Tom Kim may have struggled with his start to 2025, finishing T65th at the Sony Open in Hawaii and missing the cut at The American Express, but the 22-year-old seems to have found his form at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Having played a pivotal part in Jupiter Links GC's victory over Boston Common GC in the TGL, Kim sits tied fourth and two shots back going into the final round of action in Pebble Beach, with it being revealed that the three-time PGA Tour winner has put a new putter in the bag.
Currently ranking inside the top 10 for Strokes Gained: Putting at Pebble this week, Kim stated: "I just felt like I needed something a little bit more consistent and something that I've won with.
"It's not exactly the same blade that I've been using, it's a little different. But I think transitioning from the mallet -- some of my lines, I started to really like a different type of line than I used to. Just kind of little adjustments. And obviously, the new face that they came out with is really nice, so it's been working well so far.”
Previously, Kim had been using a range of Scotty Cameron putters, such as a Phantom 9.2 Tour Prototype, a mallet model he switched to at the Olympics in August. In California this week, though, he has opted for a blade, a similar head shape to which he has used previously, with it reportedly part of the 2025 range of the Studio Style line.
In terms of technology, the new range is constructed with new materials and milling techniques, with the main stand-out being the new Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) face insert that is formed using a chain-link design.
What stands out on Kim's model though, is that the 22-year-old has drawn inspiration from World No.1 and good friend, Scottie Scheffler, as well as PGA Tour rookie, Tim Widing, with Kim opting for a unique alignment aid on the top of the head.
According to reports, Kim saw the putter that belonged to Widing and, in terms of design, it features one line that runs parallel to the face and one that runs towards the ball and target, Interestingly, the line running parallel to the face is at the back of the putter.
Along with the new putter, Kim has also started using a thinner grip and has reportedly stopped using a line on the golf ball, which is what Scheffler did back last year.
