Tiger Woods picked up his long anticipated 80^th career win on Sunday when he finished his comeback season with a huge win at the TOUR Championship. It’s been more than five years since his last victory, so it’s safe to say Tiger is back, and so was his Scotty Cameron putter.

Tiger Woods' @ScottyCameron Newport 2 GSS putter. The battle scars are what make this stick so damn beautiful. pic.twitter.com/oHvKB5SX9X

— Jonathan Wall (@jonathanrwall) September 23, 2018

Since returning to the game late last year, Woods has experimented with flatsticks, including TaylorMade’s Ardmore 3 mallet, which he started using during the summer. At that point he put his Scotty Cameron Newport putter, which Woods used to win 13 or 14 majors, in the garage, and praised the mallet for his performance at the British Open and PGA Championships, where he played—and putted—exceptionally well.

At the time, Woods suggested he was simply taking a break from the Newport, made by Titleist designer Scotty Cameron, and that it would likely return to his bag. “Time for it to sit on the bench a little bit,” Woods said. “I’m sure it will come back eventually, just one of those things.”

Just one of those things indeed.

Woods returned with the Scotty (after also testing a TaylorMade TP Collection Copper Juno) at the start of September and used it for the final events of the FedExCup. Woods ranked 35^th in total putting on the PGA Tour this year.

This wasn’t the first time we have seen Tiger switch up his putter mid-season. In 2010, Tiger played without a Scotty Cameron in his hand for the first time, switching to Nike’s Method putter. After switching back and forth for a few weeks, Tiger committed to the Nike model for the better part of six seasons (though he was injured multiple times during that frame). When he returned to golf at the 2016 Hero World Challenge, Tiger had used his old Cameron putter until he moved to TaylorMade and began experimenting with the mallet.

Why the change?

Most putting experts agree the mallet offers higher MOI, and greater forgiveness, which is why it has become popular with players ranging from Dustin Johnson to Jon Rahm. Woods was just the latest in the trend. But sometimes comfort with the tried-and-tested is too much to overcome.

Tiger’s Scotty:

• Newport 2 GSS
• Made from German stainless steel
• 35 inches long
• Standard lie angle
• Markings include a single sight dot and a red cherry dot on both the face and back cavity.
• Blank sole with “Tiger” on left and “Woods” on right.
• PING PP58 grip (which he’s used his entire career)

It’s the brand Tiger trusts. Shop all Scotty Cameron putters.

Tiger Woods’ Complete Bag:

TaylorMade M3 Driver | 9.5
TaylorMade M3 Fairway | 13°
TaylorMade M3 Fairway | 19°
TW Phase1 Irons | 3–PW | TT Tour Issue X100
TaylorMade Milled Grind Raw Wedges | 56° & 60°
Scotty Cameron Newport 2.0 Putter
Bridgestone Tour B XS Golf Ball