Adam Scott’s stunning Masters triumph has brought back under the microscope the anchoring of the belly and long-handled putter to the body.
Scott, 32 became the fourth player in the past six Majors to win using either the belly putter or long-handled putter.
And the Australian is the second straight player on the PGA Tour win anchoring the club to his body after Scotland’s Martin Laird shot a course record equallying 63 to win the Valero Texas Open.
New Masters champion, Adam Scott brings the anchoring ban debate back under the microscope.
Scott set up the first Masters victory for Australia first by holing a miraculous putt on the 18th hole to end regulation play before Argentina’s Angel Cabrera joined him on nine-under par to send the 77th Masters into a play-off.
Then at the second extra play-off hole, Augusta’s 10th, Scott held his nerve holing a 15-foot birdie putt to deny the Argentinean a second Masters success.
Scott had spoken to www.golfbytourmiss.com some weeks ago at the Tampa Bay Championship on the likelihood of the R & A and USGA bringing in a ban, and the Queenslander was vehmently opposed to any ban.
“I would suggest the PGA Tour and PGA of America stick to its guns and demands any ban be rescinded,” said Scott in Florida.
“There just seems to be no logic to the whole issue and golf’s ruling bodies are going about this whole issue on a whim. There are no arguments for the banning of any anchoring based on any facts, and not just on the opinions of those across the board running golf around the world.
“There seems to be a lot of arrogance on the part of those managing this this issue and it’s as though they are acting as gods and not governing.”
And now after joining Keegan Bradley (2011 PGA winner), Webb Simpson (2011 US Open) and Ernie Els (2012 Open Champion) as using a belly or long-handled putter to win a Major, Scott’s very last question in his post Masters media conference was on the subject on the proposal to ban any anchoring of the putters to the body.
“Well, I don’t know what it’s going to do,” said Scott.
“We are all waiting to hear what’s going to happen. I don’t know that this is going to impact any decisions at all. You know my feeling on it all; that it was inevitable that big tournaments would be won with this equipment, because you know, these are the best players in the world and they practice thousands of hours. They are going to get good with whatever they are using. It’s inevitable.
“I don’t know that is going to have any impact on any decisions upcoming.”
Scott will now take a month’s break from competition before returning to contest the May 9th commencing Players Championship and a tournament he captured in 2004.
