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20 Feb 2012
Riviera is one of the great tests of golf, which is why Jimmy Demerit dubbed it Hogan’s Alley. It took a ball striker of Hogan’s caliber to bring this monster to its knees, where he won 3 times within an 18 month span. And once again Riviera stood strong against the assault of the game’s best players. The uniqueness of the “wire brush” rough otherwise known as Kikuyu grass plays a most important role in shotmaking, particularly around the greens. It is really tough to control both trajectory and spin from this type of rough, so saving pars from greenside is a real challenge. I’ve never experienced a grass that puts so much “drag” or resistance on your club head. To play from this rough requires the knowledge of how to play a semi-cut shot, so your blade can “knife” its way through the grass.
What drama! Both Phil and Keegan Bradley bogeying the 8th to drop out of the lead. Phil catching the bunker on 9 only to add another bogey. Phil recovering, then yet again blowing his lead with back to back 3-putts on 14 and 15. Keegan holing putts then bogeying the tough 15th. Both Phil and Keegan failing to birdie the par 5 seventeenth. And just when it looked like we’d be crowning Bill Haas, both Phil and Keegan pulled off truly exciting birdies on 18th get into the playoff.
It was great to see the playoff come down to the best short par four in the game – the 10th at Riviera. With all three players going for the green, they all wound up in bad places. Haas was forced to play “safe” from behind the green. Phil’s flop was a bit too far and found the bunker behind the green. Bradley exploded well from the bunker to 15 feet. But when Haas rolled in his 40+ footer for birdie, then jig was up. Keegan gamely lipped out from the fringe, but it was the Haas show this time.
A BIG CONGRATS TO BILL HAAS for his playoff victory and trip to the winners circle, having conquered one of the toughest tracks on tour. If anyone doubted this player after his playoff victory at East Lake last year to win the Fedex Cup, there should be no doubt now that Bill Haas is a gamer and he’s here to stay!
Our CLOSE BUT NOT CIGAR AWARD this week goes to both Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson. Phil for his attempt to win back to back on tour for the first time since Tiger did it in 2009. And Keegan for his gutsy performance down the stretch and that final birdie on 18, following that crescendo cheer for Phil after holing form the fringe, 25 feet away.
Bill Haas has a swing to be emulated. It’s pure, on plane and well connected from start to finish. But maybe even more importantly, it is seldom rushed. He has perhaps the best rhythm since my mentor – Sam Snead. And that’s saying something!
Bradley looked like a cat on a hot tin roof coming home on Sunday. To his credit, this “Nervous Nellie” never played a shot until he was ready. So, although he was flitting around like a butterfly out there, he took time to gather his wits and get fully focused before playing his shots. When he learns to play with a RELAXED FOCUS we will see him again in the winners circle – provided they don’t rule against the use of the technique of anchoring the handle of the putter, i.e. belly putting!
Phil went to the well too often – playing that “rounded hook” into greens. While its a good shot to have in your bag to escape from trouble, it is really too much of a “hero” shot to be played when you don’t have to. Phil pulled it off on the par three 16th on Saturday, much to the delight of the announcers, but it cost him at least two strokes coming home on Sunday and then again when he played it on his first playoff hole – coming up well short on 18.
A good player should NEVER intentionally set-up closed to his target, unless he has to go around a tree or other obstacle. Phil must get smarter about his shot selection. I all too often feel really bad for Jim “Bones” McKay, his caddie. He is a really good caddie, but he’s left too often trying to tame a wild bronco during the round.
Golfstruck – Better Golf -Right Now!
Feb 13 2012
The Pebble Beach Pro-Am once again brought us a thrilling competition at perhaps the most beautiful meeting of land and sea in the game, topped off by the Sunday head-to-head between Tiger and Phil. This time it was the Mickelson show! That’s five for five with Phil shellacking Tiger. Yes, Tiger has a way to go to compete at the level he aspires to. See my most recent post: Tiger Watch!
A BIG CONGRATS to Phil on his closing 64 to make it to the winners circle! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen this popular player produce that kind of finish to a tournament. It’s exciting to have him back and holing putts again.
