Despite the common adage that ‘drive for show, putt for dough,’ holds true in the world of golf, a disturbing trend seems to be emerging on the PGA Tour. The finesse and skill of putting, often the key to securing victory, appears to be on a steady decline. Iconic golfers like Tiger Woods have made a name for themselves with their exceptional putt skills. Even the fate of Rory McIlroy in last year’s US Open was sealed on the putting green. Yet, putting performance in recent years has been far from par, as per golf analyst Brandel Chamblee.
Chamblee confirms that PGA Tour players are sinking fewer putts these days, marking a noticeable dip in the putting standards across the board. His analysis reveals that, on average, players have been making fewer putts between 2019 and 2024 than they did in the first five years of measurement from 2004 to 2008. This trend is consistent across all distances, from close 4-8 feet putts to challenging ones over 25 feet. Intriguingly, this decline in putting performance comes despite significant advancements in agronomy and green conditions.
The 2024 PGA Tour season offers a perfect illustration of this paradox. Scottie Scheffler emerged as a global champion, winning nine times worldwide, despite ranking a lowly 77th for strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour. While Scheffler’s putting skills are still top-tier, it’s worth pondering whether his game suffers due to potential weaknesses in this area.
This decline in putting performance has sparked a debate over the use of aimpoint, a method some golfers use to read greens. Chamblee’s observations may fuel calls for banning aimpoint in the sport. The method, which involves stomping around the hole to feel the break, has been criticized by golfers like Lucas Glover, who described it as ‘rude.’ Although Chamblee hasn’t explicitly called for an aimpoint ban, his comments suggest that he believes putting statistics could improve if the method was phased out.
In summary, the PGA Tour seems to be facing a putting predicament. While driving may be the spectacle, putting is often the deciding factor in tournaments. The game’s custodians must, therefore, address this worrying trend and restore the importance of putt in golf’s grand scheme.
