Equipment
Blade vs. mallet: What style putters do the top-50 players in the world use? (2022 update)
Four years ago, I wrote an article where I analyzed the putters that the top-50 players in the world were using, and the top-50 players in strokes gained: putting. I wanted to find out whether more mallet-style putters, or blade-style putters, were being used by the world’s best.
In 2018, I found that 44 percent of the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings were using mallet style putters, and 56 percent of the top-50 in strokes gained: putting were using mallet putters.
Flash forward to 2022, and it would seem that more and more top golfers are switching into mallet putters – Scottie Scheffler, for example, just switched into a mallet putter after using a blade-style putter throughout his career.
What are the actual numbers, though? Are more top PGA Tour players really using mallet putters these days, or is the shift overblown?
I wanted to find out.
For my research, I simply went through the most recent GolfWRX WITB photos, and the most recent photos on Getty Images, to figure out what style putter each player in the Top-50 in the OWGR is using, as well as each Top-50 player in strokes gained: putting on the PGA Tour for the 2021-22 season.
Below are the results:
Top-50 in OWGR: Blade or Mallet?
Mallet putter users, 62 percent (31 out of 50)
Rory McIlroy’s TaylorMade Spider Tour mallet putter
Rory McIlroy (No. 1: TaylorMade Spider Tour Hydroblast)
Scottie Scheffler (No. 2: Scotty Cameron T-5.5 Proto)
Patrick Cantlay (No. 4: Scotty Cameron T5 Proto)
Jon Rahm (N0. 5: Odyssey Rossie S White Hot OG)
Xander Schauffele (No. 6: Odyssey O-Works #7 CH Red)
Will Zalatoris (No. 7: Scotty Cameron Circle T Phantom X T-11 Proto)
Justin Thomas (No. 8: Scotty Cameron T5 Proto Tour-Only custom)
Viktor Hovland (No. 11: Ping PLD DS 72)
Sam Burns (No. 12: Odyssey O-Works 7S)
Billy Horschel (No. 16: Ping PLD Sigma 2 Tyne 4)
Cameron Young (No. 17: Scotty Cameron T5 prototype)
Max Homa (No. 18: Scotty Cameron Phantom X T5.5 Prototype)
Sungjae Im (No. 20: Scotty Cameron Flowback 5 Prototype)
Shane Lowry: (No. 21: Odyssey DFX 2-ball)
Abraham Ancer (No. 23: Odyssey White Hot No. 5 Stroke Lab)
Keegan Bradley (No. 25: Odyssey Versa Jailbird)
Sepp Straka (No. 27: Odyssey Tuttle Stroke Lab)
Tyrrell Hatton (No. 28: Ping Vault Oslo)
Kevin Kisner (No. 29: Odyssey 2-Ball 11)
Dustin Johnson (No. 30: TaylorMade Spider GT Black)
Corey Conners (No. 31: Ping PLD Prototype)
Tom Hoge (No. 32: TaylorMade Spider X Hydroblast)
K.H. Lee (No. 33: Odyssey Works Versa 2-ball)
Adam Scott (No. 34: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 prototype)
Aaron Wise (No. 36: TaylorMade Ghost)
Brian Harman (No. 37: TaylorMade OS CB)
Daniel Berger (No. 43: TaylorMade Spider X Hydroblast)
Jason Kokrak (No. 44: Bettinardi Studio Stock 38)
Harold Varner III (No. 46: Odyssey White Hot OG 7S)
Seamus Power (No. 48: Ping PLD3 Mallet)
Harris English (No. 49: Ping Scottsdale Hohum)
Blade putter users, 38 percent (19 out of 50)
Tom Kim’s new custom Scotty Cameron blade-style putter
Cameron Smith (No. 3: Scotty Cameron 009M Prototype)
Collin Morikawa (No. 9: TaylorMade TP Soto)
Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 10: Bettinardi DASS Prototype)
Jordan Spieth (No. 13: Scotty Cameron 009 tour prototype)
Tony Finau (No. 14: Ping PLD Prototype)
Joohyung “Tom” Kim (No. 15: Scotty Cameron TourType GSS Prototype)
Hideki Matsuyama (No. 19: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS)
Joaquin Niemann (No. 22: Prototype Ping PLD Anser)
Tommy Fleetwood (No. 24: TaylorMade TP Juno)
Ryan Fox (No. 26: Ping Anser 2D)
Thomas Pieters (No. 35: Scotty Cameron Squareback Select 2 Tour Only)
Talor Gooch (No. 38: Odyssey Tri-Hot Two)
Brooks Koepka (No. 39: Scotty Cameron Teryllium TNP2)
Kevin Na (No. 40: Odyssey Toulon Madison)
Kurt Kitayama (No. 41: Scotty Cameron Newport prototype)
Louis Oosthuizen (No. 42: Ping Vault 2.0 Voss)
Mito Pereira (No. 45: Ping Vault 2.0 Dale Anser Stealth)
Paul Casey (No. 47: Scotty Cameron 009M Prototype)
Alex Noren (No. 50: Odyssey O-Works 1W)
Top-50 in Strokes Gained: Putting
Mallet users: 70 percent (35 of 50 players)
Kelly Kraft’s custom Odyssey Versa 1-Ball Red prototype mallet
Lucas Herbert (No. 1: TaylorMade Spider X Hydroblast)
Denny McCarthy (No. 2: Scotty Cameron GoLo N7)
Tyrrell Hatton (No. 4: Ping Vault Oslo)
