/GOLF and Getty Pictures
Collin Morikawa is rather like the remainder of us: Typically he simply must put his putter in a bit timeout to get the magic flowing once more.
However in contrast to the remainder of us, we’re not switching putters in the course of a significant. Nor does stated change propel us to shoot 5 underneath over two days at Augusta Nationwide and place us one shot off the 54-hole lead at the Masters.
Oh, and if Morikawa wins, he’ll be three-quarters of the way to the career grand slam.
So perhaps he’s is loads higher at golf than we’re, however the level stays: Collin Morikawa made a mid-tournament putter change this week on the Masters.
The 2-time main winner really started the week with wholesale modifications to his golf bag. GOLF’s Jonathan Wall reported Morikawa dropped his trusty, four-year-old TaylorMade SIM driver and 3-wood for the present yr Qi10 LS and Qi10 Tour fashions, respectively.
However Morikawa additionally joined a rising checklist of gamers who’ve adopted the lead of Scottie Scheffler in switching to a TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet.
Scheffler switched to the mannequin on the Arnold Palmer Invitational and promptly gained his subsequent two occasions, completed second at his subsequent begin and now leads the Masters by one after 54 holes.
TaylorMade Spider Tour X Putter
$349.99
STABILITY FOR THE WIN
THIN WALL UNDERCUT CONSTRUCTION
We’ve engineered a super stable structure by removing excess weight to create high MOI and legendary Spider performance.
STEEL WIREFRAME
Allows engineers to better control weight distribution and CG location.
HYBRAR ECHO® DAMPENER
HYBRAR is behind the face to dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering premium sound and feel on every putt with the best possible sensation.
DIFFERENT CG LOCATION
Each Spider Tour model features different CG locations for optimal putter fitting.
TSS WEIGHTING
TSS weights provide balanced weighting and help optimize performance for all various putter lengths.
GUNMETAL PVD FINISH
The durable PVD coating creates a beautiful high-quality finish.
TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT
The patented alignment system provides visual clarity and helps golfers better envision the line to the hole.
WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT
Made from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, the white TPU Pure Roll™ insert creates a softer feel. Grooves are angled at 45° to encourage optimal forward roll as well as better sound, feel and overall roll characteristics. The white insert also creates better symmetry with the white True Path alignment.
REFINED HOSEL DESIGNS
Spider Tour Series includes two different hosel shapes and designs. The small slant produces toe hang, and the double bend produces a face balanced design.
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Morikawa didn’t have fairly the identical love-at-first-stroke response when he introduced the flatstick to Augusta. After finishing an opening-round 71 Friday morning the place he misplaced practically four-tenths of a stroke on the greens in line with DataGolf, Morikawa ditched the mallet earlier than teeing off for his second spherical.
“I got here into this week not placing properly or not feeling snug with the putter that I had in my arms. Went full 180, switched to the mallet, switched to the Spider, and was feeling nice, to be sincere,” Morikawa stated Saturday night time. “I felt actually, actually good. Felt higher than I’ve form of felt all yr.
“However generally you don’t know the way it’s going to really feel within the match. By way of that Thursday after which Friday morning spherical, it was only for me to complete the spherical, like I simply wished to get the putter out of my arms as a result of I couldn’t get snug with it.”
Whereas Morkiawa made three birdies throughout brutally tough situations Thursday afternoon and into Friday morning, together with a 35-foot bomb to finish his spherical, he missed makable seems to be coming dwelling at 12 (11 ft), 14 (7 ft), 15 (9 ft), 16 (7 ft) and 17 (11 ft).
So it was out with the brand new and in with the previous for the 27-year-old. Though it wasn’t the exact same TaylorMade TP Soto he’d been utilizing.
TaylorMade TP Reserve B11 Putter
$399.99
FINE MILLED PUTTERS
Machine milling creates the best details and elevates the putter’s overall character.
MACHINED IN GROOVE
Machined milled grooves on the face reduce surface area impacting the ball, for a softer feel and crisp sound.
3 CLASSIC BLADES AND 3 REFINED MALLETS
Premium style matters as much as performance. Each model is a blend of art and precision, crafted with classic styling and awe- inspiring aesthetics.
REFINED TOP LINES AND PROFILES
TP Reserve features refinements to top line thickness, face heights, blade lengths and radius shaping for premium styling and Tour- inspired details
FOUR REFINED HOSEL COMBINATIONS
Reserve offers four different fitting options via a combination of shaft and hosel designs for selective toe hangs. The new mid-length single bend hosel promotes easier setup and repetitive alignment.
303 SOLID STAINLESS STEEL
Designed and machined with soft 303 stainless steel for sound and feel.
PERFORMANCE SOLE WEIGHTING
Use sole weights to fine tune swingweight to match putter length for optimal stability and performance.
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“Fortunately I had a backup,” Morikawa stated. “A duplicate of what I’ve putted with up to now, just about the previous yr and a half. Felt like previous instances and good to have that within the bag once more.”
The change had a direct impact for Morikawa. In Spherical 2 Friday, he gained practically three strokes on the greens, third greatest within the subject. He picked up one other 1.07 Saturday on his technique to 69, the second-best spherical of the day, placing him a shot behind Scheffler as the two head to Sunday in the final pairing.
“Didn’t make the putts I essentially wished as we speak,” he stated. “Missed a couple of on the market, however all the pieces nonetheless feels snug. That’s the most important factor is feeling snug going into tomorrow.”
General, he’s seventh within the subject in SG: Placing, which mixed with being No. 4 in SG: strategy, normally results in success for Morikawa, who has completed top-5 within the latter class yearly of his PGA Tour profession.
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Making modifications to the driving force and the 3-wood and the putter is loads to tackle through the week of (or throughout) a significant, and Morikawa agrees. However he additionally has an evidence.
“Typically you’re looking, and I needed to search,” he stated. Morikawa won for the first time since the 2021 Open Championship in Japan final fall however has only one top-10 in seven begins this season. He completed T75 final week on the Texas Open.
“You need to discover one thing. You realize, the place my recreation was final week, if I took it out right here, first few days, I most likely wouldn’t be right here. I most likely wouldn’t be taking part in as we speak. So you need to discover one thing.”
His change definitely helped him discover one thing. It most likely helped that it wasn’t the primary time he’d made such a change.
A reporter requested him: Have you ever switched putters mid-tournament earlier than?
“Loads of instances,” he stated, chuckling. “Faculty was a enjoyable one.”
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