Joseph Bramlett has struggled with problem solving for years. His correction comes from this week’s leader, Maverick McNealy.
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Maverick McNealy has been delivering a lot on the golf course lately, but some of his biggest contributions to golf have happened away from his playing days. First, there was his suggestion that the FedEx Cup points distribution be turned off – which the PGA Tour corrected last month. That was a win for everyone.
Then there’s his gift to another Tour player on the practice green. The person you are arguing with this week.
Joseph Bramlett and McNealy go way back, to their golfing days together at Stanford. Their skills complement each other so well – Bramlett has a good long game and McNealy is a helper in the short game – that if you combine them into one specialist, they can be amazing. If only pro golf were that easy.
Instead, Bramlett’s putting skills have not been fully successful at the PGA Tour level. He’s always been a bad player You got it: A good player, and he’s dropped so low in his stats that there are few players who are worse. McNealy, on the other hand, puts it better than everyone else. He is ranked 36th in the rankings this year, but is No. 1 on Tour in 2023 and 19th on Tour in 2022.
Apparently, McNealy and Bramlett were going to meet, and they started it a few months ago.
“[Joseph] “He had a couple of things that just went off the ice because of a lack of confidence in putting,” McNealy said Saturday, after finishing the third round tied for the lead at the RSM Classic.
“So he changed the putters and changed the grip. And I’ve never really been a putting coach, like I don’t really focus on technique with my putting. Starting my freshman year of college I realized that I was the worst putter on the team by long shots and that was what I needed to improve to get better. I really dialed the pace, the line of sight, the raw reading and the kind of rhythm, tempo and timing. “
The proof is in McNealy’s stats, but could it apply to Bramlett? Putting is easily the most versatile part of the game. Even the worst putters on Tour have their moments when it all comes together. McNealy spent some time with Bramlett over the summer laying out his pitching “blueprint,” he said, highlighting the things he considers good, as well as the exercises he does to sharpen consistency.
“To his credit, he did it religiously,” McNealy said. “There’s a speed drill with coins that I do at least four times a week and I think he’s been doing it every day since we started talking about it a few months ago. I’m very happy to see that focus on him.”
While McNealy didn’t elaborate on what drives the pace, it’s clear he’s working for his friend more than ever this week. Bramlett has played three rounds this week, two of which count Strokes Gained: Putting. He was ranked 19th going into Saturday, shooting a third-round 64 to sit six back of McNealy for the lead. If he were to improve his putting to a Tour-average level, Bramlett would suddenly be a top-40 player on Tour, ranking alongside the likes of Tommy Fleetwood or Shane Lowry.
Although Bramlett’s friend and unofficial trainer has the best chance of winning the RSM Classic Sunday, he has more on his mind than his rival. He wants Bramlett to make it to the top 125 of the FedEx Cup Fall, and secure a position on the Tour next season.
“I would trade 100 medals to be with him on the PGA Tour next year,” McNealy said.
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