Carl Pettersson, after long time with long putter, abandons anchoring for British Open

One of the big surprises Thursday in the British Open came from Carl Pettersson. For the first time in a major, he's using a conventional putter.

Pettersson has used a long putter ever since he was in college, and the Swede has anchored it against his chest his entire professional career. A new rule adopted in May means golfers no longer will be able to use anchored strokes starting in 2016.

Pettersson strongly opposed the rule, but he's going along with it — at a major championship, no less. He has a short putter and uses a "claw" grip.

His caddie says Pettersson first used the short putter on Sunday at the John Deere Classic, where he tied for 54th.