Usually the sign of a desperate golfer is when they start changing putters, but Tiger Woods said it might be time to make a switch as he prepares for this week’s Quicken Loans National at the TPC Potomac, in Maryland near Washington DC.
Addressing Putter Problems
Woods played a practice round Tuesday with a TaylorMade Ardmore 3 — a mallet-style putter.
His stats on the green would certainly justify ditching his current flat stick. Woods has been abysmal on the putting surface. He ranks 89th in total putting, and is 175th in putts made inside five feet.
Woods, who won 13 of his 14 major championships with a Scotty Cameron blade putter, tested possible replacements last week in the Bahamas, and said a change may be in order.
“I’m trying something out,” Woods told reporters following his Tuesday practice round. “The way I’ve been putting, I wanted to look for a change. That’s all it is. It rolls it good. You never know. It has a little more swing than my putter does. It feels good.”
Weak Field Opens Door
The highest ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings at the tournament is No. 8 Rickie Fowler. Not surprisingly he is the favorite from the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook at 7/1.
After Fowler, the next highest ranked golfer is No. 17 Francisco Molinari and No. 18 Marc Leishman. Molinari and Leishman are both listed at 16/1.
Sandwiched between Fowler and Molinari and Leishman is Woods at 12/1.
How Woods Could Win
The 42-year-old has a legitimate chance at getting his first victory since 2013 at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. The field doesn’t have any big names and the playing field is far more level.
Woods has been close to winning this year. He finished tied for second at the Valspar Championship in March. The following week he tied for fifth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
If Woods has found the answer with his putter, and can put together four rounds, he could very well be in the winner’s circle.
Why He Probably Won’t
Since his two top-10 finishes, Woods has placed no higher than a tie for 11th and had two finishes outside the top 20, including a tie for 55th at the Wells Fargo Championship.
The putter issue is a concern, and can be a sign of panic. Woods denies that is the case.
“I wanted something with more swing than mine,” Woods explained. “I like feeling that the toe is moving and swinging. It has a fraction more swing than mine does. It’s at my discretion. If I find something that helps me play better, so be it. If it doesn’t then it’s not going in the bag.”
Putting aside, Woods has an issue with finding the fairway. He is 184th in driving accuracy, getting in the short grass a little over 50 percent of the time.
Another area he has to improve on if he is going to win is greens in regulation. He is ranked 102nd and if that doesn’t get better, than he will be further frustrated and winless.