5 Big-Name Players That Have Already Switched Putters In 2025

While some may try and convince you that advancing the ball as far down the hole as possible off the tee is more important, I think we can all honestly agree that golf tournaments and matches are won or lost when the putter is in hand. Players of all ages and abilities are always searching for an edge among the best putters in order to hole out under pressure and shoot lower scores.

As the PGA Tour swiftly gathers momentum and major season quickly approaches, I wanted to break down some notable players who have made a putter switch at the start of the 2025 season and what success that could bring over the coming months. The last one is massive and definitely one to keep an eye on!

1. Hideki Matsuyama

At the end of the 2024 PGA Tour season, Hideki Matsuyama sat a miserable 121st in Strokes Gained putting. The crazy part is, he still won twice! Thanks to his immense ball-striking the 2021 Masters champion continued to put himself in contention throughout the year and finished 9th in the FedEx Cup. The Japanese star has been a Scotty Cameron loyalist since the inception of his career, regularly switching between various Newport 2 models. However, a more drastic change at the beginning of January into a center-shafted, Tour-only Scotty Cameron saw Matsuyama take the title at The Sentry in just his first start of the year. Now sitting 35th in Strokes Gained putting through four events, I can really see Hideki pushing on to have a big season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he picks up his second major title.

2. Collin Morikawa

I often place Morikawa in the same boat as Matsuyama – someone who golfs their ball better than most but is streaky on the greens and therefore doesn’t win half as much as he should. Over the course of the 2024 season, Morikawa was seen using multiple putter models from TaylorMade and even a custom Olson design putter at one point. While the American found some confidence in using a claw grip and actually was positive in Strokes Gained putting in 2024, he’ll want to really push on in 2025 and add not only more major championships but be a part of a winning Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black.