Lee Westwood is on the brink of adopting a technique from Adam Scott’s playbook by switching to a longer-shafted putter. While it may not be as extreme as the long "broomstick" style that seems to have helped rejuvenate Scott's putting prowess, it will still feature a longer shaft than a conventional putter if Westwood opts for a belly putter, as he hinted at following his frustrating four days on the notoriously tricky greens of Augusta National. Scott faced no such issues and, after taking the lead in the final stretch, was eventually overtaken by Charl Schwartzel, whose putting was crucial in his under-the-radar rise to fame and fortune. In the end, Schwartzel didn’t need the sensational 30-to-40-foot putt he sank on the 72nd hole with clubs for sale that capped off his four-birdie blitz and secured his victory over the final four holes, but it clearly underscored why he won. After all, when everything is said and done, it’s the best putters under pressure who win the majors—and for that matter, most competitions, whether they're for million-dollar prizes at Augusta National, St Andrews, Pebble Beach, or just for a Sunday club fourball bet at your local golf course.
And Lee Westwood knows this—as do Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, and fading stars like Ernie Els, who are seeing the younger generation in the 21st century sweep up more and more tournaments simply because they are better at getting the ball in the hole. A frustrated Westwood, last year’s runner-up at Augusta National, was scathing in his remarks about his putting and believes it cost him the 75th Masters green jacket, along with the world No. 1 ranking that would have come with it.
"I am incredibly frustrated," he told reporters afterward. "I played tee to green like a man who should have won the tournament. Putting was the problem, and I have to sort it out."
Indeed, Westwood’s ball striking from tee to green was remarkable, and without it, he could not have finished the event tied for 11th at 5-under. His putting was that bad, with the world No. 2 missing a series of makeable putts in the 4-to-10-foot range. With conditions not improving after the third day, the perplexed Englishman eventually switched to a belly putter during the final round and, after noticing a clear improvement, is seriously considering making it a permanent addition to his bag.
"I am incredibly frustrated," he said. "I played tee to green like a man who should have won the tournament. Putting was the issue, and I have to sort it out. I switched to the belly putter, which I haven’t used in four years, and I putted better with it than with the short one. The problem was I couldn’t hole from 4 feet."
Westwood’s Masters disappointment was made even more acute by the fact that he came so close to winning the tournament in 2010, finishing second to Phil Mickelson. But the golfer the world might have felt most sympathy for after his final-round collapse must surely be Rory McIlroy.
Until the 21-year-old teed off in the final round, he had looked every bit the formidable young prince preparing to ascend the throne that the legendary Bobby Jones had helped build in Georgia some 75 years ago. His driving was the longest and straightest over the first three days, his iron play exquisite, his putting near sublime, and his composure even better. But then, on Sunday, something seemed to unravel.
Had it not been for Charl Schwartzel’s magical birdie-eagle combination from off the green with his Taylormade R9 Bag, which helped cancel out McIlroy’s rare four-stroke lead at the start of the day and saw him lose it even before completing his second hole, things might have gone differently. The Northern Irish prodigy didn’t help himself by bogeying the first hole with some sloppy putting after teeing off with a crushing drive down the center of the fairway. But you have to feel sorry for a guy who sees a chip-and-run birdie drop from off the green and an approach shot on the third bounce into the hole for an eagle after a couple of bounces.
In my opinion, the fact that Schwartzel’s eagle, which brought him to a tie for the lead with McIlroy at 11-under, happened to be announced with a mighty roar at the exact moment McIlroy was holing a tough putt to save him from making a second consecutive bogey on the second hole, was the first nail in the coffin that would eventually extinguish all his great talents.
Another blow for McIlroy was undoubtedly the unexpected but stunning birdie run Tiger Woods was having ahead of him. McIlroy wouldn’t know that Woods would take his 5-under total at the start of the round to 10-under at the turn and then fade back into mediocrity on the back nine when his putter also stopped working. It wasn’t long after that, much to my disbelief and, I’m sure, half the watching world, that the suddenly floundering Northern Irishman started spraying both his woods and irons all over the place and then, after being one of the tournament’s best putters, started missing tap-ins.
McIlroy’s only explanation for his inexplicable implosion after carding his nightmare 80 on Sunday was that he “lost it.” But would he have done so if he had been able to start with a confidence-building string of pars and a birdie or two? I very much doubt it.
Sure, the pressure behind the big final-round hype got to him, but the big question remains: Were not the roles played by Schwartzel and Woods in that unlucky, shattering start responsible for knocking him off-kilter and severely shaking his confidence even before he had truly begun what was going to be one of the most dangerous days of his young career?
I think it was; but then again, that’s life—and golf, which, of course, is such a wonderful reflector of life.
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