Remember when Scottie Scheffler was failing again and again on the greens? It may feel like years have passed, but it was just before the Arnold Palmer Invitational that World No. 1 was struggling to putt. However, at the Arnie’s Championship, the 27-year-old changed from his typical blade putter to the TaylorMade Spider mallet putter. After this, Scheffler’s stars aligned, and he won six tournaments, including another green jacket. Following the men’s world no. 1, Nelly Korda has made an identical move.

After winning the Meijer LPGA Classic, Korda missed three consecutive cuts, and at her last start at the Amundi Championship, she was T26. Coming to the final women’s major at the home of golf, the 14-time LPGA Tour winner has changed her putter too. As the second round of the AIG Women’s Open concluded and Korda took the clubhouse lead with 8 under, she revealed at the press conference the changes she made in her bag.  She said, “I just put a new putter in, the Spider.” The LPGA star explained that she needed to look at something different, and now, “It rolls really nicely. I’m very pleased with it. I have no complaint,” said the 26-year-old.

Korda’s statement proves what Scheffler had opined previously as well. When he switched to the mallet putter, the 27-year-old expressed, “This Spider putter is really easy for me to line up. I don’t have to use the line on the ball. I line the putter up really well, and I line up in the middle of the face, and pretty much as simple as that. Kind of gives me just a really good visual. It’s good for me visually, and I like the way the ball comes off the face,” as it helped him drain a putt without using the line on the ball.

Scheffler was missing many putts because he relied on the line on the ball more, and at times, he lined it at the toe. Korda was probably struggling with a similar issue, but with the change, she may not face it again and drain winning putts as she had done six times this year.

And why would Korda complain anyway about the putter? She shot a bogey-free second round with four birdies to be the leader after missing her form in the last four starts. Will this putter change prove to be as lucky as it was for Scheffler? From the looks of it, it may turn out to be in favor of Korda. While we may predict that Korda can go on to win the 2024 AIG Women’s Open, does Nelly Korda believe that she can win the third major of her career at the Dundonald Links?

What are Nelly Korda’s thoughts on winning the AIG Women’s Open?

Although Nelly Korda has made the same move as Scottie Scheffler, the LPGA Tour star’s situation differs. Unlike Scheffler, Korda was winning with her previous putter; it was just in the last four starts that things dwindled. But it looks like she has taken back the reins and is ready to dominate the greens once again.

Yet with many top players on the AIG Women’s Open field, including 3-time Olympic medalist Lydia Ko, Charley Hull, and 2023 winner Lilia Vu, Korda is not thinking about lifting the trophy on Sunday just yet. When she was asked at the press conference if she felt she had the major in her hands, the 26-year-old replied in the negative.

She explained, “I’m just trying to stay very present and not think about anything other than one shot at a time, and whatever golf and links golf throws at me, I’m going to take it head-on.” There are still two days remaining for the AIG Women’s Open’s completion, and only once in the past edition has Korda finished inside the top 10 at the Women’s British Open.

With the putter change, will Nelly Korda also change her fate at the Links Golf Course? It remains to be seen.