Jordan Spieth put a black L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i in the bag Wednesday morning at the Travelers Championship pro-am. The test came at TPC River Highlands, where he opened another look at a putter built to reduce twist through the stroke.
That matters because Spieth enters the week 57th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting and 117th in Total Putting. He also ranks 110th on putts between 4 and 8 feet and 86th on putts from inside 10 feet, so the search is not cosmetic.
TPC River Highlands setup
The putter in play was a 35.5-inch model with a 69-degree lie angle. L.A.B. made and shipped it to the course, then brought it to Spieth as he played his pro-am Wednesday morning.
He had also been using a 35-inch version with a 70-degree lie angle that came straight out of the demo bag at TPC River Highlands. The head had two wide, white alignment lines on the topline, while another putter he tested used a single white alignment line.
Jordan Spieth and the blade past
The move stands out because Spieth has used a heel-toe weighted blade for most of his career. He won three majors with a Scotty Cameron 009 and recently has been using a T.P. Mills Trad II.
L.A.B. Golf putters are designed to reduce the tendency of the head to twist open or closed during the stroke. In other words, the VZN.1i is built around a different motion than the blade style that has defined most of Spieth's putting career.
Joe Miera on Spieth
Joe Miera said, "Spieth loves that the putter sits perfectly flat at address and allows him to make the type of stroke he prefers." That is the clearest sign that the test is about fit, not just looks.
Whether the VZN.1i replaces the T.P. Mills this week is still unresolved. Spieth has the new option in the bag now, and the next rounds will show whether the pro-am look becomes a competitive switch.
