Victory rekindles debate over long putter
Next time you see Jason Dufner – and it may be a while – don’t be surprised if he’s wielding a long putter.
Sunday in the PGA Championship, the difference between Dufner and Keegan Bradley came at the 17th green at Atlanta Country Club, where Dufner’s short putter failed him, and Bradley’s long putter was just the ticket.
Bradley, 25, became the first player to win a major championship with a long putter. And his victory couldn’t have been a better advertisement for the much-derided instrument as his solid stroke in the clutch was in contrast to the nervy yips that doomed Dufner.
It all came down to No. 17, where Dufner three-putted twice, once in regulation from 35 feet, and again in a playoff, from 45 feet. On both occasions, Dufner powered putts past the hole, then missed comebackers from 10 and 15 feet.
“That will make you slap your granny,” remarked CBS analyst David Feherty after the first miss rocketed past.
At the same hole, the winner showed how. On his 40-footer from the same line, Bradley drained it, one of two straight birides that allowed him to recover from a triple-bogey at the dastardly par-three 15th hole.
“That was the difference right there,” Dufner said of No. 17.
Bradley’s win heats up a simmering controversy. Formerly used by older players who have lost their touch, especially on short putts, the long putter is gaining converts among the young, much to the dismay of traditionalists.
Adam Scott, 31, used one last week to capture the WGC-Bridgestone. Same for Brendan Steele, 28, who entered the final round on Sunday tied with Dufner for the lead.
Like Scott and Steele, Bradley jams the grip end into his stomach, slides his hands down the shaft, and putts with the handle anchored to his midsection.
Greats Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson have railed against their use, saying it provides an unfair advantage.
“It should be banned,” Ernie Els said earlier this year. “I think nerves and skill in putting are part of the game and you should take a tablet if you can’t handle it. It’s become such an easy way to putt. You push the putter into your body and then you can make a perfect stroke.”
After blowing a four-stroke lead with four holes left, no one knows better than Dufner.
