Rory McIlroy Testing Scotty Cameron Putter Ahead Of WGC-Match Play
McIlroy is testing a Scotty Cameron model very similar to the one he used to win his first two Majors
Rory McIlroy looks to be making a change to his putter ahead of another attempt at winning the Green Jacket next month in his bid to end his Major drought and finally complete the career grand slam.
The Northern Irishman has been using a Scotty Cameron Newport 2 putter in practice for this week's WGC-Match Play, and it's very similar to the model he used to win his first two Majors.
McIlroy won both the 2011 US Open at Congressional and 2012 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island using a Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport GSS Prototype. He also used it during the 2012 Ryder Cup, coined the 'Miracle at Medinah'.
The new 'replica' he is testing this week is very similar to that two-time Major winning flat stick, as pictured by Golf.com's Jonathan Wall.
He reportedly said he is trying to "rekindle an old flame", with Wall revealing that the putter has a thumbs-up stamped on it like the flat sticks used by Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas.
A post shared by Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall)
A photo posted by on
"Rory told me it allows him to be more athletic and gives him freedom. Also said it’s great for The Masters," Todd Lewis said of McIlroy's new putter on Twitter.
A putter change for @McIlroyRory at the @DellMatchPlay. He is using a @ScottyCameron Newport putter that is a replica of the same putter he used to win his first 2 majors. Rory told me it allows him to be more athletic and gives him freedom. Also said it’s great for @TheMasters. pic.twitter.com/DoEGeO4DtTMarch 21, 2023
McIlroy ranks 173rd in the PGA Tour's Strokes Gained: Putting statistics for the 2022/23 season, losing an average of 0.429 on the field. That's a stark contrast to the previous season, in which he won the FedEx Cup, where he ranked 16th with an average gain of 0.495 strokes per round on the greens.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
He missed his first cut since August at the recent Players Championship after rounds of 76 and 73 at TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy has also reportedly gone to a shorter driver shaft and drove it "beautifully" during a recent practice round at Augusta National. Jonathan Wall also confirmed that he had added in a 5 wood in the form of the TaylorMade Stealth 2 ahead of this week's event at Austin Country Club.
The Scotty Cameron putter is another Titleist club added to his bag after he put Vokey wedges in play at the start of the year in Dubai. He revealed he has new flexibility with his TaylorMade deal and put the new wedges in the bag after trying some of close friend Justin Thomas' clubs.
"Yeah, so this is my first year of my new deal with TaylorMade, and they gave me just a little bit of flexibility with some of the clubs that I can play," McIlroy explained at February's WM Phoenix Open.
"Yeah, so that was really it. I was messing around with Justin, I see Justin Thomas all the time at home and messing around with some of his wedges and some of the grinds he has. I got in touch and ordered a couple, and they've worked really nicely."
The Northern Irishman also recently switched into the new TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus driver, in part after regularly being outdriven by Tiger Woods at Riviera in the Genesis Invitational. He said the reason for the change was due to the face on his Stealth model potentially being illegal due to the amount of use.
“I went to that new driver in Riviera, and it's just not...Look, I wish I could use my driver from last year, but I can't just because of - you use a driver for so long, and it starts to get a little too - basically it just wouldn't pass the test,” McIlroy said after round one at the Players.
McIlroy was likely referring to driver face 'creeping' where over time, the vast number of shots hit during practice and play out of the center causes the face to get slightly more compressed and thinner over time, making it a little hotter in terms of ball speed. His old driver would likely have already been very close to the legal CT (Characteristic time) limit when he first started using it, so any creeping would cause it to become non confirming. The USGA has been conducting a lot more testing on tour in recent seasons to clamp down on this as manufacturers try and push performance to the limits.
The four-time Major winner will be hoping to go one better at The Masters this year after recording his best ever finish at Augusta last year. He holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole to post a final round 64 for a second-place finish behind Scottie Scheffler.
Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!
Elliott is currently playing:
Driver: Titleist TSR4
3 wood: Titleist TSi2
Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1
Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58
Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5
Ball: Srixon Z Star XV
-
'Gator Netting Is In Place' - Chevron Championship Venue Prepared For 'Safe' Winner's Jump
A tradition which began at the tournament's previous home could continue this year - if the champion is feeling brave enough...
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
New Balance 997 SL Golf Shoe Review
New Balance produce some extremely stylish footwear and, in this review, Matt Cradock takes their spikeless 997 SL onto the course
By Matt Cradock Published
-
RBC Heritage Prize Money Payout 2024
Hot on the heels of The Masters comes the latest signature event on the PGA Tour, this time from Harbour Town in South Carolina
By Mike Hall Published
-
'I Will Play The PGA Tour For The Rest Of My Career' - Rory McIlroy Emphatically Shuts Down $850m LIV Golf Report
The four-time Major winner has told the Golf Channel he has no intention of making the leap from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf
By Mike Hall Published
-
Rory McIlroy’s Manager Responds To $850m LIV Golf Report
Sean O'Flaherty has described a report linking his client with a big-money move to LIV Golf as "fake news"
By Mike Hall Published
-
'He's A Different Kind Of Special' - Ted Scott Heaps Praise On Boss Scottie Scheffler After Latest Masters Win
Scottie Scheffler's caddie spoke to the media after Sunday's Masters victory to outline what makes his boss so special and how it feels to win a fourth Masters
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
How Social Media Reacted To Scottie Scheffler's Second Masters Victory
Social media was awash with fans, legends, and brands congratulating Scheffler over his second Masters win in three years
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Barstool Sports Founder Set To Land Seven-Figure Prize If Scottie Scheffler Wins The Masters
Dave Portnoy, who invented Barstool Sports, has placed a huge bet on world No.1 Scottie Scheffler to win the Masters
By James Nursey Published
-
What Would A 15-Handicapper Shoot Around Augusta? Rory McIlroy Gave This Brutal Response...
McIlroy's search for an elusive Grand Slam with a Masters victory continues but he gave short shrift to any idea amateurs could handle Augusta
By James Nursey Published
-
‘My Swing Felt Horrific’ - Rory McIlroy Last Man On Driving Range After Sliding Down Masters Leaderboard
Rory McIlroy fell from contention after a disappointing second round in windy conditions at Augusta National
By Ben Fleming Published