Smylie Kaufman reveals major champion shot 61 with a new putter in practice round last week

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Smylie Kaufman has revealed that one player in the field at The Memorial this week may be debuting a new putter for the event, having shot 61 in a practice round alongside Kaufman last week.

The Memorial at Muirfield Village seems to take on added significance this week, with the US Open at Pinehurst No.2 coming up next week.

The likes of Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler did not play at the Canadian Open, so it will be intriguing to see how they get on in Ohio.

There is another major champion who is returning after a lengthy break this week, with Justin Thomas making his first appearance since the PGA Championship on home soil at Valhalla.

Justin Thomas shoots 61 in practice round with new putter

Thomas has had a turbulent year with four top 10s and three missed cuts, but his tied eighth finish at the PGA last month was encouraging. And it seems that he may be ready to make a big change ahead of The Memorial.

Speaking on The Smylie Show, Smylie Kaufman revealed that he played alongside Thomas in a practice round in recent days, and it turns out that the 31-year-old may have a new ace up his sleeve.

“The other player, who I played with this past weekend, who I almost just picked [to win The Memorial], he might go to a blade this week, and I saw him shoot a 61 with said putter, which we added up after the round, it was like ‘holy —-, you shot -10 man’, and that player’s Justin Thomas,” he said.

Equipment change could be final piece in jigsaw for two-time major champion

Obviously, practice round scores probably count for little when the pressure is on, but it is remarkable that Thomas apparently shot 61 with a new putter.

Just having confidence on the greens can be a game-changer for players of this calibre, particularly when Thomas has won two major championships in the past.

He has been threatening to get back to the top of the game after a difficult spell over the last couple of years, so perhaps this could be the turning point for the American.

Certainly, it will be fascinating to keep an eye on Thomas’ putting statistics this week, particularly when you consider how important putting well can be at Muirfield.