Putter change lifts Justin Thomas to first-round lead at Scottish Open

A new putter helped put Justin Thomas in what used to be a familiar position.

Atop the leaderboard.

Swapping out his putter before the fortnight in Scotland, Thomas saw immediate dividends when he recorded a bogey-free 62 Thursday and took the first-round lead in the Genesis Scottish Open.

It’s the first time Thomas has held the lead after any round on the PGA Tour since his victory more than two years ago at the PGA Championship. He hasn’t been ahead after an opening round since the 2021 FedExCup St. Jude Championship.

His timing couldn’t have been better, with the year’s final major next week at Royal Troon. Thomas’ last tuneup included an opening round at Renaissance Club in which he gained more than seven shots on the field with his approach play and holed 113 feet worth of putts.

“I felt like I was in great control of everything,” Thomas said.

Thomas has struggled mightily on the greens this season, ranking 157^th on Tour as he tries to regain the form that led him to two major championships and the world No. 1 ranking. Prior to the Scottish, he put in play a new flatstick, the Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.2 Prototype, and he one-putted 10 of his first 13 holes during a benign first day.

Thomas parred his last five holes for a 62 – his best score of the season so far – that was still good enough for a one-shot lead over Sungjae Im. It was the 54^th time in the past decade that Thomas has made eight or more birdies in a round, more than any other player during that span.

“This is as easy as you’re going to get a links golf course, weather-wise and conditions,” Thomas said. “When you drive it well like I did for the most part today, you have a lot of short clubs, and I see nothing but the pin. If I have a good number, for the most part, I’m trying to figure out how I can hit it as close as possible. I’m not scared to do so. So I just try to keep the pedal down, but it’s also something that I definitely had to learn.”