Rory McIlroy Trying To 'Rekindle An Old Flame' With Scotty Cameron Putter At WGC-Match Play, Which Is A Smart Gamble

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Rory McIlroy has been an abysmal putter so far this season with the only outlier in 2023 being the week he won the Dubai Desert Classic in January. Given his woes on the greens, the four-time major winner appears to be putting a new putter in the bag for this week's WGC-Match Play tournament in Austin.

Golf gear guru Jonathan Wall got his hands on McIlroy's new Scotty Cameron Newport GSS, and it's a beauty. McIlroy told Wall that he's simply trying to "rekindle an old flame."

You may be asking how McIlroy could rekindle an old flame with a brand-new putter, but this Scotty Cameron is very similar to the Scotty Camerons he's used in the past.

Rory McIlroy Was A Good Putter

McIlroy used a traditional Scotty Cameron blade when he won his first major championship, the 2008 U.S. Open. He won that event by eight shots. McIlroy also used a Scotty Cameron blade in the Tokyo Olympics.

Rory was on Titleist staff and used various Scotty Cameron putters earlier in his career before signing an equipment deal with TaylorMade.

READ: RORY MCILROY BELIEVES PGA TOUR SHOULD USE THE NBA MODEL, BUILD AROUND ITS BIGGEST STARS

The switch from the bulky mallet TaylorMade Spider putter to the traditional blade may seem like a drastic move. But looking at something new could be the spark McIlroy needs to get things rolling on the greens.

Heading into this week's match play event McIlroy ranks 173rd on Tour in strokes gained: putting and 140th in putting average. The most alarming putting statistic for Rory this season is him ranking 192nd in putter per round during the fourth round.

The putter change coming just two weeks ahead of the Masters is of note as well. Who knows, maybe the new flatstick could be the difference for McIlroy to finally complete the career grand slam.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.