T UR’S BEST PUTTERS

BY LUCAS HERBERT

My home country, Australia, produces a lot of great putters. My theory is that the greens back home are not as manicured and smooth as they are in the United States, so we have to get very good at rolling the ball on less-than-perfect surfaces. When we come to the States, it’s like putting in a video game. Since the strokes gained/putting stat was introduced in 2011, four Aussies — Greg Chalmers, Aaron Baddeley, Jason Day and yours truly — have ranked No. 1 on the PGA Tour in that category. Chalmers did it twice. Another, Cam Smith, was top 10 twice.

You can learn quite a bit from our methods — like how Badds is all wrapped up in the putt, not his stroke. I also like how Jason is so deliberate in his process. Me? I’m not very mechanical. I practise in a way that makes my stroke as free as possible when I play. That’s my first “secret” to share with you. Don’t think on the greens so much. Try to hit every putt with an empty mind. That will put more flow in your stroke. If you want to putt like an Aussie, keep reading.

—WITH DAVE ALLEN