What I don’t yet like about his swing is his “rounded” back and flat footedness at impact. If he is to become a more consistent player he needs to work from a better impact position backward to figure out how to get there – by feel of motion.
Our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD this week goes to Charlie Wi. He played a great tournament but for that 4-putt on # one the final day. In his defense, he really didn’t hit a BAD putt on that hole. His distance control was perhaps a little off because of nervousness. Combine that with a slight misread of the strength of the grain and you get lip outs.
To Charlie’s credit, he got back on the horse and played a whale of a round right up to birdieing 16, 17 and 18 – where he very nearly holed his wedge shot for eagle. There were two other very short putts missed along the way and a couple more really good birdie putts that just slid by on the high side.
What I liked about Charlie’s swing this week was how well his right side stayed in behind and up against his left side through impact and well into his finish. He appeared to be getting into a far better position at the top this week also. Perhaps the last of the stack and tilt crusaders has finally seen the light.
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
6 Feb 2012
Nearly lost in the Superbowl Salsa was one of the great comebacks in the history of sport.
Kyle Stanley, after coughing up a sure win at Torrey Pines just last week with a triple bogey 8 on the final hole, only to lose in a heart wrenching playoff to Brandt Snedeker; rallied this week in Phoenix from 8 shots back on Sunday to nip Spencer Levine and a hard charging Ben Crane with a final round 65 and make his 1st trip into the WINNERS CIRCLE.
A BIG CONGRATS TO KYLE STANLEY, who easily could have wilted after the Torrey Pines collapse, never to be heard from again. In my write-up last week I said I thought we’d here from this talented player again and often. I only hoped it would be soon enough for him to make the Masters invitation list. Little did I suspect he would comeback in his very next tournament.
Weiskopf’s course is very demanding, but fair, down the stretch. As we saw this week, anyone approaching the final 4 holes with doubt – found trouble and faded. The courageous prevailed. But even Stanley found trouble! It’s just that he was able to regroup, with the aide of his ’super caddie’ and make two great saves for par. A lesson he took from the prior week.
Now that he is referred to as ‘absolutely ripped’ and one of the longest drivers on tour – by the media – he may be prone to feeling like he has to live up to the hype. If he succumbs to the hype and starts trying to hit it far, he will come out of his angles, deliver his speed too early in the downswing and start spraying it all over the parking lot.
Let’s all take in the lesson that young Kyle must also understand here. We don’t hit it long because we are TRYING to hit it long. We hit it far because we make a good pass – away from and through to our target – in rhythm, and with proper focus! As long as Kyle stays with what got him here, he will do just fine! Routines and Focus!
Spencer Levine gets our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD this week. He did feel the pressure in the process of coughing up his 7 stroke lead. What I see in his swing is a tendency to be quick in his takeaway. When this happens he loses width in his arc, which in turn causes a timing problem leading to errant ball flights. If he will invest some time feeling WIDE AWAY so he gains the feel of proper rhythm, he will find the consistency he seeks. As he develops FEEL and gets off the nicotine, he will play far closer to the level of his talent more predictably and consistently. Only then are we likely to see him in the winners circle.
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
30 Jan 2012
Whether you’re a loyal Tiger fan, or he has totally lost you, everybody still wants to watch, curious as to how arguably “the best to ever play this game,” will perform.
Tiger debuted his 2012 game for all to watch and analyze this past week at the Abu Dhabi Championship with a tie for third and a Sunday round that had him scrambling all day. His ball striking for the first three rounds was better. Perhaps he missed having Rory in his group on Sunday. These two seem to be hitting it off.
Here’s What I See:
As a teacher of this game, after a year and a half of working with the most talented player, perhaps, ever to play this game, I would be totally embarrassed to send my player into battle with such a manipulated and unnatural swing motion. I feel bad for Tiger, who is working as hard as any teacher could ask. While his backswing looks good and well connected, what he does from there is just awful!
In his media comments, Tiger says he is finally getting the feel of the motion Sean Foley, his current instructor, has him working on. In my opinion, as talented as Tiger is, if he were working on the right stuff, it should, at most, take him about a week to understand the new motion and but a few weeks to groove it.
