Scottie Scheffler has worked endlessly to become one of the best putters in the game.
That allowed Scheffler to dominate in 2025 in a fashion we haven’t seen since Tiger Woods. Scheffler won two major championships and six total events this season, and is now a US Open away from completing the career grand slam.
While Scheffler wasn’t always a dominant force, he had most of the skills required to take his game to the next level. It was his putting that was holding him back. During the 2023 season, he led the PGA Tour in strokes gained, strokes gained off the tee, and strokes gained on approach. But he ranked 151st in putting.
He hired a new putting coach, Phil Kenyon, after the 2023 season and saw incredible results. But Kenyon was shocked by Scheffler when they first started working together.
Scottie Scheffler’s putting coach couldn’t believe he had won a tournament
Amazingly, Scheffler had already won The Masters when he hired Kenyon, despite being so poor on the greens. He won the Players Championship in 2023 to claim his sixth win on the PGA Tour.
But Kenyon was amazed Scheffler had even won one event with how he putted. Speaking ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome, the American revealed what Kenyon told him when he was first hired.
Scheffler said, “Yeah, well, I mean, basically he just told me I sucked, he couldn’t believe I ever won a tournament with how I putted. That’s what you want to hear, right?
“No, on a serious note, I had a feeling what I was doing wrong. It was something that — my suspensions were kind of answered. It was just I was trying to fix it in the complete wrong way. To get into the details of it would take a little bit of time, but it’s really very simple.”
According to Data Golf, Scheffler now gains 0.5 strokes on average by putting. That’s better than 98% of PGA Tour players. It’s a remarkable turnaround, as Scheffler has turned his glaring weakness into a true strength.
Scottie Scheffler’s putting woes returned at the Ryder Cup
2025 saw Scheffler dominate with his putter, but his old issues on the greens resurfaced at Bethpage Black. Keegan Bradley turned the Ryder Cup into a putting contest, and Scheffler struggled.
He went 1-4-0 in New York and couldn’t buy a putt through the first two days. Scheffler finished the tournament losing 0.59 strokes on the greens. He ranked 15th in putting at Bethpage Black.
That’s not a concern for now. Scheffler had the odd bad putting week in 2025, losing strokes on the green at three events. When you consider that the greens were slower than expected at the Ryder Cup, and Scheffler’s struggles can be dismissed as an off week.
But if this putting form carries over to his next events, then it could put a halt to his dominant run.
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