PGA Championship 2019: Hideki Matsuyama testing Scotty Cameron Newport 2 SSS Prototype putter at Bethpage

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Hideki Matsuyama is known for rotating putters during the course of a season. But no matter how many flatsticks he’s used, Matsuyama always comes back to the putter he calls “ace” — better known as a well-worn Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS blade.

While all signs point to Matsuyama using the putter at this week’s PGA Championship, Scotty Cameron’s director of putter fitting and player development, Paul Vizanko, was on hand at Bethpage on Tuesday to give Matsuyama a look at a new prototype Cameron has been working on behind the scenes.

“We always like to show Hideki new prototypes we’re working on to get his feedback,” Vizanko said. “The feedback so far has been good. He likes the look.”

Vizanko pointed out the prototype Matsuyama tested was made out of a high-end Surgical Stainless Steel (“SSS”) head material that differs from the German Stainless Steel (“GSS”) he’s used in the past. The initial putter for Matsuyama was made out of SSS because Cameron was still waiting on GSS heads to arrive.

“Once we get the GSS heads, we’ll for sure be making Hideki a GSS version of the putter,” he said.

Compared to Matsuyama’s current gamer, the SSS Prototype has more of a Tiger-esque profile with sharper lines and a more pronounced heel. The overall height appears to have been reduced slightly; the neck also looks to have been pushed back, something Woods prefers in his Newport 2.

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