Embracing raucous crowd key at TPC Scottsdale

Tiger Woods’ weekend at Firestone — where he has eight victories — did not go as he had hoped, with a pair of 73s among his worst performances at the venue.

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Jason Kokrak made more than 200 PGA TOUR starts before earning his first victory. Now he has won twice in a matter of months, after staring down local favorite Jordan Spieth at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge. The 36-year-old ranks fifth in this season’s FedExCup standings thanks to wins at Colonial and the CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK in October. He has finished in the top 25 in nearly half his starts this season and sits fifth in the FedExCup standings. The putter has been the biggest difference-maker for Kokrak. He is sixth in Strokes Gained: Putting after having an average ranking of 124th in that statistic in his previous nine PGA TOUR seasons. Adjustments made in late 2020 to Kokrak’s Bettinardi Studio Stock 38 putter are bearing serious fruit. It was Kokrak’s caddie, David Robinson (no, not that David Robinson), who recommended that his boss move to a longer putter. The 6-foot-4 Kokrak now uses a 36-inch shaft in his putter, which improves his grip on the putter. “I worked with Bettinardi a little bit. Went to their studio and learned what my tendencies were. I went up in loft a few years ago, four or five years ago, more than I was comfortable with.” said Kokrak. “But then … my caddie saw that I was holding the putter kind of in the base of my palm here. Both hands weren’t completely on the putter. He said, ‘Don’t change anything, just go to a 36-inch putter,’ and that’s made all the difference.” The longer putter helps Kokrak stand taller at address, as well. And Robinson’s green-reading ability has been a key part of Kokrak’s putting improvement. “Ever since we got together four years ago, I called him up and said, ‘Listen, this is going a good ride,’” Kokrak said. “I’m a pretty good ball-striker and you’re a great green reader and we’ll make a good duo.” Kokrak also adjusted the loft of his Studio Stock 38 to 4 degrees before the Charles Schwab Challenge. That helped the ball roll better in the soft and wet conditions at Colonial. Model: Studio Stock 38 Weight: 358 grams Material: 303 Stainless Steel Finish: Platinum Face Milling: F.I.T. Face

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