Compiled by Multiple-Award-Winning PGA Professional Brendon R. Elliott, PrimePutt’s Director of Instruction and Lead Writer
The 2026 U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club is more than a major championship. It is a master class in patience, pace control and making the right putts at the right time.
Scioto Country Club has a special place in American golf. It is where Jack Nicklaus grew up learning the game under PGA Professional Jack Grout, and this week it becomes the stage for another major championship test. Like most great championship venues, Scioto will not simply reward the player who hits the most good shots. It will reward the player who handles the greens the best.
That is where everyday golfers can learn a lot.
When we look at the 2026 PGA Tour Champions putting leaders heading into U.S. Senior Open week, three names stand out for three very different reasons. Ernie Els leads in Putting Average on Greens in Regulation at 1.686. Miguel Angel Jiménez leads in Putts Per Round at 27.96. Stewart Cink leads in Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage at 40.29%.
Those numbers tell a story. Els is taking advantage of greens hit in regulation. Jiménez is keeping his total putt count under control. Cink is converting his scoring chances when they arrive.
For the average golfer, that is the entire putting puzzle.
Ernie Els: Make GIR Putting Count
Putting Average on Greens in Regulation is one of my favorite putting stats because it gives us a real look at what happens after a player does the hard part. If you hit the green in regulation, you have given yourself a chance to make par at worst and birdie at best. The question becomes whether your putting supports the good ball-striking or wastes it.
Els leading this category at 1.686 shows how efficient he has been once he reaches the green in regulation. He is not just lagging everything close. He is making enough first putts, cleaning up enough second putts and avoiding the loose three-putt that ruins momentum.
This is where many amateur golfers lose shots without realizing it. They hit a green, feel like the hard work is done and then casually roll the first putt six feet past or leave it four feet short. Suddenly, a green in regulation turns into a bogey. That is not a ball-striking issue. That is a putting discipline issue.
Your goal after hitting a green should be simple: give the first putt a chance while making sure the second putt is easy. That does not mean defensive putting. It means smart putting. You should know when to be aggressive and when to accept a stress-free two-putt.
PrimePutt Drill: The GIR Conversion Game
Take nine balls and place them on the practice green from 20 to 40 feet. Use different slopes and angles. Your goal is to two-putt every ball, but you get a bonus point for every first putt you make.
Scoring:
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2 points for a made first putt
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1 point for a two-putt
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0 points for a three-putt
A great amateur score is 9 points or better. A strong goal is 12. This drill teaches you to think like Els: make the birdie putt when it is there, but never let a green in regulation become a wasted shot.
Miguel Angel Jiménez: Protect the Whole Round
Jiménez averaging 27.96 putts per round is a reminder that putting is not only about highlight makes. It is about total control over 18 holes.
Most golfers remember the 25-footer they made. They forget the three-footer they missed on No. 4, the poor lag putt on No. 7 or the careless first putt from 18 feet that turned into a three-putt on No. 13. At the end of the day, the scorecard does not care whether your putts were dramatic. It only cares how many you took.
Jiménez has always had that wonderful blend of rhythm, patience and personality. There is a lesson in that. Great putting does not look rushed. It does not look forced. It looks repeatable.
If you want to lower your putts per round, start by tracking them honestly. Do not just write down total putts. Track how many putts you take from inside five feet, how many three-putts you make and how many first putts finish outside three feet from the hole. Those three areas will tell you almost everything you need to know.
Most amateur golfers do not need to become great putters overnight. They need to stop giving away unnecessary putts.
PrimePutt Drill: The 28-Putt Challenge
Play a nine-hole putting course on the practice green with one ball. Use a mix of short, medium and long putts. Your goal is 14 putts or fewer for nine holes, which doubles to a 28-putt pace over 18.
Rules:
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Every putt must be holed
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No raking the ball back
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Go through your full routine
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Track how many times you three-putt
This drill builds accountability. It also gives practice a score, which matters. The more your practice feels like golf, the more your putting improves when it counts.
Stewart Cink: Convert the Chances You Earn
Cink leading Birdie or Better Conversion Percentage at 40.29% is a different kind of putting lesson. This stat is about opportunity. When he gives himself a real scoring chance, he is converting at a high rate.
That matters in a championship like the U.S. Senior Open because birdie chances may not come in bunches. On a tough setup, you might only get a handful of realistic looks. The winner is often the player who stays patient through the hard holes and cashes in when the course finally gives him a chance.
Average golfers face the same thing in their own way. You may not have 12 birdie chances per round. You may have three. Maybe one of them is from eight feet on a par 5. Maybe one is from 12 feet after a great wedge shot. Maybe one is from 15 feet on a short par 3.
The key is being ready when those chances show up.
Birdie putting requires commitment. You cannot guide the stroke. You cannot get so careful that the putter stops moving. Once you have picked the line and matched it with the speed, you need to roll the ball like you expect it to go in.
PrimePutt Drill: The Cink Conversion Ladder
Set up putts from 5, 8, 12 and 15 feet. Hit three putts from each distance. Your goal is to make at least:
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3 of 3 from 5 feet
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2 of 3 from 8 feet
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1 of 3 from 12 feet
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1 of 3 from 15 feet
That gives you seven makes out of 12. If you reach that number, move the stations to different slopes and do it again.
This drill helps you practice the putts that turn good holes into great ones. It also trains you to stay athletic and confident from the distances where scoring really happens.
The U.S. Senior Open Lesson for Your Game
The beauty of watching PGA Tour Champions players is that their games often feel more relatable than the modern power game on the PGA Tour. Yes, they are still elite players. But much of what separates them is not 190 mph ball speed or 350-yard drives. It is control, experience, decision-making and short-game intelligence.
That is why putting is such a valuable place to study them.
Els teaches us to make greens in regulation count. Jiménez teaches us to protect the total putt count across the entire round. Cink teaches us to convert the birdie chances we earn.
For your next round, do not make putting more complicated than it needs to be. Give yourself three goals:
Turn greens in regulation into easy pars and occasional birdies.
Eliminate three-putts by improving speed control.
Commit fully when you have a makeable scoring chance.
That is a putting plan any golfer can use. It fits a major championship at Scioto, and it fits your Saturday morning round at your home course.
The best putters are not always the ones who make the most miracle putts. They are the ones who waste the fewest strokes, stay calm when the greens get demanding and believe they can make the putt when the moment finally arrives.
That is the lesson of U.S. Senior Open week.
And it is one worth taking straight to the practice green.
