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This trendy putter design is popular in junior ranks, too

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I just returned from the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association State Championships at Penn State, where 216 of the best boy and girl golfers in Pennsylvania — two of whom I happen to coach — competed for state titles.

I saw a lot of good golf and something else: low-torque putters. Lots of them! This has been the case at every junior tournament I’ve attended this year.

Why is that surprising? Low-torque/zero-torque/lie-angle balance/onset (call them what you will) putters are the hottest club category in the sport, but not to the point where at your local muni you’re likely to see multiple players in your group using them.

In junior golf, though, that might actually be the case.

There are no official usage numbers that we can reference, but standing on the putting green where about 60 players were practicing, I counted 10 low-torque putters. (Mostly they were L.A.B. Golf or Odyssey Square 2 Square models.) Also, at least two players who finished in the top 10 of the AAA boys’ division used a low-torque putter.

So, why are so many elite juniors using these putter types?

The answer likely lies in something GOLF’s Jake Morrow said on a recent episode of the Fully Equipped podcast. Morrow noted the ideal candidate for a L.A.B. Golf putter (or any onset-type putter) is someone who has never putted before, because established players have years of muscle memory and natural arc in their strokes. Junior golfers, on the other hand, don’t have to work as hard to reprogram their muscles.

In other words, there aren’t many junior golfers who grew up “hooking” their putts with Bullseyes and Wilson 8802-style putters and so they’d find it easier to adapt to low-torque putters. There’s no retraining needed.

Low-torque putters have already taken off in pro golf, but is the real explosion still to come when today’s top juniors start hitting the PGA Tour? Only time will tell.

3 Things I’m Thinking

New stuff is coming: Now that the Tour is back from Japan, 2026 gear is going to start popping up. We’ve already seen glimpses of PXG’s new Lightning metalwoods lineup and Odyssey’s Tri-Hot Square 2 Square putters. Keep an eye on the USGA Conforming list in the coming weeks for more newcomers.

Do I even need a driver? Tommy Fleetwood winning in India with no club longer than a mini-driver has me thinking: Do I even need one myself? While I’m happy with the driver I played this year, my goal heading into ClubTest 2026 will be (once again) to find the best driver for my game. That said, I rarely play courses long enough for me to even need driver, so maybe going without is worth exploring.

What is Jason Day up to? Day has been one of the more fun equipment free agents to watch, and this week is no exception: It seems he’ll be playing Avoda prototype irons in Utah. That’s the same company that made Bryson DeChambeau’s 3-D printed irons with bulge and roll. We’ll be monitoring!

WWE

Kirk Herbstreit Ranks Indiana No. 1 in CFB Over Ohio State After Oregon Win

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ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit has Indiana ranked as the No. 1 college football team just ahead of defending national champion Ohio State after the Hoosiers’ 30-20 road win at then-No. 3 Oregon last Saturday.

Herbstreit made his remarks on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday.

“They deserve all the credit in the world,” Herbstreit said in part. “In fact, this week I have them at No. 1 in the country, but just slightly ahead of Ohio State just because of what they did against Illinois and against Oregon, especially on the road in Oregon.”

Indiana crushed (then) No. 9 Illinois 63-10 on Sept. 20 and followed that up three weeks later with a statement win over the Ducks.

The Hoosiers showcased their resiliency in that one after quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw a pick-six that helped tie the game at 20 early in the fourth quarter.

However, Mendoza then led Indiana on a 12-play, 75-yard drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown toss to Elijah Sarratt. Indiana intercepted Oregon quarterback Dante Moore twice down the stretch, and in between, Hoosiers kicker Brendan Franke knocked home a 22-yard field goal for the 30-20 lead.

Right now, Indiana is ranked third in the Associated Press poll behind No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Miami. Ohio State received 50 first-place votes, while Miami had 13 and Indiana received three.

The Hoosiers have made a dramatic rise up the poll after starting the year at 20th.

Led by head coach Curt Cignetti and Mendoza, a Heisman Trophy candidate, the Hoosiers have started the 2025 season with a 6-0 record.

The Hoosiers could also very well finish this season 12-0 and roll into the Big Ten Championship Game. Only one of the remaining six teams on their schedule, 4-2 Maryland, has a winning record.

Indiana will look to keep it rolling on Saturday when the team hosts Michigan State.

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