How Lucas Glover’s switch to a long putter has paid off

Editor's note: Lucas Glover claimed his fifth PGA TOUR title by winning the Wyndham Championship a month after his T4 finish at the Rocket Mortage Classic in July. Glover shot 62, 68 over the weekend to pull clear of the field at Sedgefield Country Club. He was 4.875 SG: Putting for the week averaging 1.71 putts per round in Greensboro, N.C.

Lucas Glover has four PGA TOUR wins, including the 2009 U.S. Open. His most recent victory came two years ago at the John Deere Classic, which is being played this week at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.

He is making his return to the John Deere Classic with a new putter in the bag and newfound confidence on the greens. Glover’s recent switch to a long putter after years of struggling on short putts netted him his first top-10 of the season, a T4 at last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic,

“I needed a whole new idea,” Glover said. “A whole new brain function. The other one obviously wasn’t working. I’ve been struggling with short putts for so long. Just thought I needed to teach myself to do something else, and it’s been working.”

Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, has long been known for his ball-striking acumen. This season, he ranks ninth in Driving Accuracy and has the third-best average proximity to the hole on approach shots (34 feet, 4 inches). He is 179th in Strokes Gained: Putting, however.

Glover switched recently into a long, broomstick style L.A.B. Mezz.1 Max putter, however.He finished fifth in Strokes Gained: Putting last week.

Glover has used a standard-length putter for most of his career. But now he is using a split grip where he hovers his left hand just away from his chest (remember, the anchoring ban went into effect back in 2016). His right arm extends lower down the club in a claw-style grip. It’s a drastic change for Glover, but the transition has been relatively seamless.

“Once you learn how to stand there and address it, it pretty much works itself,” Glover said. “It’s been a nice change.”

If Glover can continue his elite ball striking, and complement it with newfound confidence on the greens, look for Glover to start contending consistently again on the PGA TOUR. He’ll look to add career win No. 5 this week at the John Deere Classic, which would also be his second career win at the event.