How Scottie Scheffler’s New Putting Grip Fared — Statistically

Scottie Scheffler has been one of the best players in modern golf, but his performance on the greens has been nothing to call home about for the past few seasons.

The two-time Masters Champion has been able to dominate the field with exceptional performances in Strokes Gained categories, including Tee to Green, Off the Tee, Approach the Green, and Total. He is a Top 2 golfer in all of these categories on the PGA TOUR.

In putting, he ranks 77th.

But this past weekend was a different story. Scheffler ranked 3rd in Strokes Gained Putting in a very condensed field at the Hero World Challenge, and it led to one of his best final-round performances in recent memory. He ran away from everyone.

What was the adjustment? It wasn’t the putter or the technique; it was simply the grip. Scheffler used a claw for the first time this past weekend, and it looked to fare well for him.

Adding another trophy to the collection 🏆

Scottie Scheffler wins the Hero World Challenge. pic.twitter.com/QlnkrTCzpp

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 8, 2024

Scheffler is not sure if he’ll keep with the technique. He said in a post-tournament interview that this is likely the best week to try new things, and he liked what he saw out of it:

“Figured this is a good week to try stuff… I really enjoyed the way it felt, I felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.”

Some other statistics from the weekend that prove Scheffler’s new strategy might be one to stick with:

• From inside ten feet – He ranked 1st
• From ten to fifteen feet – He ranked 5th
• Lag putting – He ranked 1st
• He had zero three-putts

Cover Image via PGA of America