Yang Ji-ho, who won this year's Korea Open, was not particularly strong on the greens through last season. He had never broken into the top 70 in putts per green in regulation. He ranked 102nd (1.89 putts) in 2023, 78th (1.82 putts) in 2024 and 77th (1.83 putts) in 2025.
This year, however, Yang has become a completely different player. He has climbed to third (1.73 putts) in putts per green in regulation. His performance two weeks ago at the Korea Open, held at the notoriously tricky Woojeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, was even more remarkable. He averaged 1.63 putts per green in regulation over four days. On the first and third days in particular, the figures fell to just 1.36 and 1.42 putts.
The decisive factor in Yang's rise to the ranks of elite putters was the "broomstick" putter. Commonly called a long putter, the broomstick putter measures more than 42 inches and is gripped with one hand at the top of the shaft, with the player making a pendulum-like stroke. Its strength lies in producing a straight roll. The "armlock" putter, which is anchored against the forearm during the stroke, also runs longer than 38 inches, but the term long putter typically refers to the broomstick.
In a phone call with The Seoul Economic Daily on Saturday, Yang said, "Through last year, my putting wasn't working and the psychological pressure was severe. The gap between my good and bad days was so wide that I would feel anxious just stepping onto the green. After last season, I thought it through carefully and decided to try a broomstick putter, which is completely different from my previous one." He added, "I started using the broomstick putter this season, and at this Korea Open my putting clicked and I felt mentally at ease. Gaining confidence on the greens helped a great deal in winning."
On the recent KPGA Tour, Yang is far from the only player wielding a long putter. More than 10 players, including Choi Jin-ho, Choi Seung-bin, Bae Yong-jun, Jung Tae-yang, Lee Yu-seok, Wang Jeung-hun, Kim Ki-hwan, Kim Min-su, Lee Dae-han and Kevin Jeon (New Zealand), are using long putters. On the PGA Tour, the long putter users are limited to a handful of names such as Adam Scott (Australia), Akshay Bhatia, Will Zalatoris and Lucas Glover (all U.S.).
The reason KPGA Tour pros are gravitating toward the long putter is simple: players have won after switching to it. Choi Jin-ho captured the BizPlay Electronic Newspaper Open in 2022, his first victory in five years, after switching to a long putter, and Choi Seung-bin claimed his first career title at the KPGA Championship in 2023 while using one. Lee Dae-han also won his first career title at the Tour Championship in 2024 after making the switch. This year, Yang too lifted a national title after changing to a long putter.
Kong Hyung-jin, senior fitter (putter specialist) of Titleist's Leadership Team, said, "When their game isn't going well, even pros are shaken psychologically. The long putter involves less wrist movement and a simpler stroke motion, which helps players produce a more consistent stroke even in high-pressure situations." He added, "Male tour players tend to actively test various putter designs, and as several players have won after switching to long putters, others around them seem to be influenced as well."
For the long putter to truly become a "magic broomstick," however, painstaking effort is required to adjust to it. Choi Seung-bin said, "The long putter rolls the ball straight and is consistent, but distance control on long putts is clearly weaker." Yang also said, "For the first two weeks after I switched to the long putter, the feel was so different that I couldn't putt properly," before adding with a smile, "Now I recommend the long putter to fellow players who struggle with putting. With this win as a turning point, I think we may see even more players switching to long putters."
