Sometimes the smallest changes can net the biggest results.
Take, for example, Maverick McNealy, who tweaked his putter ever so slightly, opting for one with a dot rather than a stripe down the back.
The result? McNealy led the field with 125 feet in putts made during the third round of action at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, Ga., and his 65 put him just two shots off the lead heading into the final round of action. McNealy, whose first PGA Tour victory came down the coast at Sea Harbor in the 2024 RSM Classic, sits at 13 under after 54 holes while leader Si Woo Kim is at 15 under. Andrew Novak and Justin Thomas are both at 14 under.
“It got fun and interesting. Putter is back, which is great, after a short hiatus. Made a couple really good ones, maybe missed one or two that I wish I had. Overall, very happy with the round of golf today,” McNealy said. “I switched to a new putter. It’s basically the exact same thing. It’s an Odyssey 22. The only thing we changed is, instead of going from a line on the back of the putter, we just did a dot right on the sweet spot of the putter on the top line. For whatever reason, I’m lining it up super square.
“Last week at the Masters, I had a few short putts that I just didn’t feel really comfortable with my alignment, especially starting the ball outside the hole. Tried this, was lining it up way more square, and everything inside of six feet has been coming off really nicely.”
Maverick McNealy is now in the top 10
McNealy is now in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking, something that looked a lock when he turned pro, but is a bigger accomplishment after he battled back from injury. In early 2023, McNealy tore the anterior sterno-clavicular ligament in his left shoulder during the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am. During the second round, while playing the seventh hole at Monterey Peninsula Club’s Shore Course, he remembers a long wait in cold weather and then making a “funny swing,” in which his angle of attack got too steep, leading to being stuck underneath and having to shallow late to get his shoulder back in position.
But he capped off a huge 2024, one in which he finished in the top 25 in 12 of 28 starts, by winning the RSM Classic. He’s followed with an equally strong 2025, one that could get an exclamation with a win at RBC.
Either way, he’s thrilled to be in the top 10, barely trailing names like Viktor Hovland and Justin Thomas.
“My entire career I’ve held the top 10 players as my benchmark of what do I need to do to improve? What are the top 10 guys doing that I’m not? How do I work on my game? What areas of my game need improvement to get there?” he said. “That being said, I’m the worst player in the top 10 right now, so I’ve got a long ways to go. I’ve got to play some really good golf to keep up with those guys. I also don’t have the 10th-best resume on the PGA Tour. I still have a lot I want to do and accomplish in this game.
“But it was really validating to see that number, and maybe a good week here, we can keep improving it.”
And as for the proximity to his first PGA Tour win — both scenic towns along the coast — McNealy said he might have to take action due to his results.
“I think I need to buy a house on the water because I play pretty well when I can see the ocean: Torrey Pines, here, Sea Island, even Hawaii,” he said. “I don’t know, I think sea level golf is something I grew up doing. I was just familiar with that heavy wind. I really do love it here. This is one of my favorite places to go, golf aside, on Tour. So I have a lot of fun when I come here.”
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