PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Robert Garrigus had struggled with his putter for, by his own estimates, the last three or four months. So when his swing coach Jim Ahern suggested last Saturday on the practice tee at TPC Scottsdale that he try a new grip he was all but happy to give it a try.
“I don’t care how long it is, how much it weighs, I’m seeing putts going in and that’s nice,” said Garrigus, who has famously used a belly putter and a putter with a 29 ½-inch shaft.
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On Thursday at Oak Hill, the Ping “Y Worry” model with a 33-inch shaft and oversized grip proved to be perfect on his way to an opening 67 and a spot on the early PGA Championship leaderboard.
Garrigus needed just 25 putts on Day 1 thanks to a chip in on his final hole (No. 9) from a nasty lie. “Tough, though golf shot. Nothing has gone right the last couple of months so it was nice to see something go in.”