Did Rory McIlroy convince Scottie Scheffler to make TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter switch?

Equipment
Scottie Scheffler

Scottie Scheffler has switched to using the TaylorMade Spider Tour X putter and it might be that Rory McIlroy convinced him to make the change to his bag.

Scheffler was spotted using the pro version of the much-vaunted TaylorMade Spider range of putters.

McIlroy and Scheffler shared a chat while playing at the Genesis Invitational and it has been speculated that the Northern Irishman might have convinced the American to make an equipment change.

Scheffler was advised to switch to a mallet putter by McIlroy in public.

“I’ve certainly been through my fair share of putting woes over the years, and I finally feel like I’ve broken through and become a pretty consistent putter. For me, going to a mallet was a big change, … so I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet,” McIlroy said during an appearance in the CBS booth at The Genesis Invitational.

After working with the club a lot at home, Scheffler arrived with a Spider Tour X in hand for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, according to TaylorMade. The putter has an L-Neck hosel, a True Path alignment assist, and a full-line sight line on top. It is a half-inch longer than his previous putter.

A superior MOI rating is believed to be one of the key motivations behind making this change.

Scheffler’s new putter has 3 degrees of loft and a 72-degree lie angle.

Scheffler used a different Spider putter for two weeks during the 2023 FedEx Cup Playoffs.

Scheffler was a longtime user of blade putters before he started working with putting instructor Phil Kenyon last autumn.

He played for a long time with a Scotty Cameron Special Select Timeless Tourtype, which he replaced the week before the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, his maiden PGA TOUR triumph.

However, he started experimenting with various putters and putter designs around the middle of 2023.

He experimented with a TaylorMade Spider Tour X SS prototype mallet and a wider-bodied Scotty Cameron blade before switching to his most recent gaming weapon, a Logan Olson prototype that he won at the 2023 Hero World Challenge.

For whatever reason, Scheffler appears to play very well whenever he debuts a new putter.

The Spider X shape combines the performance of a blade with the benefits of a mallet design.

With TSS weights positioned farther forward, it delivers increased face rotation and 30 degrees of toe hang while maintaining a reported 5,000 MOI for enhanced stability compared to blades.

McIlroy has been a big part of TaylorMade’s pitch to sell this putter and it seems he might even be actively repping them to players on Tour.

McIlroy never stops working.

TaylorMade

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