Kevin Stadler’s answer to the anchoring ban? Putting lefty

The anchored putting stroke will be outlawed come Jan. 1, 2016, leaving the wilting number of players who use the stroke in tandem with a long or belly putter with two choices: when they’ll make the switch to a new putting style and which style they’ll choose.

For Kevin Stadler, he sees only one viable option. Stadler, who has used the long putter anchored to his chin for over a decade, will develop a left-handed putting stroke with a traditional putter.

Yeah, it’s that bad.

Stadler, who had to withdraw from last week’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions, has been working on the lefty stroke. He even tried it in the final round of last June’s Travelers Championship. Buried at the bottom of the leaderboard, Stadler had nothing to lose. He shot 2-over 70 at TPC River Highlands.

Stadler has some experience with the grip, but is still getting used to the look from the left side.

“I’ve putted my whole life as a kid cross-handed, and when I was a really little kid, I played left-handed for a little bit. It feels comfortable,” Stadler said to the Associated Press.

Even though Stadler won for the first time on the PGA Tour last year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, he’s not worried that a drastic change in style will ruin his career.

As he said to Golfweek, “I’ve just accepted the fact that I’m a (poor) putter who is trying to mask it by hitting the ball good.”

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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