Parker McLachlin (left) and his lately rediscovered Coronado putter, alongside Scotty Cameron (middle) and Les Tamashiro.

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Justin Thomas isn’t the one professional in Hawaii relishing in a reunion with a Scotty Cameron putter from his youth.

Parker McLachlin, a former Tour winner who now spends most of his time as a short-game coach, additionally reconvened this week with a Scotty Cameron, his once-trusty Coronado blade that had been lacking for 1 / 4 century.

“I simply stopped utilizing it my senior 12 months in school,” McLachlin, who’s within the area this week on the Sony Open on a sponsor’s exemption, advised Patacon.org. “I by some means lose observe of the putter and I can’t discover it.”

McLachlin, who’s now 43, stated he hadn’t given the putter a lot thought till about 4 or 5 years in the past when he tried to seek out his outdated devoted. When McLachlin got here up empty, a former school teammate purchased him an identical mannequin on eBay — however you understand what they are saying, the sequel is never nearly as good as the unique.

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Which brings us to this week in Honolulu.

However earlier than we get to the unlikely reunion, we first should clarify the again story of how McLachlin first landed the putter.

McLachlin grew up in Hawaii. When he was a highschool junior, he was warming up on the apply inexperienced earlier than an occasion when he was approached by Hawaii’s Titleist rep, “Uncle” Les Tamashiro.

Tamashiro, who was identified for searching for junior gamers and serving to them with gear wants, thought it was time McLachlin made a putter swap.

“He comes over and he’s watching me putt and I don’t even bear in mind what putter I used to be placing up on the time,” McLachlin recalled. “However he stated, ‘Hey, why aren’t you utilizing a Scotty Cameron?’

“I used to be like, ‘Effectively, you understand, my mother and father are each schoolteachers and I can’t afford it.’

“He says, ‘I’ll inform you what, this highschool state championship is subsequent month. In case you go and end within the high 5, my present to you, I’ll offer you a Scotty Cameron putter.”

However McLachlin didn’t need any charity. He needed to rightfully earn the putter, which he guessed retailed for not less than $200 on the time.

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So he bargained in opposition to himself and advised Tamashiro he would take a putter provided that he received the Hawaii State Championship.

‘He stated, ‘All proper, you bought a deal!’” McLachlin stated. “And so I’m going out a month later and I win the state championship.”

The title didn’t come simply. McLachlin stated he opened with a 74, earlier than going deep on the second day with a 66 in 40 mph winds.

“I feel the following the following greatest rating of the day was like 74 or 75,” McLachlin stated. “And so after I win the match, he offers me the selection of whichever putter I needed, and I selected the Scotty Cameron Coronado.”

The putter stayed in his bag via the remainder of highschool and up till his senior 12 months of school. Then, McLachlin stated, it just about vanished.

McLachlin was nonetheless searching for the putter when he got here again house to Hawaii for this week’s Sony Open.

“I see Uncle Les on the golf course on Monday and he says, ‘Hey, what are you placing [with] today? You continue to have that Coronado I gave you nearly 30 years in the past?’” McLachlin stated. “And I used to be like, ‘No, I can’t discover the Coronado. I don’t know the place it’s.’”

That received Tamashiro pondering.

“You recognize, it’s bizarre,” Tamashiro stated. “I feel I’ve received a Coronado in my storage, however I don’t know the place it got here from. Let me examine tonight.”

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Certain sufficient, the putter was McLachlin’s unique Coronado, simply recognized by its barely shortened shaft and lead tape on the underside. Tamashiro guessed it may need been in his storage for 15 years.

“Being a Titleist rep for years and years I’m positive he simply had collected putters,” McLachlin stated. “He didn’t know why it was there.”

On Tuesday, Tamashiro introduced the putter to McLachlin at Waialae, and the pair recounted the entire story with Scotty Cameron himself, who’s in Hawaii this week for the occasion.

“[Cameron] thought it was a extremely cool story,” McLachlin stated. “And I feel listening to how individuals have gotten their first Scotty Camerons and tales behind that, I feel was actually neat for him to listen to.”

McLachlin has no plans to make use of this putter this week — he has one other in his bag that can do the honors — however stated he loved sharing the full-circle second with Cameron himself.

“Les giving me this putter was kind of my first begin into the Titleist household,” McLachlin stated. “And simply to see the place the entire journey is taking us is fairly cool.”

Jack Hirsh
Patacon.org Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is 2020 graduate of Penn State College, incomes levels in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his highschool golf group and nonetheless *tries* to stay aggressive in native amateurs. Earlier than becoming a member of GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but additionally producing, anchoring and even presenting the climate. He might be reached at [email protected]