![]() That was until last week, at least, when Thomas brought out a new T5 with slight modifications from the one he used in 2021. By the end of 2021, he had returned to the Phantom X5 with which he won 13 times. Thomas had only a short stint with the new putter, though. The knuckle allows for the neck to be elongated without adding too much weight. The custom hosel used what’s called a “knuckle” construction, which is a piece of a shaft that connects the bottom portion of the hosel to the top portion. The dual-winged, mallet head shape of the new flatstick, a Scotty Cameron T5, was nearly identical to his previous gamer, except the putter came with an extended plumber’s neck hosel that differed from the short slant neck style he’d been using for years. That was until he debuted a slightly different putter before last year’s Open Championship, however. Thomas and his putter seemed inseparable. Scotty Cameron released 2,020 limited-edition putters to the public. In 2020, Thomas and Scotty Cameron celebrated his success with the putter by releasing a collaborative Phantom X5.5 putter, which was inspired by Thomas’ custom putter. ![]() That switch preceded Thomas’ top season, his five-win 2017 that included his first major triumph and FedExCup. Thomas started his PGA TOUR career with a classic Newport 2 blade-style putter with a traditional plumber’s neck, collecting his first win, at the 2015 CIMB Classic, with the club. But he’s struggled to cash in on all those birdie opportunities, finishing outside the top 100 in Strokes Gained: Putting in each of the past three years. Thomas is known for his excellence with his irons, having ranked no worse than sixth in Strokes Gained: Approach in each of the past five seasons. Thomas gained 0.8 strokes per round on the greens last week, his best performance in that metric since February and his second-best this season. Last week marked Thomas’ seventh top-10 in 12 starts this season and ninth top-25. Thomas is in the midst of a solid season – he ranks 15th in the FedExCup despite a winless drought that’s lasted more than a year – and the putter may be the key as he seeks to win a second PGA Championship this week at Southern Hills. Thomas finished 20th in Strokes Gained: Putting at TPC Craig Ranch while debuting a prototype Scotty Cameron putter. Even more promising than the high finish was his performance on the greens. Justin Thomas arrives at Southern Hills after a fifth-place finish at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson.
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