Bogey-free Saturday bolsters Scheffler at Colonial

Xander Schauffele made a putter change at the Dell Technologies Championship, swapping his Odyssey Works Big-T #5 mallet for the putter manufacturer’s O-Works Red #7CH (34.5 inches). The two-time TOUR winner noticed an immediate improvement in his aiming but felt the ball was coming off the Microhinge insert with too much speed.  Working with Callaway Tour rep Johnny Thompson at the BMW Championship, Schauffele went to a version of the putter with a slight counterbalance in the grip. Thompson removed 10 grams of weight from the head and repositioned it in the butt end of the SuperStroke Pistol GTR 1.0 grip. The weight shift essentially helped Schauffele take out some energy at impact and dial in his speed control. While the change was slight, it proved to be a game-changer for Schauffele, who finished the week second in Strokes Gained: Putting en route to a third-place finish that booked his spot at East Lake Golf Club for The TOUR Championship. Day’s driver shaft: Jason Day became the third player on TOUR (joining Pat Perez and Martin Kaymer) to put Accra’s 70-gram prototype driver shaft in play at Aronimink Golf Club. The Aussie, who opened 2018 with a TPT shaft in his TaylorMade M3 driver at the Farmer Insurance Open, tested the prototype on Tuesday and saw ball speeds of 181 miles per hour with a launch of 13 degrees and 315 yards of carry (345 yards total). While the numbers were close to what he was seeing from the TPT shaft, the difference for Day was in the dispersion department, where he noticed a tighter pattern, which led to the change. According to Accra Tour rep Shawn Mullin, the prototype shaft is designed to perform like steel with a softer tip section and very low torque. With a high launch and low spin, the shaft is geared for players with high swing speeds who need the added stability.  Bradley reps his alma mater: The red paint used on Odyssey’s O-Works Red putter wasn’t created specifically for Keegan Bradley. That being said, the color was close enough to St. John’s University red for Bradley to ask for a custom version. Bradley, who spent his collegiate career playing for the Red Storm, asked Odyssey reps if they could create a one-off Works 1W Armlock with the same red paint scheme.  From address, the putter looks like O-Works Red — until you flip it over and realize the sole has Works graphics, platinum paint and a White Hot insert.  Tiger goes back to trusty Newport 2: Tiger Woods hinted during the Quicken Loans National that his run with a mallet could be short-lived. He was right. Woods switched to an Anser-style TaylorMade TP Black Copper Juno at the Dell Technologies Championship and then shelved it one week later for his longtime Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS blade.  “I know the release point and I know how it swings and my body morphed into a position where it understands where it needs to be to release the putter,” Woods said. “I’ve hit hundreds of millions of putts. I’ve had it since ’99. I’ve hit putts with it. I just — my body just remembers it. When I go away from it — and, you know, when I was using the Nike putter I always bring it out and hit putts with it. Sometimes it works but it just feels very familiar to me.” Woods opened with 62 but struggled to replicate the performance over the next three days. He lost more than three-and-a-half strokes to the field with the putter during the second round before closing with two positive Strokes Gained: Putting rounds.

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PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico – Russell Henley keeps giving himself chances on the PGA TOUR, but eventually, he’d like to convert. Henley, a three-time winner on TOUR, has a six-shot lead heading into the final round of the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. It’s his fourth 54-hole lead since 2020, including the Sony Open in Hawaii earlier this calendar year, none of which have resulted in trophies. His six-shot cushion, however, is the largest on TOUR (outside of the TOUR Championship) since Jon Rahm at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday two years ago. Rahm was forced to withdraw after the third round. Henley, after a 6-under 65 on Saturday, will try to separate himself from the task at hand. Again, to try and win on TOUR. The last time Henley won was in 2017 at the Cadence Bank Houston Open. “I mean, I’m just going to try to get my mind off of golf a little right now and get some dinner and watch a little football, maybe watch the World Series and just kind of go into tomorrow, new day and just do the best I can,” said Henley, whose alma mater, the Georgia Bulldogs, beat the University of Tennessee on Saturday afternoon. Henley has yet to make a bogey through 54 holes. However, his results at El Camaleón Golf Course in his career haven’t been the harbinger of a nice week. His best result in four previous tries was a tie for 29th in 2018. He missed the cut in 2019 after calling a penalty on himself, which cost him eight strokes. “That was a weird one,” said Henley with a smile. “But I do feel good about this place. I feel like I can play well here, but it is difficult.” Henley said he’s felt better off the tee this week, keeping the ball in play. He was 4 under through nine holes on Saturday, including making a birdie on the par-4 first. He added two more birdies on the back nine, including one from long-distance on the par-3 15th. He’ll be in the final group Sunday alongside Will Gordon, a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, while Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power will make up the penultimate pairing. Power will be going for back-to-back wins after putting himself into contention with a third-round 63. The Irishman man an ace on the par-3 eighth, an eagle just three holes later on the par-4 11th, and then a hole-out birdie from a greenside bunker on the par-4 14th. Henley admitted that this golf course is the kind of place where a lot of birdies could be made (Sunday was the third-straight day where a round of 8-under-63 or better was shot) so he’s not taking his lead for granted. Still, it’s a place he’s happy to be. Now it’s time to get the job done. “Out here you’ve got to keep attacking. Everybody’s so good and everybody can go low, so it’s a tough game out here,” said Henley. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a lead like this. It’s definitely tough to finish golf tournaments, so I’m just really trying not to think about the score and just think about each shot.”

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