1 cause Justin Thomas is contending at Zozo? His putter

Justin Thomas is in competition for his first win in practically two-and-a-half years this week on the Zozo Championship and an enormous cause why is

The 2-time main winner’s 2024 was significantly better than his dismal 2023 marketing campaign the place he didn’t make the coveted FedEx Cup prime 50.

But it surely nonetheless wasn’t as much as the Justin Thomas commonplace we’ve develop into used to as a perennial contender on the PGA Tour. Thomas wasn’t supplied a spot on the Presidents Cup workforce like he was for the 2023 Ryder Cup workforce based mostly on his previous report.

An enormous cause why Thomas nonetheless hasn’t gained because the 2022 PGA Championship is that his placing this season was really worse than it was a yr in the past. Thomas’ ball putting numbers have been again to what we’re used to, rating eleventh this yr in strokes gained: method, up from thirty ninth in 2023, however he misplaced practically half a stroke on the greens per spherical, nearly .35 strokes worse than final yr and right down to 167th on Tour.

As one can think about, he’s been making an attempt a myriad of various putters this season making an attempt to remedy his struggles on the greens. He began the yr utilizing his acquainted Scotty Cameron X5 mallet, a putter he used to win the 2017 PGA Championship and 2021 Gamers Championship. The putter incorporates a dual-wing design and wielded circulation neck to provide the mallet extra blade-like properties.

However that putter was switched out by the Masters with an analogous however newer T5 mallet. That putter lasted until the memorial when Thomas utterly modified appears and went with a Scotty Cameron G.S.S. blade putter that was initially made for and given to him by Vanderbilt standout Gordon Sargent.

The blade was solely within the bag for a couple of month earlier than he inserted a Cameron Phantom 9.2 Tour prototype mallet, a totally new and larger form to him. That putter stayed within the bag till this week when “outdated dependable,” the X5 mallet he began the yr with, was again in play this week in Japan.

“Yeah, it was good. I made some good putts,” Thomas mentioned after his opening-round 66, the place he gained .238 strokes placing. “Even some putts that I missed I felt like they have been good putts. I burned a pair edges. When greens have this a lot break, you actually must be exact together with your pace and matching every part up. I really feel like I did a very good job of that.”

Thomas’ really feel is one factor, however the stats again him up. By way of three rounds this week, Thomas is twenty ninth within the 77-man area, gaining simply over a stroke on the greens for the week. The 1.099 mark is already practically double his finest four-round whole this season of .663.