The putter tweak that led to Rickie Fowler’s record-setting U.S. Open 62

A minor tweak to his putter helped Rickie Fowler shoot a U.S. Open record 62 during Thursday’s first round at The Los Angeles Country Club.

Fowler told GolfWRX that he changed how he was gripping his club and shaved 1/8” off it before this week to give him “more clearance.”

“(It) just allowed me to let the putter do his thing and I wasn’t getting in the way of it just swinging,” Fowler explained. “Because just with the length every once in a while, it will clip whether it’s belt buckle or if I have a sweatshirt on it can clip the clothing a little bit.”

Fowler made the switch earlier this year to a longer Odyssey Versa Jailbird putter, the same putter his caddie Ricky Romano plays. Fowler took a liking to the putter after picking up Romano’s version and hitting a few putts before the American Express. The next week he had a fresh version with a SuperStroke Tour 3.0 17-inch grip and 20-25 grams of lead tape on the sole. Although it has a longer grip, it’s not an armlock, belly or broomstick putter. Fowler is not anchoring the grip to his forearm, chest, or stomach. But the counter-balanced setup has helped simplify things.

The putter has stayed in the bag since January, a welcome sign after Fowler spent much of the last year with a rotating cast of flatsticks. He ranked 161st in Strokes Gained: Putting last season but entered the U.S. Open ranked 49th this season. Through the morning wave on Thursday, Fowler ranked first in SG: Putting (4.800). He made every putt inside 15 feet. He finished with 111’11” on 25 putts.

“I think one of the big things for me is finally making a handful of mid-range putts, which I haven't done in the past few weeks, and that was a big thing in keeping the round moving forward and building some momentum out there,” Fowler said.

Along with the equipment tweak, Fowler said he made minor adjustments to his grip positioning and pressure and “letting the putter just swing.” Those factors combined perfectly for Fowler’s record-setting first round. It has passed its first test. The putter will go a long way in deciding if Fowler finally claims his first major championship later this week at The Los Angeles Country Club.