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Tiger opts for new putter

Tiger Woods tried out his new putter during a practice round on Tuesday © Getty Images

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Tiger Woods has revealed he is parting company with his trusty putter that has helped him win 13 of his 14 Majors in a bid to win the Open Championship at St Andrews.

The world No. 1 admitted on Tuesday that for the first time in over a decade, he was taking a gamble with his short stick, ditching his Titleist putter in favour of a Nike one.

It follows Woods' poor putting performance at the AT&T National a fortnight ago, which saw him finish 14 shots behind winner Justin Rose in a tie for 46th.

"I've always struggled on slower greens and the one I've gone to this week comes off faster and I've had to make very little adjustment," he said. "I've always been tempted to change my putter on slower greens. I've always struggled when greens are really slow. I always feel more comfortable when the greens get quick.

"This putter does come off faster. It rolls the ball better and rolls it faster so I've had to make very little adjustment in how hard I'm hitting it compared to if I had my older putter. I've always experimented with other putters throughout the years, but I've never put one in play until now."

Woods' failure to win a title since his return has paved the way for British success on the PGA Tour, with Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Rose all making their breakthrough in America in recent month.

Ian Poulter believes that Graeme McDowell's US Open victory, in which he became the first Brit to win a Major since Paul Lawrie won the Open at Carnoustie in 1999, is the start of a stream of British success. Poulter is convinced Britain will not have to wait another 11 years for another Major success and expects the Europeans to dominate the Majors over the coming years.

"I'd certainly like to think Graeme started something with his win at Pebble Beach, Poulter said in The Daily Mail "You look around, and there are qute a few of us who should win majors over the next five years.

"The Americans have a 15-year gap right now between Tiger and Phil at the top and the talented lads coming through, and the gap is being filled by Europeans, We should certainly be good for one or two a year, for sure."

However, Woods has warned that the competition is fierce and winning a Major is harder than ever.

"There are a lot of great players coming out of England right now," Woods said. "It's just a matter of them winning Championships. It's not that easy, it's hard, especially as the fields are getting deeper and stronger. There's more international players now than there ever has been and that will only continue to grow.

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