Scott’s perceived woes on the greens are the fodder of armchair experts all over the world, however, the Queenslander used the strength of his work with the flatsick to open the Australian PGA with a five-under 66 to sit one back of the lead belonging to Jason Scrivener, Min Woo Lee and John Lyras.

In recent years, the 2013 Masters winner has moved between short putters, an unanchored long putter and even armlock options. But in 2022 he has stuck solid with the broomstick. Scott’s work with the method impressing Thursday playing partner Cam Smith.

“He holed a lot of putts today as well, but I think he’s a good putter,” Smith said of his fellow major winner. “I think he’s one of the best out here. He just has a couple of rough weeks here and there, gives him a bit of a bad name.”

The particular putter in Scott’s bag this week has been a mainstay all year, and was a hot topic of conversation on the putting green of Royal Queensland earlier in the week.

Named the ‘Mezz.1’ from L.A.B. Golf, the putter shaft enters the towards the back of the head, and the model is “lie angle balanced” rather than face balanced like many traditional mallet putters.

Himself considered one of the best putters in the game, Cam Smith believes Scott gets a bad rap for his work on the greens. PHOTO: Australian Golf Media.

It caught the eye of Scott Hend, but it was Brett Rumford who was using a traditional length version that sparked the longest conversation with Scott.

“It is a rare thing, because he (Rumford) puts a lot of thought into stuff. But by chance I stumbled across this company a few years ago and I have been in touch with them ever since,” Scott told Golf Australia magazine of being ahead of Rumford for once in terms of equipment. “At the back end of last year, I did a lot of testing with them and I started this year out putting with the L.A.B. and it has gone very well. Coincidently or not, they have gone really well this year and are making a bit of an impact because their product is really good.”

The “very well” part was certainly true on Thursday in Brisbane when he needed just 25 putts on his way to seven birdies, the putter coming into play from off the green to counteract the grainy Royal Queensland surrounds.

“I actually asked a couple of mates who I grew up here as juniors with that are still members, generally what do they do around the greens here and the strong consensus was to putt. So, a simple strategy and it worked pretty effectively today,” Scott said.

RIGHT: Scott's putter up close at RQ. PHOTO: Jimmy Emanuel.

Strategy as to how to play better is part of Scott’s overarching equipment strategy that has seen him add TaylorMade woods and custom Miura irons, while sticking solid with Titleist Vokey Design wedges and a Pro V1x golf ball.

All equipment that very nearly didn’t make it to ‘RQ’ in time for his 6am tee time when his bag was left inside his manager’s hotel room that saw caddie Steve Williams nearly ready to knock down the door.

“It was just down to at a point in my career playing the absolute best thing for me, and for the first three months of this year I didn’t change a club,” Scott told this publication of his equipment changes. “I didn’t go and test anything else, and then curiosity got the best of me with the woods I guess and changed that. The irons were already in the pipeline, but it has allowed me a little bit of freedom there and I have been very conscious not to test too much, because that’s a deep hole and I have been happy.

“I feel good with where everything is at around the caddie situation. I feel like I am bit more in charge of my own stuff and what I want at this point and I think I kind of have to own that in my game to get what I want at the end of the day.”

At the end of day one of the PGA Scott certainly got what he want as he looks to add a third Kirkwood Cup to his mantlepiece.