New Putter Paying Off Early For Aberg At U.S. Open

Mallet putters have been on quite the run over the last couple of years, to the point where in 2026 on the PGA TOUR, only one player has won with a blade (twice): Matt Fitzpatrick. Beyond Matt, we've seen a mallet in hand for every other winner so far this season, including at the majors, and it looks like another recent convert is finding his stride with a mallet this week at the U.S. Open, a one Ludvig Aberg.

RELATED: Every Winning Putter From the Last 10 U.S. Opens

Since turning pro and even going back further to college, Aberg has used a blade-style putter, but after a slower start on the greens this season (even though he's currently 43rd at +0.261), he made a change after the PGA Championship, and at this week's U.S. Open, it is paying off big time.

Just how much exactly?

At the conclusion of his first round, 1-under par 69, Ludvig gained an impressive 2.62 shots on the field, a pick up of 2.359 shots over his season average.

As of the first wave of players at the U.S. Open, only two people are ahead of him in strokes gained putting: Rory McIlroy at 3.19, and Sepp Straka at 3.09.

The Putter

The putter Aberg has moved into is a Scotty Cameron Phantom 3.2, a mid-mallet design that features a plumbers-neck hosel to more closely resemble a blade from address. And, thanks to its size and shape, it also has extra built-in forgiveness.

The smaller shape of the Phantom 3.2 has another benefit in that the center of gravity more closely resembles that of a blade so you get the feel of a blade but with added alignment features and forgiveness. Now, to see if this streak will continue for the rest of the week.

RELATED: Scotty Cameron Adds Phantom 3.2 & 12 Models to Its Mallet Line