The Englishman Who Turned Around Scheffler's Putting Fortunes

When world number 1 Scottie Scheffler reached retired to 1 of golf's astir sought-after putting coaches successful September 2023, he could not person imagined nan translator it would bring to his game.

The American was already a awesome champion and had won doubly that play but he was successful a fug. The statistic proved he was nan champion from tee to green. They besides proved he was among nan worst pinch a putter successful hand.

PGA Tour players spread 90% of putts from 4 feet. At that time, Scheffler was making 80%. The champion subordinate successful nan world was classed extracurricular nan apical 150 successful putting and fending disconnected nan aforesaid questions each week.

Step successful Phil Kenyon, coach to nan champion successful nan game.

Within 12 months, Scheffler had risen into nan apical 15 putters and completed a singular season, winning 7 PGA Tour events, including a 2nd Masters, and an Olympic golden badge astatine nan Paris Games.

And he arrives astatine this week's Open Championship connected nan backmost of a tally of 3 victories successful his past 10 events - including winning his 3rd awesome astatine nan US PGA Championship - and finishing successful nan apical 10 successful nan different 7 to reaffirm his position arsenic nan world's ascendant player.

"That was a peculiar precocious for Scottie aft immoderate lows and a batch of chat astir his putting," Kenyon told BBC Sport of nan American's awesome triumph astatine Augusta National successful April 2024.

"And for him to putt truthful good reasonably early connected successful my domiciled moving pinch him, that was a item for me."

So what did Kenyon tweak? He helped pinch greenish reading, to springiness Scheffler much assurance successful his ain ability. He helped alteration his grip.

But it was a move from his trusted leaf to a mallet putter "to thief him pinch lining up putts" that really sparked a alteration successful fortunes.

After different mediocre capacity connected nan greens successful February 2024, long-time friend and mentor Brad Payne - speaking successful a PGA Tour documentary of that play - recounted a speech they had successful Scheffler's Dallas home: "I said 'buddy, really are you doing?' and he said, 'I don't deliberation I'm doing well'."

That was aft nan Genesis Invitational, wherever Scheffler vanished associated 10th. The mallet putter made its debut successful his adjacent arena and Scheffler won 4 of his pursuing 5 tournaments, including nan Masters by 4 strokes.

Kenyon, who hails from nan seaside municipality of Southport, connected England's 'golf coast', grew up surrounded by nan game.

His dada was friends pinch 'Britain's putting doctor' Harold Swash, who worked pinch European Tour legends Nick Faldo, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood among galore others.

"He would salary maine to thief him out, carrying his cogwheel around, and was a immense inspiration," said Kenyon, who was was a decent amateur and turned master aft studying a sports subject degree.

He quickly realised he "didn't person nan game" to make a surviving arsenic a pro so, pinch Swash arsenic a mentor, started coaching.

"Harold was slowing down astatine that clip truthful it gave maine an opportunity to get stuck in," he added.

"I've been astatine it 25 years. You conscionable activity connected your trade day-to-day and it organically develops. I ne'er envisaged travelling nan world though, pursuing players to tournaments."

And while he is speedy to deflect nan praise, Kenyon's achievements are intolerable to ignore.

Scheffler's triumph astatine May's US PGA Championship meant nan Englishman completed nan profession 'Golden Slam' of coaching players to each 4 awesome titles and Olympic gold.

Clarke, Henrik Stenson and Francesco Molinari picked up Claret Jugs while nether his tutelage; Matt Fitzpatrick and Gary Woodland won nan US Open; Justin Rose won golden astatine nan Rio 2016 Games; Scheffler picked up a 2nd Green Jacket and Olympic title successful their first twelvemonth moving together.

He besides has Tommy Fleetwood and US Ryder Cup skipper Keegan Bradley among his customer list.

Kenyon besides still coaches from his workplace successful Formby connected Merseyside and is arsenic as comfortable school a pro aliases an amateur.

"Different players supply different challenges," he said.

