Long putter ban could cruel Scott

Updated October 23, 2012 17:11:16

Mounting pressure on golf's rule-makers to ban long putters is casting a dark cloud over Adam Scott's career resurgence.

Long-running debate over the issue - which has divided opinions among players and officials - is likely to come to a head by the end of the year.

And revealing statistics show that outlawing the belly and broomstick putters could have a catastrophic effect on Scott's renaissance.

Since ditching the conventional putter in February last year, after a decade of despair on the greens, Scott has risen from 28th in the world rankings to number six and emerged as a genuine major contender.

After just four top-10 finishes from 39 starts in the four annual majors using a traditional putter, the Australian number one boasts a runner-up showing at this year's British Open and an equal second at the 2011 Masters.

He has missed just one cut in eight majors since making the radical switch and finished top 10 four times and top 15 on two other occasions.

Further emphasising his newfound consistency, the 32-year-old has posted 23 top-20 results in 36 tournaments using his trusty broomstick, including 14 top 10s and a victory at the prestigious 2011 WGC Bridgestone Invitational on the US PGA Tour.

Long regarded as one of the world's premier ball-strikers and the winner of 18 tournaments globally, Scott admitted during his Open charge at Royal Lytham that his old putting "ups and downs were horrible".

"It eats you up," he said.

"It's such a mental part of the game and for me walking out there feeling really solid with it for the last 18 months, I feel like I'm not ever going to shoot a bad score.

"It makes going out on the course less stressful, knowing you're going to putt alright all the time."

But with three of the past five major winners - Keegan Bradley (2011 US PGA), Webb Simpson (2012 US Open) and Ernie Els (2012 British Open) - also triumphing with long wands, pressure is intensifying on rule makers to ban belly and broomstick putters.

Simpson does not agree with the potential rule change, saying that larger drivers have affected golf far more than putters anchored to the body, but the American is nevertheless already practicing with a conventional putter.

The US Golf Association and Royal & Ancient Golf Club are discussing a possible change, with a decision expected by the end of the year with any new rules set to come into effect in 2016.

"I'm friends with a lot of the R&A guys and the USGA guys. It's nothing personal and I know they are trying to do it for the betterment of the game," Simpson said.

"But I don't think it's a good decision."

Simpson said the PGA Tour's new putting statistic, known as "strokes gained," shows no discernible advantage for players using long putters.

"It's going to be tough if they do ban it," he said.

"It's going to be tough for a lot of people. Not players, I think it's going to be tough for the committees to really have their stance on it.

"If you look at the facts, last year there was no one in the top 20 of strokes gained category that anchored a putter.

"So the argument of, 'It's an advantage', you have to throw that out there.

"There's a bunch of arguments going around but I haven't heard a good one yet."

AAP

Tags: golf, sport, australia

First posted October 23, 2012 17:11:16

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Watson says broomstick putter 'just not golf'

Updated November 01, 2012 13:40:54

American great Tom Watson claims using a broomstick putter is just not golf and does give players an advantage.

Golf's governing bodies are poised to outlaw the use of long putters at the end of the year, though any ban would unlikely come into effect before 2016.

While the broomsticks have been around a long time, they have become increasingly prominent on the main tours in recent years with many leading players - including Australia's Adam Scott - making the switch with good effect.

Three of the past five major championship winners have used a long putter and calls are growing louder and louder for broomstick and belly putters to be banned.

Eight-times major champion Watson, heading to Sydney next month for the Australian Open at the Lakes course, has battled his own putting demons for much of his career but has never really been tempted to ditch the traditional blade.

"I think what they're going to do - and it's kind of common knowledge - the USGA and the R & A are going to ban the anchoring of the putter on any part of the body," said Watson in a teleconference with Australian golf writers on Thursday.

"I've never felt the broomstick putter was a stroke of golf.

"I may be in the minority, but one of the things that you see in teaching golf here in America, a lot of kids are being taught to use the long putter and I think it probably gives you an advantage.

He added: "It's helped a lot of people."

"I tried it once. I hit three putts with it from about 40 feet.

"I left my first putt 20 feet short; I hit it fat. I knocked my next putt about 15 feet by and finally hit my third putt kind of the right distance.

"So that's the extent of my practice with the broomstick.

"There are definite advantages with it because you take it back and basically the pendulum, the weight of the putter, will carry it through the impact area.

"There's really no chance to jerk it too much if you keep pretty still."

Supporters, though, including reigning US Open champion Webb Simpson, argue that technological advancements in drivers have had far more impact on the game.

AAP

Tags: sport, golf, australia, united-states

First posted November 01, 2012 13:40:54

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Scott fires back in putter debate

Updated August 09, 2012 20:20:20

Adam Scott has fired back at the growing movement to ban the long putter, saying any such move would only be because of player and media pressure.

As the rule makers in golf apparently move towards outlawing the belly and long putter because of the anchoring of the club to one's body and a perceived advantage, Scott says there has been no legitimate argument put forward.

Three of the past four major winners have used belly putters, with Ernie Els famously taking the Open Championship from Scott's broomstick version.

In the lead-up to the season's final major, the PGA Championship, the debate became even more vocal and Scott wanted to speak out, actually approaching media to enter the discussion.

His biggest annoyance is that this is seemingly a relatively new debate, despite the fact the practice has been around for a long time.