I’m sorry, but I believe a good teacher simplifies the game for his player, rather than trying to impress his player with how smart he is. When I was working with Sam Snead he said to me, “Ozzie, if you’re going to teach this game you have to understand the two don’ts – if it don’t hold up in the heat of battle, don’t teach it.”
Note: All teachers should learn their craft well enough to be able to live by Sam’s admonition.
There is no way Tiger’s current swing motion CAN hold up in the heat of battle. When he drops his head some 8 – 10″ as he starts his downswing, he has severely changed the width of his arc. The only way he can get through from there with any power is to severely steepen his shoulder rotation during the downswing. This causes his left forearm to come into the hitting area much higher than his right forearm. Ideally, THEY SHOULD BE LEVEL!
This steepness causes a severely steepened shaft angle at impact which causes the face to stay open – wide open. So Tiger either has to play a twenty yard cut, or try to manipulate the face – to square – with his hands – which even with his level of talent, is extremely difficult at best, and at worst produces misses both left and right. Further, his delivery is so right side dominant, that it cries out for some left side control! His friend Steve Stricker could help him here!
The great thing about talented players is that you can tell them practically anything: “stand on your ear” and they will find a way to make their swing repeat. Well, that’s about what’s happening here. To Tiger’s credit, he’s making himself competitive with a totally right sided and out of plane, manipulated delivery – that pretty much sucks!
With his current swing motion he simply cannot predictably hit a controlled draw. So, unless he makes some drastic changes, he’s definitely not a threat at Augusta. In fact, he can’t comfortably and confidently hit a controlled anything. Manipulating your ball around the course isn’t any fun. And as I watch Tiger play, he really isn’t having any fun!
The Good News!
Tiger is rounding into form with his putting. And his short game imagination and touch are both coming back. But if he is going to be dominant again, he needs to hit fairways, knock down pins and give himself a lot more birdie chances. Six birdies per round is the new standard!
To my eye, Tiger needs to get off the road he’s on. He’s headed in the wrong direction!
Golfstruck – Better Golf -Right Now!
30 Jan 2012
Torrey Pines yet again lived up to the challenge of finding the player who had the most shots in his bag this week! Our hearts absolutely have to bleed for Kyle Stanley’s loss. Until the final hole on Sunday, he had brought Torrey Pines to its knees. A BIG CONGRATS to Brandt Snedeker on his unexpected victory. It just goes to show you, never give up!
Brandt Snedeker likes this course, and always seems to play it well on Sunday. When asked why, in his post round interview, he said simply, that he plays more relaxed and with less pressure on Sunday. He just goes out and tries to play one good shot after another -without worrying about where he stands! Now that’s something we can all learn from. Perhaps Brandt should play that way the rest of the week as well.
Brandt has a beautifully rhythmical swing motion that he tries not to get in the way of mentally. To accomplish this, he has developed a minimalist routine as he steps up to the ball – so he can start his swing BEFORE he has a chance to think! There was another great player who did this, Bobby Jones!
The difference is that Bobby did it because he had a very quick mind with great intelligence. He was afraid he would think of too many things about his swing motion and therefore – find a way to mentally interfere with his swing. Brandt does it because he thinks he has a weak mind. He doesn’t. But as we all can attest perception becomes reality. Brandt’s quick delivery too often comes with the price of not settling into the feel of his shot before he pulls the trigger. In other words, it happens before he is fully ready to play his shot.
When working on your routine, you need to fully plan & visualize your shot and then precisely rehearse the feel of motion ALL BEFORE you step up to play your shot. Then take sufficient time to set-up properly to the ball, align to your target, and focus your attention and feel of motion on where you’re going ALL BEFORE you start your swing.
Kyle Stanley gets our Close But No Cigar Award this week for his heartbreaking loss of a tournament he seemingly had in the bag. We could second guess his decision to lay-up on 18, but playing safe to his favorite wedge distance would seem prudent with a three shot lead. Besides, he had played the hole that way on Saturday.
