7-year-old’s last-minute gear advice helps one player keep his Tour card

It’s not uncommon for players on the PGA Tour to make a few gear changes when they’re searching for a spark. Whether it be working with one of the many equipment reps to dial in a driver, tweak irons or find a new putter, gear changes at the highest level happen a lot — but the final decision doesn’t usually come down to a 7-year-old.

Well for Ryan Moore that’s exactly how he ended up making his final decision when looking at putters a few weeks ago in Las Vegas, and this week at the RSM Classic, after a T8 finish that helped him secure his PGA Tour card for 2024, he went on to tell the story of how that putter ended up in the bag, as well as some other recent changes.

“I honestly changed a set of irons. Even though I played pretty solid in Napa, I got a new set of irons right after that and I just fell in love with (the irons) and instantly started feeling better and more confident.”

The irons Moore was talking about are a set of unreleased forged cavity backs from New Level Golf that feature a weight port in the back of the head to fine-tune the head weight for the precise feel a player is looking for.

Moore then went on to explain how he ended up with a new putter in Las Vegas and how his son helped him pick it out, “My caddie, Austin, was joking yesterday. He said, ‘you can’t forget you let your 7-year-old pick a putter out for you at the Shriners,’ which I did.”

“We had it narrowed down to like two or three putters that looked pretty good, and my 7-year-old was out there, and I was like, hey buddy, which one you like better? He walked over, kind of examined them. He was like, ‘That one.’ I was like, I’m committing to it,” Moore explained. “It was an Odyssey, just similar to stuff I had used in the past but just kind of one of their newer ones. [The putter — an Odyssey Ai-One] looked really good to me so it wasn’t too much of a stress to say yes to it. But I let him pick out my putter, so here we are.”

Odyssey Ai-ONE Milled Two T CH Putter

$449.99

These Odyssey Ai-ONE Milled putters feature a milled titanium insert which delivers more consistent ball speed speeds, even from off-center hits, leaving putts closer to the hole. Ai-ONE MILLED INSERT This milled titanium insert was designed using Artificial Intelligence to create the unique contours on the back surface to promote consistent ball speed across the face with the pure milled feel that many golfers prefer. MILLED STAINLESS STEEL HEADS All the heads in this line are 100% milled for the beauty and precision that the most discerning golfers appreciate. UNIQUE NAVY BLUE PVD FINISH These putters all feature a beautiful navy blue PVD finish that sets them apart, and complements the milling for a unique and beautiful look.  SL 90 SHAFT A lightweight steel shaft with 20-30 grams (depending on the grip) of counterbalance weight in the butt end. This is an evolution of our Stroke Lab Weighting that will appeal to even more golfers. INTERCHANGEABLE FRONT WEIGHTS Available in 5, 10, 15 and 20 grams these removable weights allow you to dial in your head weight to your exact preference.

Buy Now

View Product

Considering some of the crazy stories that circulate about how some players find the gear they end up using, like scouring eBay for a no-longer-produced club, or in the case of Cameron Champ, finding a decade-old driving iron sitting in a dusty golf bag, Moore having his 7-year-old help him pick a putter really isn’t that far-fetched.

Want to overhaul your bag and find your perfect fit? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Golf.com Editor

Ryan Barath is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s senior editor for equipment. He has an extensive club-fitting and -building background with more than 20 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. Before joining the staff, he was the lead content strategist for Tour Experience Golf, in Toronto, Canada.

• Author Twitter Account
• Author Instagram Account