Golf
Golf

Simpson learning to putt all over again

Webb Simpson putts on the 16th green during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Credit: Sam Greenwood

Credit: Sam Greenwood

Webb Simpson putts on the 16th green during the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club on September 22, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
By Chris Vivlamore
Sept 23, 2017

Webb Simpson is learning to putt all over again.

It hasn’t been easy.

Simpson was one of a number of PGA Tour golfers who used an anchored putting technique, as he secured a long club to his chest. That is no longer permissible. The rules of golf changed, starting Jan. 1, 2016, and Simpson had to change with the new times.

Simpson finished the 2016 PGA Tour season 144th in total putting. He improved to 95th this season before the FedEx Cup playoff finale Tour Championship.

Simpson is in a three-way tie for the Tour Championship lead after two rounds at East Lake Golf Club. He is 7-under par for the event and ninth overall in putting in the 30-player field. Simpson was 14th in Round 1 and fifth in Round 2.

“When you putt with something for 11 years and overnight you're forced to try something different, it's going to take a while,” Simpson said after his 3-under par 67 Friday. “So it was just I had to relearn a skill in the game that I played for 20 years of my life, so that was tough.”

About the Author

Chris Vivlamore is the sports editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has served as reporter and editor at the AJC since 2003.

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