Who is Phil Kenyon? All about the man Scottie Scheffler credits for his Masters 2024 triumph

Scottie Scheffler credits English putting coach Phil Kenyon for his win at the 2024 Masters after picking up his second green jacket.

Phil Kenyon, regarded as the top putting coach in the world, has worked with players on the PGA Tour for over 20 years including Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, and Henrik Stenson. Kenyon teaches at his state-of-the-art putting studio in England.

Kenyon, one of the youngest professionals to be awarded Master Status by the British PGA, is the lead consultant for golf companies Callaway Odessey and SuperStroke.

The World No.1 reached out to Kenyon, one of the most sought-after putting coaches, ahead of last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome after his putting let him down.

In 2023, Scheffler had one of the best ball-striking seasons. Scheffler's adjusted scoring average of 68.63 is the seventh-lowest in PGA Tour history. Scheffler ranked first in greens in regulation and strokes gained off the tee but was ranked 162nd out of 193 players in putting. He struggled with his putting and felt lost.

This statistic prompted the World No. 1 to turn to renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon, who teaches players on the PGA Tour.

Scheffler said during his Players Championship press conference:

"I had watched Phil before and watched him coach players. When you're out here as long as I've been, I just see stuff, and I loved the way Phil coached his players. As I watched Phil, I could tell that he was open-minded, and that's the type of people I like to work with."

Before making the decision, Scheffler turned to discuss the idea with his coach, Randy Smith. Smith was very open to the idea. Scheffler said:

"He [Randy] had taught me for almost 20 years every single aspect of the game. And so for me to have to bring in somebody else could have been a shot to his ego and he may not have wanted me to do it."

Kenyon flew to Texas late last year for a two-day session, and together the pair began making changes to his technique. The move resulted in Scheffler winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship.

Scottie Scheffler played Augusta National’s tricky greens in a composed manner this week. He ranked second in the Masters’ statistics with an average of 1.5 putts per green as a result of Kenyon's guidance.

Kenyon, in conversation with Andrew Cotter on The Chipping Forecast, said:

"We made some technical changes at the back end of last year and this year has been more about trying to trust those changes. Less technical thought and more tapping into his instincts, trying to be freer in his approach. When you make changes and you’re trying to improve technically it’s easy to become a perfectionist or constantly be thinking about trying to make perfect strokes. We are trying to make sure he doesn’t go that route.”

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Phil Kenyon's coaching triumph

Kenyon had eight students - Justin Rose, Gary Woodland, Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa and Scottie Scheffler - who played at Augusta National during the 2024 Masters. All of them made the cut except Justin Rose and Garry Woodland.

Kenyon spoke about his coaching with Andrew Cotter on an episode of The Chipping Forecast. He said:

“It can be a little tricky. I’ll book in times with the players. Each player tends to structure their day in advance so I’ll book in time slots to see them. Luckily I’m in fairly regular contact with all of the players so it’s not like you’re having to cram stuff in and it is the week of a Major so everyone really does know what they’re doing and you’re there more supervising practice, overseeing, and making sure nothing’s going wrong.”

Kenyon prefers to just hit the ball and doesn’t often putt while playing golf. He believes anyone can be a better putter under his guidance proven by his success with many champions.