Pro calls for golf rule change after Schmid sparks PGA Tour debate

English tour pro Eddie Pepperell says golf's rule makers should insist on making the putter the shortest club in the bag after some PGA Tour fans accused Matti Schmid of anchoring. 

Germany's Schmid got himself in contention over the weekend to claim his maiden PGA Tour title at the Charles Schwab Challenge. 

The 27-year-old ultimately came up short as Ben Griffin held his nerve on the 72nd hole at Colonial Country Club to land his first individual win of the 2025 season to silence his critics. 

But Schmid - who also annoyed Sky Sports' Wayne Riley over is lethargic pace of play - caught a few bullets from armchair golf critics who believed he was anchoring his broomstick putter. 

Schmid was absolutely lethal on the greens last week and topped the Strokes Gained: Putting department by gaining more than eight strokes against the field. 

As they watched the action unfold, some PGA Tour viewers took to X to express their dismay at a putting stroke they deemed dubious. 

Were his knuckles touching his chest or simply his shirt? 

He is not the first player to face such accusations and he certainly won't be the last. 

Pepperell told the latest episode of The Chipping Forecast  the solution is fairly simple. 

"Insist on the putter being the shortest club in the bag," he said. 

A DP World Tour referee told BBC Sport's Iain Carter the powers that be should absolutely be looking at that proposal. 

"It is super difficult to enforce," the referee said. 

"We have spoken to a couple of players who we felt were getting close to breaching the rule and they actually have gone back to shorter putters, which is good.

"But ultimately you have to go with the integrity of the players. How do you enforce it? It is your word against theirs. You're in no man's land."

Which players currently use long putters?

Adam Scott is perhaps the most high-profile PGA Tour member that currently uses a long putter. 

The former Masters champion has been using them for more than a decade and is currently gaming a L.A.B OZ.1 Proto. 

Clips of German legend Bernhard Langer frequently do the rounds on social media. 

Langer has always denied anchoring because he is 'a man of integrity'. 

"The last think I want to do is break rules and be known as cheating," he previously said. 

Rising PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia made the switch last season and the change appeared to make an immediate impact on his game. 

Former U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover - who worked with a retired Navy SEAL to overcome the putting yips - now uses a broomstick putter. 

Glover accuses PGA Tour stars of cheating

Whilst Lucas Glover has never faced accusations of anchoring, the American recently made a sensational claim about other players. 

Speaking on his SiriusXM radio show, Glover claimed he knows several PGA Tour members that cheat the driver testing protocols. 

Driver testing has become a hot topic in recent weeks after Rory McIlroy was forced to change to a backup before the 2025 PGA Championship. 

USGA officials informed the Northern Irishman his TaylorMade Qi10 was deemed non-conforming as the face of the club had become too springy. 

PGA Championship winner Scottie Scheffler also revealed his driver also failed and called for stricter testing in the future. 

"Most guys don’t give them their real driver anyway," Glover said. "They give them their backup just in case. No, it's true. 

"And the testing is the way it is, why, and again, I know a lot of guys, they keep two drivers in their bag just in case."