He played his wedge shot to well past the hole and on a great line. I’m sure he was pleased with it when he hit it. The danger of course was spinning it back off the green and into the water. He got a bit unlucky there. You have to hit that type of shot with enough club so you don’t have to swing hard. That way you can produce a “dead hands” shots with very little backspin. Kyle would do well to develop that shot and put it his his bag for next year in that same situation.
Had I been Kyle’s caddy, I would have made him take his drop where he had just hit from for three reasons. He already was at his favorite wedge distance, he had the feel for that shot, and he could have played again immediately, without having to wait for the other two players before playing from the shorter distance. Chances are he could well have made the slight adjustment required with his second attempt at that same shot. My bet is that he would have gotten to a much better position than a downhill 45 footer needing two putts to win.
Hopefully Kyle can recover from this one quickly and punch his ticket to his first win and to the Masters. I did notice that once he learned he had only a three shot lead when he thought he was still five up, he started coming out of his spine angle at the start of his downswing. So coming down the stretch he missed some fairways. He did make some nice recovery putts for par to preserve his lead, though. I think we will be seeing a lot more of this powerfully talented young player. See my post on “The Young Guns.”
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
30 Jan 2012
Fielding the strongest field in its history, the Abu Dhabi Championship produced a surprise winner. A BIG CONGRATS to Robert Rock!
Robert Rock, playing along side his long time idol, Tiger Woods, was Sunday’s better focused and calm, cool cat. Make no mistake – Rock, with the name and image of a “Hollywood Movie Star” won this tournament against a strong field – none of whom produced the quality shots or putts under pressure that the less experienced Rock pulled off. Well done!
What Robert does so well is to maintain a perpendicular relationship between his spine angle and shaft angle throughout his entire swing motion. Now that’s the model of consistency and predictability we would all do well to copy.
Tiger Woods, on the other hand, severely changes this relationship as he starts his downswing by dropping his head some 8 -10 inches, causing his shoulders to have to steepen as he, in turn, stands up to deliver. With his left forearm so much higher than his right as he delivers, its no wonder he has to manipulate the clubface through the hitting area to “control” his ball flight. As we saw on Sunday when Tiger hit only 2 fairways and a mere handful of greens, this unnatural release doesn’t hold up in the heat of battle. for more on Tiger’s swing, see my latest edition of “Tiger Watch.”
Rory McIlroy gets our Close But No Cigar Award this week. He made more birdies, by far, than anyone else in the field, but his continued failure to manage his process both emotionally and analytically produces too many wayward shots.
After three straight days of playing with Tiger, Rory’s swing, most unfortunately, looked a lot more like Tiger’s swing on Sunday, than Rory’s. His angles were all wrong at address causing his shoulders to get hunched. From this position his plane was too steep, he started dropping his head ala Tiger, and delivering from a steep shoulder angle. Rory, Tiger’s is not the swing to copy! Your swing is much better. Get back to it!
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
20 Jan 2012
The 2011 season was filled with rookie wins – six to be exact! And, we had more 1st time winners than ever before. So what can we expect in 2012? Will there be follow through to stardom from these “20 somethings” and long enduring careers on tour? Or will they stumble as one trick ponies?
Here are Ozzie’s picks among the young guns and players to watch this year.
Certainly Masters winner Charl Schwartzel is here to stay. With that great swing he is becoming a consistent winner on the PGA Tour.
Rory McIlroy is also here to stay. Dubbed the next “Tiger Woods” following his runaway US Open victory, Rory finished off 2011 challenging Luke Donald for the money title on the European Tour.
Gary Woodland’s playoff loss to Jhonattan Vegas in the Hope served only to make him more determined. He went on to win and finished the year winning the World Cup with partner Matt Kuchar. If Gary learns to control accuracy using the “knockdown shot” with his short irons – he will make a lot more birdies this year.
Jason Day will challenge these guys this year for “best of the young guns.” But he too must learn the “knockdown” approach to his short irons.
Keegan Bradley knocked our socks off last year with his comeback duel with “super waggle” Jason Dufner to win the PGA Championship. His media presence and humility made him an instant fan favorite. Keeping his swing timing with that tall lanky frame may well be his biggest challenge this year.
