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The best putters on the PGA Tour using mallet putters this season

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The title says it all. Inspired by Dave Dusek’s breakdown of the irons gamed by the Tour’s best in that department over at Golfweek today, and going off some articles we did in the past, here are the top-eight golfers in Strokes Gained: Putting for the 2015-2016 season thus far who are using mallet-style putters and their weaponry (as well as links to their full WITBs, where applicable).

In-hand photos of players’ actual putters (where applicable). Exclusive to GolfWRX!

T13. Kevin Kisner (0.578 SG:P)

kisner putter

Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro #7
Grip: SuperStroke Mid Slim 2.0 (Black/White)

T13. Brian Harman (0.578)

9486065-taylormade-left-handed-os-cb-spider-putter

Note: This is a stock image. Harman switched putters since we last photographed his bag.

 

Putter: TaylorMade OS CB Spider

9. Martin Piller (0.610)

images

Note: This is a stock image. Piller switched putters since we last photographed his bag.

Putter: Ping Craz-E-R Heavy

7. Aaron Baddeley (0.666)

badds

Putter: Odyssey Works #7CH

6. Harris English (0.690)

harris english-putter

Putter: Odyssey White Hot Pro 2-Ball

4. Phil Mickelson (0.756)

mickelson-putter

Putter: Odyssey Versa #9 (WBW)
Grip: Odyssey by SuperStroke

3. Jamie Donaldson (0.784)

donaldson-putter

Putter: Odyssey White Hot Sabertooth

1. Jason Day (1.072)

6395c96c5d3edafa9ac99cab167a4e20-e1461939760995-742x420

Putter: TaylorMade Ghost Spider Limited Red

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

14 Comments

14 Comments

  1. snowman

    Aug 14, 2016 at 10:17 pm

    I Like the Spider that Jason Day uses as it has no alignment lines or dots. I’d like to see more ‘plain’ putters like this as I feel that I do best by “aiming the face” and don’t want to look at alignment lines and such. The 2 Ball (without lines) and phils putter also meet this criteria to some degree.

  2. Korean Slum Lord

    Aug 11, 2016 at 10:09 pm

    For maximum forgiveness and feel, try a Wilson 8802.

  3. DaveyD

    Aug 11, 2016 at 7:50 pm

    Looks like Scotty Cameron mallets aren’t too popular in this ranking. Probably better known for their blades.

  4. KK

    Aug 10, 2016 at 11:27 pm

    Phil’s putter is not a mallet, it’s a flanged blade according to Odyssey’s website. I consider it a rounded blade, definitely not a mallet.

  5. George

    Aug 10, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    does this actually mean anything? If you gave thesew guys any putter I’m sure they would still be in the same position they currently are. Sponsorships or sponsorships

    • Charlie

      Aug 11, 2016 at 11:20 am

      So why not bend a lob wedge to 3* and have a completely matched set of irons? Putters are definitely not all the same. Height, weight, offset, toe hang, visual, audible, tactile, MOI, etc…

      • George

        Aug 11, 2016 at 12:24 pm

        the putter still needs to be fit to you sorry for not clarifying that. My point was that Mallet putters are not the reason these guys are the best putters out there. These guys are promoting mallet putters for their respective sponsors. If they were allowed to choose any putter they wanted they would still be in the same ranking as a putter. If you gave them a blade putter that was fit to their specs I am sure they would still be as good as they currently are. The mallet putter is just the new tools these companies have so they are making them use them

        • John

          Aug 11, 2016 at 12:42 pm

          Not sure I can agree. The Mallet stroke vs the Blade stroke are different. Most Mallets are face balanced and thus are best suited for a straight back straight through stroke. Blade are typically toe balanced and better suited to an arced putting stroke.

          You have to use the tool best suited to your stroke.

          • George

            Aug 11, 2016 at 1:29 pm

            So those with a striaght back and forth swing are better putters?

      • George

        Aug 11, 2016 at 12:27 pm

        also I said putter not wedge

    • Anna

      Aug 12, 2016 at 8:47 am

      So much bad information on this comment. These are not the best putters out there. These are the best putters out there who do use mallet style putters, it’s in the title. Also, these players are not made to play a mallet style by there sponsors, they choose to play a mallet style from there sponsors offerings, they have a ton of models to chpose from and go with the one that suits them best.

  6. nick

    Aug 10, 2016 at 3:13 pm

    I switched from a Newport 2 circa 2000 to a spider limited (red) and absolutely love it. it took about three rounds to get used to the line up at address, but the feel is unmatched. all preference, but I love the mallet I’m using now. whatever works, roll with it.

    • Justin

      Aug 11, 2016 at 12:38 pm

      I’ve used various blade putters over the past 20+ years and had 2 short stints in that time with mallets. For me, I could get the ball on line easier with a mallet, but felt that I struggled much more with distance control. Have you noticed that it’s taken some time to get used to the distance or do the new mallets have a much softer feel to them? I did try out a Ping Ketsch the other day and found that when I switched to cross-handed my distance control was much better. That in itself seems odd, but hey… whatever works!

  7. Justin

    Aug 10, 2016 at 2:27 pm

    Would be interesting to include the other 5 players that make the top 15 who use blade style putters. It would also be cool to break down the top 25 putters by putting style… standard, cross-handed, claw, etc.

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

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Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

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Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

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TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

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Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

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In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

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