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Since joining the PGA TOUR in 2018, Denny McCarthy has established himself as one of the best putters in the world, ranking first in Strokes Gained: Putting in both 2019 and 2020. This week, McCarthy is set to compete in the Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel, which is just 14 miles from his birthplace of Takoma Park, Maryland. While preparing for the event, GolfWRX.com caught up with the 29-year-old to learn more about his putter, his mentality on the greens, how he prepares and why amateur golfers may struggle with putting themselves. Below, we highlight five key takeaways from the putting discussion with McCarthy, one of the game’s best putters. 1. FIND YOUR ‘FOREVER’ PUTTER McCarthy currently putts with a Scotty Cameron TOUR-only GoLo N7 mallet putter with a black finish, a white alignment line, a custom long neck, and a deep-milled face that produces a soft feel and muted sound. While he says he doesn’t always putt with the same exact putter from week to week — he makes slight variations depending on his feel and the green speeds — he does stick to the same style of putter head. McCarthy started using a GoLo mallet model while at the University of Virginia, and he’s stuck with it ever since. “I have 10 different versions of this GoLo head, basically,” McCarthy told GolfWRX.com. “The one thing I do keep very consistent is the black mallet style with the white line and the milled face. Then I might change the neck, or the weighting of it, depending on how fast the greens are, but I like to keep the head and how it looks the same. “I used a blade putter for a little bit as a kid, and then I used an old Odyssey Rossie mallet for a little awhile. Then in college I used a white (TaylorMade) Spider for a bit, then landed on the GoLo… it was very trial-and-error. I putted well with a mallet, with the Odyssey and the Spider, and then really liked the GoLo and everything about it. That was kind of like, ‘this is going to be my putter forever’… it’s just, to me, it’s the appearance of it. The way it sits on the ground.” Experimenting with different putters can be a fun and informative process, but once you find a head style that suits your stroke and preferences, it may be best to stick with it. 2. THROUGH THE GATE “I kind of stole it from (Tiger Woods),” McCarthy told GolfWRX. Like Woods, McCarthy uses a two-tee “gate” putting drill, which helps him square the face and make center contact. The drill is easy to set up. Simply place a golf ball about 5 feet from the hole on a straight putt. When you approach the ball with your putter, place a golf tee just outside of the toe and heel portions of the putter head. Then, hit putts by trying to keep the putter head within the tee “gate” at impact. It’s an easy way to train your stroke to make consistently centered impact with the golf ball. 3. GETTING ALIGNED Even though he has one of the best putting strokes in the game, McCarthy said his stroke can get a bit “wipey” if his alignment gets off. As he told GolfWRX, his stance tends to get a bit open at address, which leads to an outside-to-in stroke that leaves the face too open at impact. This causes a miss short and to the right. To help combat the issue, McCarthy simply lays down an alignment stick parallel to his target along his feet line. This helps him focus on keeping his stance square, and his putting stroke can flow freely from there. 4. AWAKEN YOUR INNER ARTIST According to McCarthy, putting should be treated as more of an art than a science. As part of his process, McCarthy picks out a target between his golf ball and the hole, such as a small imperfection in the green, or a piece of grass that’s a different color. Then, he lines up his golf ball to the intermediate target, and without taking a practice stroke, he lets his inner artist take over. “Treat it more as an art form than a science,” McCarthy said. “You don’t have to have a perfect stroke. My stroke is not perfect. I’m a good putter because I can see the greens well, and I track spots and I treat it more as an art form. I’m picking spots and ball marks, anything that stands out in my line. I line up my ball around those areas and see the arc of the putt as opposed to worrying about what my strokes doing.” To ensure that he’s lined up toward his intended target, McCarthy draws a line on his golf ball using a black marker. Then he aligns that line to his target, and he hits putts so that the line rolls end over end. While this is a common method of putting, McCarthy does it a bit differently. Instead of aligning the ball with the entire line showing, he tilts the line toward his target. He says he does this because although he wants the line there for a reference, he doesn’t want it to be his sole focus during the stroke. Remember, he treats putting as an art. Worrying too much about the line can restrict your stroke and make it less reactionary. 5. TRY TO MAKE IT Of course, not everyone can have the same confidence that one of the best putters in the world has, but a quick switch in mentality can work wonders. “I’m stepping into every putt like trying to give it a chance to go in,” McCarthy told GolfWRX. “I’m stepping into them trying to make them. I’m not trying to wish them up near the hole. If I’m getting a putter in my hands on the green putting for birdie, to me it’s like any putt is a good look to me. “Have fun with it as opposed to like, ‘Oh shoot, I haven’t putted well today. I’ve missed a bunch from this length.’ No, …go up there and pick a spot and get up and be confident and just hit a good putt. It’s more about the process than the result … to me. I’s about the process of going through what you’re seeing and hitting good putts. Once you hit the putt there’s nothing you can do after that, it’s out of my control. If I do everything well that I can control, I’ll be in good hands.”

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DUBLIN, Ohio — Daniel Summerhays shot a 4-under 68 that took him from a five-shot deficit to a three-shot lead Saturday in the Memorial. More than his solid round was a collapse by Jason Dufner, who lost his lead with four straight bogeys on the front nine and hit two balls in the water on the back nine for a 77. Dufner went from the 36-hole record to four shots out of the lead. At least he’s still in the game, and he has plenty of company. Summerhays was at 13-under 203. Matt Kuchar, who won the Memorial four years ago, ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and shot a 67 that gets him in the final group with Summerhays as he tries to end 82 PGA TOUR starts without a victory. The last three winners of the Memorial had never won on the PGA TOUR, and Summerhays fits that mold. The 33-year-old from Utah is in his seventh year. Bubba Watson overcame a heckler on the 18th hole with one last birdie for a 68. He was four shots behind along with Justin Thomas (69) and Dufner. Rickie Fowler (72) salvaged an up-and-down day and was five behind. But it all started with Dufner. “Today was pretty pathetic on all accounts, so have to play better tomorrow,” he said. It started on the second hole when Dufner missed the green to the left from the rough and took bogey. He missed a 6-foot par putt on the third, then hit into the right bunker on the par-3 4th and made another bogey. And then he three-putted the par-5 fifth for a fourth straight bogey. Dufner was still tied for the lead when his wedge on the par-5 11th spun back down the green and into the water, leading to double bogey. It was a three-shot swing when Summerhays made birdie, and Dufner never caught up. He had said his breathing exercises over putting didn’t mean he would always have good days, and this was a bad one. Dufner had a pair of three-putts, and he twice missed birdie putts from 6 feet. He capped off his day by pulling his tee shot into the water and making another bogey. “The tournament is not over,” Dufner said. “It will be over tomorrow.” Summerhays wasn’t thinking about cutting into the lead when he started. He wasn’t thinking much about anything except the shot at hand, and he kept hitting good ones in the midst of Dufner’s streak of bogeys. “A train wreck can happen at any moment,” Summerhays said. “And that’s why it’s such a great golf course because it does test everything. Legitimately from the first hole to the 18th hole, there’s a double bogey somewhere in there.” Jordan Spieth knows the feeling. He was right in the mix until catching a downhill like in the bunker left of the par-3 eighth. He tried to play a perfect shot and barely got it out, then chipped down to 5 feet and missed the putt, making double bogey. Spieth started the back nine with two straight birdies only to follow with two straight bogeys. It added to a 71, and he was six shots behind.

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The sports world came together to send well wishes to Tiger Woods after his single-car accident in Los Angeles County on Tuesday.

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