Singh’s change of putting grip to pay dividends in McGladrey Classic
Published:A change of putting grip helped Vijay Singh to his best result of the season in the Frys.com Open and he can build on this outcome by securing a first PGA Tour success in over four years in the McGladrey Classic.
Singh ended up finishing fourth in California, but what was most notable was that a new claw grip resulted in him leading the field in putting.
This could be pivotal in the McGladrey Classic, with putting by far the biggest challenge and therefore Singh looks worth siding with at 16/1 to land a first victory since the 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship.
The greens at the Seaside Course proved one of the toughest on the entire PGA Tour calendar last year, ranking particularly challenging in terms of one-putt percentage and overall putting average.
As well as his solid putting stats, Singh also led the field in terms of birdies and, apart from Jonas Blixt, who won a maiden PGA Tour title at the Frys.com Open, there will not be a more confident player in the field.
Favourite for the McGladrey Classic at 10/1 is Jim Furyk, who is playing in his first event since the US threw away Ryder Cup triumph in the final-day singles at Medinah.
As with all tournaments, being straight off the tee is an advantage and is the biggest area of strength for Furyk, as he chases his first PGA Tour win of the season.
He topped the field in terms of hitting fairways from the tee last year and ranked second for finding greens in regulation, but only finished in a share of 11th spot in the McGladrey Classic.
Furyk’ course management skills will additionally be an asset as he bids to improve on two runner-up finishes this season, alongside a further five top-ten results.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