Beau Hossler (No. 5: Odyssey 2-Ball Ten)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (No. 6: Odyssey White Hot OG #7)
Kelly Kraft (No. 7: Odyssey Versa 1-ball Red Prototype)
Kevin Kisner (No. 9: Odyssey 2-ball 11)
Sam Burns (No. 10: Odyssey O-Works 7S)
Martin Trainer (No. 12: Scotty Cameron Circle T Prototype Phantom T12)
Chesson Hadley (No. 13: Odyssey White Hot OG 2-Ball)
Mackenzie Hughes (No. 14: Ping Scottsdale TR Piper C)
Rory McIlroy (No. 16: TaylorMade Spider Tour Hydroblast)
Ian Poulter (No. 17: Scotty Cameron T-11 Proto)
Justin Rose (No. 20: Axis1 Rose Prototype)
Billy Horschel (No. 21: Ping PLD Sigma 2 Tyne 4)
Matthew Wolff (No. 23: TaylorMade GT Notchback)
Adam Long (No. 24: Scotty Cameron T5 Proto)
Viktor Hovland (No. 25: Ping PLD DS 72)
Max Homa (No. 27: Scotty Cameron Phantom X T5.5 Prototype)
Patrick Cantlay (T28: Scotty Cameron T5 Proto)
Jon Rahm (T28: Odyssey Rossie S White Hot OG)
Wyndham Clark (No. 31: Scotty Cameron T5 Proto)
Xander Schauffele (No. 32: Odyssey O-Works #7 CH Red)
Vince Whaley (No. 33: Odyssey White Hot OG #7)
Rory Sabbatini (No. 34: Scotty Cameron Flowback Prototype)
Austin Cook (T35: Ping Sigma G Tyne)
Sungjae Im (No. 37: Scotty Cameron Flowback 5 Prototype)
Andrew Putnam (No. 38: Odyssey Stroke Lab Black Rossie)
Sepp Straka (No. 39: Odyssey Tuttle Stroke Lab)
Seamus Power (No. 40: Ping PLD3 Mallet)
J.T. Poston (T41: Scotty Cameron GoLo 5 Black Tour Prototype)
Adam Scott (T41: L.A.B. Golf Mezz.1 prototype)
Troy Merritt (No. 43: Yes! C-Groove Mollie Tour)
Jason Kokrak (T46: Bettinardi Studio Stock 38)
Mark Hubbard (No. 50: Odyssey Metal X Milled #9HT)
Blade users: 30 percent (15 of 50)
Matthew Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi blade-style putter
Brendon Todd (No. 3: Sik Pro C-Series)
Cameron Smith (No. 8: Scotty Cameron 009M Prototype)
Matt Kuchar (No. 11: Bettinardi Tour Department SS28 DASS)
Marc Leishman (No. 15: Odyssey Versa #6)
Alex Noren (No. 18: Odyssey O-Works 1W)
Maverick McNealy (No. 19: Toulon Stanford MM Custom)
Matt Fitzpatrick (No. 22: Bettinardi DASS Prototype)
Tommy Fleetwood (No. 26: TaylorMade TP Juno)
Patrick Rodgers (No. 30: Odyssey Toulon San Diego)
Seung-Yul Noh (T35: Scotty Cameron Select Prototype)
Scott Stallings (No. 44: Scotty Cameron Newport 2.6 Prototype)
Brooks Koepka (No. 45: Scotty Cameron Teryllium TNP2)
Justin Lower (T46: PXG Prototype)
Richy Werenski (No. 48: Scotty Cameron Circle T Prototype)
Patrick Reed (No. 49: Odyssey White Hot Pro #3)
Conclusion
In 2018, 44 percent of the top-50 players in the Official World Golf Rankings were using mallet style putters, and 56 percent of the top-50 in strokes gained: putting were using mallet putters.
In 2022, 62 percent of the top-50 players in the OWGR use mallet style putters, and 70 percent of the top-50 in strokes gained: putting were using mallet style putters.
What do you think this means?
To me, it means that each golfer should try as many putters as possible – under the supervision of a professional fitter or local club professional – and find the best possible putter to fit their stroke style and preferences.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
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Tom K
Oct 30, 2022 at 9:45 pm
Blade that isn’t too deep with a rounded back and flow neck is the way to go.
GenoK
Oct 28, 2022 at 7:45 pm
I’m 73 now, with an 18hdcp. My Tommy Armour Impact #3 was tested against the top mallets on Tour in 2019 and came in 2nd overall. Retail $129 On sale $99 I had a $20 coupon…net price $79. Putting has always been my default position and why my game is still respectable. I wasn’t looking to change, but the testers loved the putter, I loved the price and three putts I’ve had with it have been rare.
Peter
Oct 28, 2022 at 5:09 pm
Confusing to me , in the article it says mallet style putters to mallet putters? I thought it was supposed to be compared to blade putters
Vs. Mallet. I must of missed something.
Tom Philbeck
Oct 28, 2022 at 8:38 am
Compare MOI numbers for blade vs. mallet and your article would be really worth reading
Jeff B
Oct 28, 2022 at 3:21 pm
The MOI for Anser2 style blade is higher than many small/mid mallets. Standard Newport 2 is around 4000, some like Odyssey Tri-Hot getting to 5000. Small mallets like Rossie, 2-Ball, #7 in the range of 3000-3500.
Juan
Oct 27, 2022 at 7:55 pm
Nice article. Scheffler’s rank is confusing because he got there with a blade. In his first tourney with a mallet he lost 4.5 strokes putting to the field.