"I just don't know how they can ban it, honestly," Scott said.

"I don't know what argument there is for it that's legitimate other than the players who don't use it saying they don't like it. It's the only one I've seen.

"Maybe it's a little different for me, but guys like Tim Clark and Carl Pettersson have been out here putting for 15 years with a long putter. So I don't understand why it's different now.

"The way I see the argument is they think there are too many people using it now so we're going to ban it. That's what it looks like to me because I've seen no clear-cut anything from the R&A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club) or USGA.

"They say it's a discussion, but there has been no real evidence or testing that we know of other than some players don't like the fact we are using long putters."

Webb Simpson, this year's US Open champion, also came out in defiance, saying the shift from wooden to larger, titanium drivers made a bigger difference than "a 35-inch putter to a 45-inch putter".

"Also last year, in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour, nobody in the top 20 used a belly putter or a long putter," Simpson said.

"If anybody says it's an advantage, I think you've got to look at the stats and the facts."

Australian Geoff Ogilvy, a self-confessed traditionalist, is not offended by players using the long putter, but is concerned it may see the short stick lost to the game.

"If you care at all about the short putter, then I think something does have to be done about the long one," Ogilvy said.

"They'll start selling them with junior sets and you'll have kids at 10 and 12 years old using belly putters and in 20 years' time short putters will be like persimmon woods, metal spikes and other things you find in the USGA museum. They'll be gone and I think that would be a shame."

Scott however believes golf has always evolved in this way.

"That's the game. If we were stuck playing the game the way it started, then we would still be using wooden drivers," he said.

"Everything evolves and people accept and embrace different things. It's like the sand wedge changed when Gene Sarazen welded a flange on the back of it.

"People decided this is easier to hit out of a bunker with. We love it and now we have a sand wedge.

"I saw Bernard Langer talk about it being a learned skill. You still have to read it right, aim it right and hit it at the right speed. It's just a different way of doing it. There is no proof to say it is easier or harder."

But 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell revealed perhaps the governing bodies have found some proof.

McDowell has spoken to USGA executive director Mike Davis on the issue.

"I think reading between the lines from what the R&A and the USGA are saying, I would say the change is coming," McDowell said.

"They feel like their research has shown that putting under pressure down the stretch on the back nine on Sunday, when you can anchor the putter to a part of your body ... that just takes one extraneous movement out of the putting stroke.

"It's just kind of a physical fact that if you can just take one element of movement and motion out of the stroke, that holing putts will become easier.

"But having said that, if it was so easy, everyone would be using one."

Even if the ruling bodies did decide on a rule change it wouldn't be fully implemented for some time, as rule changes can only be made every four years at special meetings, with the next set for 2016.

AAP

Tags: sport, golf, united-states, australia

First posted August 09, 2012 20:20:20

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Hot putter fires Oosthuizen into lead

Updated September 03, 2012 11:46:45

South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen fired an 8-under-par 63 overnight to seize a three-shot lead after three rounds of the US PGA Tour event in Norton, Massachusetts.

Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, birdied seven holes in a row starting at the par-four fourth, and followed up his lone bogey of the day at 17 with a birdie at the par-five 18th at the TPC Boston.

He had a 54-hole total of 19-under par 194.

Oosthuizen surged past overnight leader Rory McIlroy, the world number one from Northern Ireland who carded a 67 for 197.

Tiger Woods carded a 68 for a share of third place on 13-under 200 alongside fellow American Dustin Johnson, who posted a 65.

Adam Scott's horror week on the greens continued, the 32-year-old sitting 12 shots off the lead.

Oosthuizen, who trailled McIlroy by one coming into the round, made it look easy. His string of seven birdies included four putts of 20 feet (six metres) or more, the seventh coming with a tap-in at the par-four 10th.

His 7-under-29 on the front nine was a tournament record, as was his 54-hole total.

"Louis put on a display right there," said McIlroy, who nevertheless was not conceding defeat.

"I've come from farther behind before ... it's going to be an interesting day tomorrow."

The $7.75 million tournament, which is the second stop on the US tour's four-event play-off series, concludes on the US Labor Day holiday (Tuesday AEST).

Oosthuizen drained a 40-foot bomb at the eighth and a 23-footer at the ninth.

"Every putt had perfect speed," he said.

"I told Rory, 'Sorry, but you've got to take it when you can.'"

With the putts dropping, Oosthuizen could afford to be aggressive.

"I went at most of the pins," Oosthuizen said.

"Once I started getting birdies, making putts, I started going at the pins because my swing felt great, and after 10 holes being 8-under, you always think about getting it to 59.

"I didn't do anything different from there on in."

McIlroy finished with six birdies and two bogeys, two of his birdies coming in the last three holes to keep Oosthuizen from getting even further away.

Woods had a relatively quiet day, but did enough to keep himself in the hunt.

He said that Oosthuizen's round, and the 63 of Keegan Bradley, showed what would be needed.

"I'm going to have to put together one of those rounds," Woods said.

"It won't surprise me if somebody shoots 8 or 9-under par tomorrow because of where the pin locations are.

"Somebody is going to go out there and do it. It may be early, it may be late, who knows?

"But hopefully, I'm one of those guys."

AFP

Tags: golf, sport, united-states

First posted September 03, 2012 11:40:31

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