The Long and the Short of It

South African legend Ernie Els talks to Lewine Mair about the reasons why he turned to the controversial belly-putter – and why he understands the governing bodies' desire to ban its use

Carl Pettersson

Carl Pettersson

Adam ScottThe burly Swede has used his long putter for the past 16 years and describes the proposed ban as a "witch hunt". Pettersson is thought to be among several players who might consider legal action if the rule is adopted, and he is also among the most successful: averaging just 28.46 putts per round, Petterson is ranked 12th in putting on the PGA Tour.

Adam Scott

Last year's Open Championship runner-up has transformed his game since turning to the long putter. His second place at Lytham aside, Scott came close to his maiden Major title at the 2011 Masters before winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational the same year. Although he still only ranks 116th in the number of putts he takes per round, with 29.39, the Australian averaged over 30 putts prior to making the switch, which made him, statistically at least, one of the worst putters on Tour.

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Written by Lewine Mair

Photography by AFP

Click here to see the published article.

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