Big equipment switch has Brandt Snedeker on the cusp of a milestone career achievement

There are likely few players on the PGA Tour who have used the same putter for more than 20 years. Heck, there are a bunch who were toddlers when Brandt Snedeker put an Odyssey Rossie White Hot XG into his bag. The putter and Snedeker’s poppy putting stroke were part of his nine tour victories, and he was considered among the game’s best players with the flat stick.

MORE Gary Woodland relieved to have shared his PTSD story But as Snedeker, now 45, has aged and had to overcome injuries, including an experimental surgery on his chest, all facets of his game have suffered, including his putting. As his winless drought reached seven full seasons in 2025, and he began this year’s campaign with four missed cuts, Snedeker had to consider a drastic change. “If I'm not putting good, it's going to be really hard for me to compete against these guys,” he said.

So in his most recent start two weeks ago in the Puerto Rico Open, Snedeker put away the Odyssey he used for 23 years and went to the TaylorMade Spider Tour X mallet that so many golfers have found success with on tour. Though he missed the cut, he liked how it felt, and the switch has had an enormous impact on his play this week in the Valspar Championship. Snedeker leads the field in strokes gained/putting, gaining a whopping 8.

6 shots through three rounds, and after shooting a bogey-free five-under-par 67 on Saturday on the Innisbrook Copperhead Course, he and David Lipsky (70) are tied for second at nine under, two shots behind Sungjae Im (69). There are deep backstories for each of the players in the final threesome. Lipsky, 37, is still searching for his first tour win in his 145th start, and Im, 27, is back from a layoff of several months after he injured his wrist hitting off cold ground late last year.