Scottie Scheffler surprised everyone upon his arrival in the Bahamas with a new claw grip when holding the putter. He had been working on this new way of gripping the club for weeks, and what better testing ground than the Hero World Challenge to implement it and see how it worked.
The World Number One couldn’t be more satisfied after implementing the new grip and winning the tournament hosted by Tiger with authority, rounding off a memorable 2024. Scottie acknowledged in a press conference that the claw grip is here to stay: “I felt very comfortable competing with this new grip. I’m very happy. You can practice something at home and it goes well, but competing can change the sensations. It was positive to come here, compete, and play under pressure while being close to the lead all week. I felt very comfortable. I definitely assume that I will play the same way at the Sentry.” As a good team player, he confessed that he has to discuss it with Phil, his coach in this area, upon returning. Everything suggests they will be quite in agreement.
One might think that perhaps with the previous putting style, Scheffler would have won as well; in fact, he did so a year ago. However, and being very cautious because it has only been one tournament, there are some numbers that help to be positive with this new claw grip.
In the Bahamas, the player born in New Jersey putted 66 times from under three metres and holed no less than 64, a 96.96%. Logically, many were practically given, but if we compare with the total numbers from the previous season, the conversion rate at that distance was 87.20%, which placed him 139th on the tour.
This week, there is almost a ten percent difference. It must be emphasised that it is only one tournament, but it gives some indication. The best in 2024 in that statistic was Taylor Montgomerie with 90.69%. Scottie’s records this week with that almost 97% success rate are astounding. If he continues like this, he won’t even need such finesse with the irons.
In addition to confirming the continuation with the claw grip, in Scheffler’s press conference celebrating his victory, he shared some interesting insights.
The first of these was regarding legacy. The two-time Major champion eases the pressure. He deflects: “I’ve never really played golf for the legacy, it’s not something I think about in my day-to-day. I play because I love the competition, I like coming here, playing, and trying to bring out the best in myself on the golf course. That’s why I always try to improve, do little things to get better. I don’t think about records, I don’t think about achievements, wins, losses, I just try to bring out the best in myself and compete and have a good attitude.”
It’s probably more of a mental self-defence than a real thought. Scottie is a competitive animal, and make no mistake, he is perfectly aware of everything he is achieving.
Reflecting and being asked about what has been the best tournament of the year, Scheffler doesn’t have a definitive answer; he sticks with three moments: the second victory at the Masters, the Olympic Gold, and the victory at The Players. He places great importance on being the first player to defend the title at TPC Sawgrass: “Winning two consecutive The Players was incredible, winning a second green jacket was quite impressive, and a gold medal was something I won’t forget. I would say those three are slightly different from the rest,” concludes Scottie.
Scottie is clear that the best round of the year was at Le Golf National on the Sunday of the Games: “I think I shot 29 on the last nine holes. I thought I was out of contention, I was out of the tournament, so to have a magnificent last nine holes and shoot 29 to win the gold was very special. I think those nine holes were some of the best I played that year.” He acknowledges that the worst round, not because of the result, was Friday at the PGA Championship after his time in the locker room. What a year.
