A new putter is one of the joy’s of golf. New opportunity for greatness, a refreshed outlook. Something to show off to cohorts. Conversely, the joy of a new putter can soon be replaced by the feeling of hopelessness and uncertainty about which putter will stay in the bag next. It’s easy to have the angel and devil on your shoulders for what a putter decision to make while in a quandary. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting the ball in the hole and finding that magic spark. 

On that subject, Wyndham Clark was spotted this week at the Valspar Championship with a brand new Scotty Cameron Newport 2, but this isn’t your standard Newport 2. With the custom Scotty Cameron in the chromatic bronze finish and custom neck weld, this putter is one to make any golfer turn their head and ask, “What is that in the bag?” A technical note: The flow neck style hosel is welded just short of the center of the putter, creating a little bit of toe hang. 

Over this last season, Clark has been using a L.A.B. DF3, Bettinardi Antidote SB1 at the Players Championship, and now, the prototype Newport 2 this week. 

When it was time to start the event at Valspar, however, he went with his Bettinardi Antidote SB1, shooting a 1 under par 71 in the first round. This is the putter that stood out last week at The Players Championship. As a refresher, we found out the price tag sticker still on the putter from his home club in Scottsdale, Arizona, when our Alistair Cameron caught up with him.

Clearly, Wyndham Clark isn’t against trying different styles of putters. In college, he used a Newport 2-style putter and won the U.S. Open with the Odyssey Jailbird, when that putter model was on a massive resurgence. Recently, playing zero-torque with the LAB DF3. At The Players Championship, the Bettanardi Antidote SB1, testing the prototype Scotty Cameron Newport 2 earlier this week, and he went back to the Bettanardi when it was tournament time on Thursday at Valspar.

Seeing the new prototype in practice by Clark and going back to the recent gamer is something that has caught my eye as he is looking for a putter with the magic spark. Who isn’t, of course? That said, some players will not change no matter what. This is a case of using a putter and putting fairly well, but looking for something new. It can be a vicious cycle, if you let it, but also a lot of fun!

Back to the Antidote SB1 getting the nod. Beyond the thrill of the search for a new putter (and the feeling of, however briefly, finding “the one”), it’s one of the wonders of the game, seeing a putter in the bag bought from the pro shop, when a player has access to the most custom clubs in golf.