Jason Dufner is one spunky competitor – not unlike Boo Weekley! That unique waggle that facilitates his rhythmical delivery will continue to challenge the quality of his focus. he would do well to find focus and feel more simply.
Rickie Fowler has worked his magic with the younger generation. They are all sporting Puma gear. He broke through with a victory last year in Korea and will likely do the same in the USA this year. I know he is working on rhythm as a key factor toward more consistency. He also needs a little more thorough and deliberate routine before he steps up to pull the trigger. Better shot visualization and preparation will climate those bogeys and doubles that so often derail a strong Rickie bid.
Justin Rose, I believe is finally ready to take his place among the young guns. He finished off 2011 well, which may well be the confidence boost he needed. We’ll see. He has a really good game in all aspects – no major weakness. I look for Justin to have his break out year this year.
Others from among the first timers that I believe we will see do well this year are: Scott Stallings, Kyle Stanley, Chris Kirk, Brendan Steele, Spencer Levin and Robert Rock. Also Jamie Lovemark is back from back injury and should make his mark this year.
On the comeback trail we can look for the following to have good years: David Toms, Adam Scott, Aaron Baddeley, Sean O’Hair, Robert Garrigus, Zach Johnson and hopefully JB Holmes - following brain surgery.
Coming of the Nationwide Tour this year I look for the following to compete well this year at the next level: Ted Potter Jr., Danny Lee, Gary Christian and Matt Every.
Coming out of Q-School, astoundingly, the average age for the Class of 2012 graduates is 32. The range of ages is 20 to 48. Yes there are (2) 48 year olds: Scott Dunlop who first qualified for the PGA Tour in 2002 has spent the past 9 years on the Nationwide Tour; and Marco Dawson who finished 32nd on the Nationwide Tour in 2011 and made the cut in all 3 of his 2011 starts on the PGA Tour. The youngest At 20, is Seung-yul Noh who already has top 30 finishes in three majors.
I look for the following Q-School graduates to take best advantage of their well-earned PGA Tour status: veteran Jeff Maggert, a humbled Brian Harmon, # 126 Bobby Gates, Sang-moon Bae, Harris English and Mark Anderson.
23 Jan 2012
It seems strange that this tournament is no longer the Bob Hope. It would never have dared storm like it did on Saturday if he were still around! But kudos to Humana for naming the trophy after Mr. Hope.
Mark Wilson out dueled Robert Garrigus down the stretch to win by two when his 2-putt birdie found the bottom of the cup as darkness settled in. A BIG CONGRATS to Mark for once again getting his year off to a fast start.
What I like about Mark’s game is that he has developed a swing motion to take the left side of the golf course out of play. Though he tends to take the club away a little farther inside with his arms than is ideal, he definitely attacks from the inside corner of the ball by feeling the direction his right side WILL FIRE – directly toward the target. If you watch his footwork as he starts his downswing, you will see that his weight transfer rolls across his right ankle toward the target. There is no early movement toward his right toe. We would all do well to copy this motion.
The thing that keeps Mark from winning more often is that he tends to swing too hard, which tends to shorten his backswing and gets him out of rhythm. This is when he tends to lose the feel of attacking from the inside corner and firing his right side down the target line.
Robert Garrigus lost this tournament on the 17th (71st) hole when he tried to force a PW to a back right pin. He came up well short and three putted. Our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD this week goes to Sir Robert! Also,he will need more work with that long putter for sure. I think after a couple more tournaments of learning the feel of swinging his putter from a fixed fulcrum, he would putt really well by going back to a standard putter – particularly at the Masters! Remember, he used the shortest putter on tour last year – a mere 23 inches.
I really hate to see tour players go hard after their short irons! There is no reason for it. Take a longer club and learn to swing well within yourself. Robert, along with several other players: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Gary Woodland and Camilo Villegas, to name a few; would do well to practice and learn to flight their short irons at 80%, 85% and 90% power. They would knock it close a lot more often and miss far fewer greens from scoring range. We should all learn this lesson – only if we want to make that trip to the winners circle!
