Viktor Hovland appears to be using a center-shafted Ping prototype putter at Genesis Invitational
Viktor Hovland, the 2023 FedEx Cup champion and winner of six PGA Tour events, finished a respectable 44th in Strokes Gained: Putting last season, but he is off to a slow start on the greens this year, ranking 123rd in eight measured rounds and with an average of -0.239. That means the Norwegian is giving away almost a quarter-shot on the greens through 18 holes, or nearly a full shot throughout a 72-hole tournament. And, with one shot potentially being massive, Hovland has benched his Ping PLD DS-72 putter in favor of a yet-to-be-released Ping PLD prototype mallet.
The putter, which does not have a name on the bottom of the club but does have Ping PLD etched into the sole and on the face, has a semi-circular design and appears to have a metal insert added into the hitting area.
While Hovland's previous putter has a single shaft bend design that enters the head near the toe and creates some toe-hang, the prototype mallet is center-shafted, with the hosel being positioned behind the topline. The silver-toned putter also appears to have a single black alignment line on the topline.
According to Ping PGA Tour rep Dylan Goodwin, who spoke with GolfWRX about the putter, it is called a Ping PLD Oslo 'Onset' putter.
'What (Hovland) was kind of noticing with his gamer was he just wasn't comfortable at address," Goodwin said. "He felt like he was manipulating the face with his hands, trying to figure out where the lie and the loft looked right to him. He wasn't feeling comfortable over the ball. So with that Oslo Onset, how it sits, it just sits really flush, and there's no manipulation of that center shaft, right?'
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