"I tin get stuck into nan weeds pinch nan champion of them if that's nan way you want to spell down but it's astir trying to activity retired nan correct equilibrium for each player."

There is simply a terrific video from 2021 of Kenyon and Rose going done immoderate method drills.

Both are mic'd up truthful you tin perceive Rose asking for reassurance and guidance arsenic Kenyon buzzes information nan green, offering words of encouragement while simultaneously checking putter caput alignment and confirming slope angles pinch a tone level.

Fitzpatrick is much into nan stats.

"In comparison to those two, Scheffler plays a batch much 'feel' and is simply a simpler golfer," said Kenyon.

"He's little technical, little stats orientated, but equally, if not more, competitive.

"All nan champion players I've worked pinch are questioning and probing - you're moving together to find nan correct solutions for them."

Kenyon besides spent immoderate clip coaching Rory McIlroy, pinch nan brace hooking up post-2016 Olympics.

"I felt for illustration I did a decent occupation of improving him technically complete that play of clip but he felt nan request to find different things," said Kenyon of their clip together.

"In hindsight, immoderate things I would person done differently. But I'm gladsome I didn't. You study from it and I became a amended coach because of it.

"There are things that I learned done that acquisition pinch Rory that person helped maine pinch Scottie."

The master circuit has arrived successful nan UK for 2 weeks of nan links play Kenyon was brought up connected astatine Hillside Golf Club successful Southport.

Greens connected nan coastal courses that big nan yearly Scottish Open and Open Championship are vastly different to those players brushwood connected nan PGA Tour and it's each astir adapting nan 3 cardinal areas of line, velocity and greenish reading.

Last week's Scottish Open astatine nan Renaissance Club adjacent Edinburgh will person been a "great opportunity to prep" for this week's Open astatine Royal Portrush successful Northern Ireland.

"The large point is getting nan speeds," said Kenyon, who will beryllium prowling nan believe putting greenish "keeping connected apical of nan maintenance" of his players.

His occupation astatine tournaments is much for illustration "supervised practice" and "cheerleading" alternatively than getting into method work.

"Links greens are slower than successful nan US and they tin person much subtle slopes," he explained.

"And past you've sewage nan wind. Wind will beryllium a large factor. It influences nan break a batch and erstwhile you've sewage these subtleties of break and upwind it makes it a very different situation successful your read.

"It's for illustration successful tennis - you've had clay tribunal play and past you get connected to writer - portion of your mentation is adapting to nan surfaces you're putting on.

"A batch of adaption occurs subconsciously and I'm location to supply feedback, making judge they are comfortable pinch what they are doing."

"You've sewage 3 skills to master. Starting nan shot connected nan correct line. Controlling nan speed. Reading nan green," said Kenyon.

"And location are a assortment of techniques you tin usage wrong each skill. With each of them it's astir trying to find nan correct method for you, what matches you arsenic a person, your personality."

You can't conscionable maestro 2 retired of nan three, though. All 3 skills request to beryllium moving successful harmony for putts to drop.

One of nan techniques Kenyon coaches for greenish reading, for example, is AimPoint, which has been astir for a mates of decades but has precocious accrued successful fame and is utilized by players specified arsenic erstwhile world number 1 Adam Scott, Rose and Bradley.

It is being seen arsenic a measurement of speeding up nan putting process. In basal terms, players usage their feet to consciousness and people nan severity of slope from 1 to three. They past clasp up nan corresponding number of fingers retired successful beforehand of them towards nan spread to statement up nan putt, utilizing nan extracurricular separator of nan fingers arsenic nan purpose point.

"It's a valid method that is increasing successful appeal, but location are different ways to publication greens," said Kenyon, who points to nan net arsenic a immense root of information.

"It's not ever bully but group will travel crossed things that will make them deliberation much and that 'oh, I should effort that this weekend'."

And erstwhile you are adjacent retired and trying caller putting techniques, possibly disappointment astatine missing that eight-footer to 'win The Open', punctual yourself that PGA Tour players neglect to spread from that region 50% of nan time.