A new piece of equipment can make a huge difference in golf, no matter the skill level.
On Friday at the Rocket Classic, that proved to be just the case, as two-time Major winner, Collin Morikawa, changed his putter to much success at Detroit Golf Club.
Admitting that he "putted like a blind man" on Thursday during his first round, Morikawa was rock-bottom of the putting stats in terms of Strokes Gained: Putting, losing 4.614 shots.
However, 24 hours later, after switching from a blade-style putter to a more mallet-shaped design, the American then gained 3.095 shots on the field in terms of Strokes Gained: Putting, which put him 11th in the field.
Previously using the TaylorMade TP Soto, Morikawa introduced a new Logan Olson blade-style putter at last week's Travelers Championship. That model stayed in the bag this week and, after struggles on Thursday, he changed it on Friday.
Currently, the official specs of the new flatstick are yet to be confirmed by TaylorMade, but it has been reported that it might be a prototype Spider. Looking at the head shape, it has a similar appearance to the TP Black Ardmore.
Speaking on Thursday after a three-under 69, Morikawa voiced his disdain for his performance on the greens, stating: "It's just an uncomfortable feeling shoving everything and not being able to square up the face. It's tough.
"On greens that are... you've got a lot of poa annua (grass) growing in, you have to just be confident with your stroke, and there was just no confidence today after seeing a couple miss."
Producing a seven-under 64 on Friday, Morikawa is three shots back of leaders Chris Kirk, Philip Knowles and Andrew Putnam.
Ahead of the Rocket Classic, Morikawa split with caddie Joe Greiner, with the duo only working together for five tournaments, registering a best finish of T17.
With former college teammate, K.K. Limbhasut, on the bag, Morikawa will hope to end his winless drought this weekend, which spans back to October 2023.
