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Brandel Chamblee sparks debate after showing decline in putting make percentage on PGA Tour

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Brandel Chamblee’s latest tweet on X is taking off, with the Golf Channel analyst presenting an interesting study that shows a decline in putting make percentage in today’s game compared to twenty years ago.

Presented matter of factly, Chamblee posted the following numbers:

That tweet has been met with plenty of responses from golf fans, theorising just why the make percentage is down today from 20 years ago, Here are some responses to the numbers:

What’s your theory behind the slight decrease in make percentage on tour, WRXers?

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected]

16 Comments

16 Comments

  1. Chuck

    Feb 24, 2026 at 1:44 pm

    The comment by Randy Schrader @GolfnRandy is too modest. He is clearly on to the most obvious answer of all; in response to ever-increasing technology-induced distance, course setups on tour demand ever-more punitive greens and green speeds. It is that simple. I expect that players are every bit as good at putting as they were 20 years ago. Probably better. But they are playing on greens that have been made more difficult, as a last-stand defense of golf courses against the onslaught of distance.
    I just don’t understand how this isn’t the first, last, best and only explanation.
    I’m really tempted to say, “End of story. Full stop.” But I always hate it when debate opponents do that. So, give me your best shot; tell me why I’m wrong about any of this.

  2. Jessie

    Feb 23, 2026 at 7:02 am

    EGOS will lower PPRs for all Tour golfers. It’s the future.

  3. Jessie

    Feb 23, 2026 at 7:02 am

    EGOS will lower PPRs for all Tour golfers. It’s the future..

  4. Darrel

    Feb 21, 2026 at 1:38 pm

    “Paralysis by analysis”, the players today spend an excruciating amount of time looking at the line from every different angle and the garbage aim point trampling of every green (not respecting players that follow them). The only thing they don’t do is borough into the hole to look from there.

    Long story short, they look at the put for so long that they don’t trust themselves and their first look, so they tighten up and no longer putt with feel. “Trust the force Luke!!”

  5. The Truth Network

    Feb 21, 2026 at 6:34 am

    The players today are soft and depend too much on their “team”. There is no ownership anymore and everything is everyone else’s fault. Including this batch of players “inept” putting. They suck and the stats prove it.

  6. Joey5Picks

    Feb 20, 2026 at 1:35 pm

    Those differences are unlikely to be statistically different. So essentially, the make rates are unchanged.

  7. Josh

    Feb 20, 2026 at 11:54 am

    … Or maybe it’s just that in the last 20 years the Pro game has realized that statistical improvement and superiority over your peers starts at the Tee box and marginal strokes gained putting isn’t as likely to win you a tournament as Bomb and Gouging your way into 2-putts?

  8. jwwjr

    Feb 20, 2026 at 10:41 am

    AimPoint. Most of the stomping around is near the hole, which a putt of any length has to roll through. If they weren’t allowing players to tap down spike marks now, AimPoint would be already banned. It still creates enough indentation around the hole to make a difference. Hopefully it will be banned soon.

    • RM

      Feb 20, 2026 at 10:59 am

      I’m inclined to agree with this. Even a little rougher surface around the hole could explain it. Would be helpful to see the data for every year though.

    • Noonan

      Feb 20, 2026 at 12:40 pm

      It’s the ‘volcano effect’ and it is a real thing formed around the cup by the afternoon/twilight rounds.

  9. RAY NEESE

    Feb 20, 2026 at 9:37 am

    Yet every week they are shooting lower scores. Didn’t JR just break tournament record? Those guys are so good when they are on. I wish I could putt to their averages. I would love to see caddies out of picture on greens. JMO

  10. Peter

    Feb 20, 2026 at 7:53 am

    He can post interesting content. I would love to see the same stats for LPGA, I think they are better putters.

  11. Noonan

    Feb 19, 2026 at 4:29 pm

    It’s because caddies can’t line them up behind them anymore. And even AI insert faces/weighting, zero torque, ALL technology isn’t working as advertised either. Bunch of snake oil.

  12. Kevbot

    Feb 19, 2026 at 3:30 pm

    Someone went down a rabbit hole one day and decided that in order to become a better putter people needed all these weird training aids/gadgets. That stuff was basically non-existent pre-2005. I blame it on the new age/ new school golf instructors who shove this down their young students’ throats. Also, putters themselves have been increasingly ugly and complicated with fat grips, graphite shafts, etc. and it’s confusing the heck out of people.

  13. T

    Feb 19, 2026 at 11:30 am

    Greens TOO FAST, too slick
    Good putters went to LIV
    LOL

  14. The Truth Network

    Feb 19, 2026 at 8:35 am

    Aim Point is going to go down as the biggest STAIN in the history of the game. It will be banned in the future.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

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GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

 

 

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Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

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Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
  • Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
  • Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
  • Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
  • Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
  • Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

  • Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
  • Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
  • Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
  • Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
  • Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
  • Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping Max G440
  • Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
  • Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
  • Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
  • Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
  • Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
  • Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
  • Wedges
  • Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase

  • Driver: Ping 440 LST
  • Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees
  • Metal: Ping G425 Max at 21 degrees
  • Hybrid: Ping G430 at 25 degrees
  • Irons: Ping Blueprint S 5 through PW
  • Wedges: Ping S159 at 52, 56, and 60 degrees
  • Putter: Ping PLD Anser

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Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge

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Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX

3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX

7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 80 TX

Irons: Titleist T250 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48), S400 (47)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X5 Tour Prototype

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

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