Jordan Spieth had a black L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i putter in his bag for Wednesday morning’s pro-am at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, according to Golfweek. The three-time major champion was also trying a second putter marked by one white alignment line, and L.A.B. sent a custom-built model to the course during the pro-am.

The trial marks a shift for a player who has spent nearly his entire professional career using blade putters. Spieth won the 2015 Masters, 2015 U.S. Open and 2017 Open Championship with a Scotty Cameron 009 Triple Black prototype he first received as a junior golfer in 2009. He switched to a T.P. Mills Trad II at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open but kept the same blade shape and plumber’s neck hosel configuration.

The VZN.1i is a mallet. Golfweek described it as having a hollowed-out head, two broad white alignment lines on the topline, multiple sole weights and a 303 stainless steel insert with deep milling. The putter belongs to L.A.B.’s lie-angle-balance category, a design approach meant to lessen the head twisting open or closed during the stroke. Spieth first used a 35-inch version from the demo bag at TPC River Highlands, while L.A.B. built a 35.5-inch model with a 69-degree lie angle and sent it for further testing.

L.A.B. Golf PGA Tour rep Joe Miera told Golfweek that Spieth wanted a putter that sits flat at address while still allowing him to make his natural stroke.

Why the Search Continues

Spieth entered Travelers week ranked 57th on the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, 117th in Total Putting, 110th in putts from 4 to 8 feet and 86th from inside 10 feet. Those numbers help explain why the testing looked serious rather than casual.

When Spieth made the move to the T.P. Mills Trad II in February 2025, he described what he was looking for on the greens. “I’m just kind of messing with some, I’ve got a few options, just trying to mess a little with how it sits on the ground, the draft on the bottom of the putter, see if I can get it to where it sets aligning a little better and off the ball is a little bit smoother,” Spieth said. “I’m just trying to figure out what helps me stroke it the best, and I’ll use that one.”

The same priorities apply now: how the putter sits, how it aligns and how it feels through impact. The change is the head shape.

A Long Blade Lineage

Spieth briefly used a mallet at the 2017 Byron Nelson Championship and tested Scotty Cameron prototype mallets at the 2024 Travelers Championship, but neither experiment led to a permanent switch. His Scotty Cameron 009 had become visibly worn by the time he retired it. “It’s not Triple Black anymore, it’s almost like chrome on the bottom now, and it’s pretty rusty,” Spieth told GOLF.com.

Golfweek reported that Spieth’s old blade was still nearby during Wednesday’s testing. Whether the VZN.1i earns a spot in the bag for Thursday’s opening round remains the open question heading into the weekend at TPC River Highlands.

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