Prototype putters abound at the Cognizant Classic | Tour report

Wwelcome to Fully Exhaust’s weekly Tour Gear Report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, as the news warrants), GOLF Gear Editor Jack Hirsh walks you through the biggest golf club news on Tour, including changes, adjustments and launches.

When the PGA Tour’s Florida Swing kicked off at PGA National, many of the game’s top professionals took a week off before next week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. But that hasn’t stopped companies from bombarding us with putter prototypes.

If you’re a fan of low-torque (also known as zero-torque) putters, this week is sure to get you excited.

First up is the Tour launch of the new LAB Link 2.1 and 2.2, the next generation of the Link 1, currently the only LAB blade in their matrix.

The 2.1 is a more traditional, modern blade shape, while the 2.2 is a shorter heel-to-toe broadleaf blade. But interestingly, both putters introduced LAB’s new HS riser-hossel at the OZ.1i HS last summer.

In addition, they have a new, deeply milled face. I would be very interested in this as all LAB faces so far have been either too soft or too firm for me.

But LAB wasn’t the only company to offer new low-torque options on the heel axle. Bettinardi launched a pair of new ‘Hexpiramental’ prototypes at the Cogninzant Classic, and each seemed to feature the company’s new low-torque hose.

Bettinardi currently has four shapes in its low-torque Antidote line, and they all have a center axle. But it appears the company has come up with a new hosel that looks more like a traditional long plumber’s neck, but with the shaft pointed toward the center of the putter.

It seems to be a very similar concept to LAB’s Riser Hosel or Odyssey’s S2S Tri-Hot SB that Max Greyserman uses, with the shaft’s axis point raised to align with the putter’s center of gravity to give it the toe-up characteristics.

Bettinardi’s take on it seems about as traditional an attempt as we’ve seen so far.

So far we’ve only seen two shapes: a high-toe, wide-body SS9 blade and a new mid-mallet option similar to an Odyssey Jailbird or Scotty Cameron Fastback with a rear window.

But it also looks like there are already a ton of options for face milling, with photos showing Bettinardi’s new VFT milling pattern and the FIT face currently on their Antidote line.

Finally, this week Scotty Cameron also unveiled a new prototype for professionals with a new T12 hammer.

We don’t know much about this, and we probably have to check out the photos on GolfWRX for yourself, but we’ll address the elephant in the room and acknowledge that it’s pretty clear what kind of look and performance Cameron is going for here. But before anyone starts making accusations, know that virtually every OEM has putters and technology that look exactly like everyone else’s. People like what works, so there’s no point in making things that are radically different from what works.

What’s interesting here is that the last time we saw a Scotty “12” mallet in the Phantom X line, it also had gaps between the wings and the center of the putter. But that putter seemed bigger and more focused on delivering ultra-high MOI.

We have no idea when this will release, as we still haven’t heard any details about the T3 hammers (the ones Ryan Gerard is gaming) that have been on the market since last summer! I wouldn’t expect anything anytime soon, as the T12 we saw at GolfWRX doesn’t appear to have the new SCS insert or chain link face mills that the rest of the 2026 Phantom line has.

Two works of art play a role

While all those new prototypes look great, the only new prototype putters that actually came into play this week were two Odyssey Damascus Milled No. 7s.

Yes, you read that right! Damascus!

Damascus steel is one of the materials typically used in high-end boutique putters to give them a unique look. The material is usually based on carbon steel and then welded, folded or forged together to create a unique look that only that piece has.

It’s considered more art than performance material, but both Chris Kirk and Kevin Yu put the new Odyssey Damascus wands in the bag at Cognizant this week. Kirk played a single-bend version, while Yu had one with a Crank Hosel.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to cool photos we recently took during the Tour but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out Joel Dahmen’s Ping Anser hybrid, which is still kicking ass more than 14 years after its release.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Keith Mitchell added a new Scotty Cameron Kombi S (yes, new!) after testing with an original Kombi he brought from home… Matthieu Pavon has a Scottsdale Tec Ketsch Onset, the same platform as Tony Finau’s new wand and in the same configuration, just with a different head shape… Emiliano Grillo added a TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood and TaylorMade topped the fairway count with 84… Danny Walker and Hoatong Li both added the TaylorMade R7 toe Quad Mini driver … Chandler Phillips added a 10.5 Qi4D driver, the 16th Qi4D driver in play this week and the 17th TaylorMade driver … Brandt Snedeker, Davis Thompson and Li they’re all Spidered this week … Brooks Koepka is still in a Spider Tour X L-Neck, but has reportedly done so switched to a Titleist Pro V1x golf ball… Alejandro Totsti added a 25˚ Qi4D Rescue… Garrick Higgo added a split set of TaylorMade P7CB (4-5) and P7MB (6-PW) irons… Chris Kirk and Rasmus Hojgaard both entered the Quantum TD Max driver.

3 things you need to read/see

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Tony Finau’s new putter isn’t his only equipment adjust | Bag Spy – Take a deep dive into the bag of Tony Finau, who has made a few more tweaks than usual this season, including a brand new Ping prototype Scottsdale Tec putter.

PING G440 LST custom driver

The G440 driver family (MAX, LST, SFT) is optimized to deliver more ball speed through multiple improvements, including PING’s deepest center of gravity in a driver yet and a shallower, thinner face, while continuing to deliver the game-changing forgiveness expected from a PING driver. The G440 LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with higher swing speeds, offering lower spin and more control in 9° and 10.5° lofts with the three-position rear weight. VERY FORGIVENESS A lighter head weight makes for a heavier back weight. FASTER FACE Shallow, thinner face increases ball speed for more distance and higher launch. SOUND DESIGN New shaping, carbon crown and internal ribs provide a dampened impact experience. FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower the center of gravity and increase forgiveness. Provides more flex on the side of the face for consistent ball speed across the face.

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TaylorMade Qi4D fitting one of the best in the world – Check out Johnny’s TaylorMade Qi4D customization with Adrian Rietveld, the mechanic for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.

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TaylorMade Qi4D custom driver

SHAPED FOR SPEED The redesigned head profile increases ball speed thanks to improved aerodynamics developed through advanced simulations. FACE FOR DISTANCE 60x Carbon Twist Face™ is a technological cornerstone that delivers weight savings, incredible ball speed and greater consistency compared to a titanium face. ADJUSTABLE PERFORMANCE 4° loft sleeve can be used to adjust loft, lie and face angle for optimal flight. TOUR-PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES New and improved cut-through Speed ​​Pocket™ protects ball speed and reduces spin on low-face hits. Advanced CAD modeling creates a design with clear and powerful sound, a foundation for TaylorMade driver performance. The multi-material construction allows engineers to strategically place mass in areas of the head where it maximizes performance, speed and stability.

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Bryson DeChambeau and LA Golf have split. Here is whAnd it didn’t work out – GOLF’s Michael Bamberger investigates where things went wrong between one of the most marketable stars and one of the trendiest equipment companies.

The author welcomes your comments at Jack.Hirsh@golf.com.

Want to give your bag a makeover in 2026? Find a club fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

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