Lie Angle Tweak Helped Fuel Eugenio Chacarra's Putting Surge

Eugenio Chacarra's broomstick putter looks slightly different than most long putters on tour, and the change traces back to a fitting with TaylorMade Tour reps Alex Marine and James Holley.

What changed about Chacarra's long putter?

Chacarra has used a long putter since his Oklahoma State days, most of them built to the 79-degree lie angle standard among long-build putters. At the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in September, Marine and Holley determined that angle was too upright for Chacarra, who was aiming left and toeing the putter in to start the ball online, a compensation that produced inconsistent speed.

How did TaylorMade fix the fitting?

The reps flattened the lie angle, letting Chacarra get his eye line more inside the ball. "We flattened it from 79° to 76°," Marine said. The team also used a GRASP Smart Putting gate to help keep his head still through the stroke, which lengthened his backswing and follow-through.

Chacarra's Spider Tour S Long specs

A 3-degree lie change moved Chacarra from outside the top 75 in Strokes Gained: Putting to third on tour.

Since the fitting, Chacarra ranks third on the DP World Tour in adjusted Strokes Gained: Putting. His make rate from 6 to 12 feet jumped from 11 percent in his five events before the switch to 48 percent since, while his three-putt rate from beyond 30 feet dropped 5 percent. The putter was in his bag last week at the DP World India Championship, where he finished fifth in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting at Delhi Golf Club en route to his third win of the season and the Race to Dubai lead.