Johnson Wagner improved one stroke each day of this event – 68; 67; 66; and 65 on Sunday. That’s just plain great playing. A tie for 2nd a week after winning in Hawaii has Wagner leading the Fedex points list! Who would have thunk it? Well done Stash!
This week I noticed a little more bend in the knees at address than last week. That’s not healthy! Get your knees and groins up so you feel springy and lively over the ball. This current crouch, while it may feel powerful at address, prohibits full extension through impact – unless you stand up! A far better feel is to make room for full extension by keeping your knees and groins up and away from the ball – so your chest can stay down. When you maintain your spine angle/shaft angle relationship throughout your swing, you will be far more consistent.
Jeff Maggert had another very good tournament -thus taking full advantage of making it through Q-school. It’s nice to see him back. Both his swing and his putting stroke were working well again this week. But, if I were Jeff, I would work on a performance routine that facilitates my focus and feel for the shot – without having to “freeze” over the ball so long before I let it go. Brandt Snedeker does the opposite. He tends to pull the trigger often before he fully has the focus and feel for his shot. Both would do better with a better routine.
John Mallinger had a great tournament. Its a shame that last birdie put on 18 just slid by the corner. As I watch John’s swing, I really don’t like his takeaway. He immediately disconnects his arm swing from his body rotation. This causes him to feel ready to hit often without completing his shoulder turn – which can cause a timing problem. When he stays in rhythm, he seems to recover well enough to get to a sound impact position. But, put a little pressure on this motion down the stretch and John tends to lose his feel and accuracy. Result: ZERO trips to the winners circle.
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
15 Jan 2012
Johnson Wagner practiced during the entire off-season with his Augusta player’s book tucked into his left hip pocket. It was his incentive and constant reminder that his goal for 2012 was to make it into the Masters. To do so would require an early season win.
And he pulled it off and against a cluttered field where some 20 players teed it up on Sunday within 4 shots of the lead. A BIG CONGRATS TO “Stash.” Strange how the quality of our practice changes the quality of our play! He confidently played shot after shot coming home, while others suffered from errant shots and missed opportunities. You can bet Johnson stayed in the present, playing one shot at a time, rather than worrying about his score or how others were doing. In fact he said, when he did finally look at the scoreboard on 16, he was pleasantly surprised to see that he had a two shot lead, and that his closest pursuer just happened be his playing partner.
Johnson doesn’t have, perhaps, the most graceful, flowing and beautiful swing on tour, but there is nothing fundamentally wrong with his swing. More importantly he has grooved it. So he doesn’t try to force anything. He knows his swing and what shots he has in his bag. His misses are far more playable as a result. So he is staying away from those dreaded doubles, or worse. It was nice to see this journeyman make his third trip to the winners circle and earn his spot in the 2012 Masters. One again perseverance pays off.
Charles Howell III made a comeback at season’s end last year. He seems to have found a swing motion that he can deliver with confidence. Always a good competitor, “C-III” has historically done well in the big tournaments. It’s a bit of a mystery why he hasn’t won more often. I’d really like to climb into his head to find out the cause and help him to take that stroll into the winners circle more often. I look for C-III to have his best year in 2012. Our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD this week goes to Mr. Howell.
Jeff Maggert is back on tour following yet another successful trip through Q-school. And he was back on the leader board this week. His swing is in a groove that exudes rhythm and confidence. It seems his only real weakness is with his flat stick. It appears that Jeff is trying to stay still over his puts, using only his hands arms and shoulders. This faulty understanding of proper putting motion ( which I see way too many players trying to copy) serves to generate tension in the hands and forearms, which in turn inhibits the natural forces of gravity and centripetal force from doing their job. Result – too many steered and guided rather than well stroked putts, i.e. too many missed putts.
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
8 Jan 2012
Steve Stricker started his year off on an optimistic note by winning the elite, though ill attended ToC. A BIG CONGRATS to “Strix!” Nursing a numbness in his middle finger stemming from, literally, a pain in the neck, it remains to be seen whether Steve will need surgery. The fast start is a big help. Based on last year’s stats, he has already earned enough points to secure a spot in the Barclays Fedex Cup field .
What I really like about Steve’s swing is how well he keeps his left hand in front of his right through delivery – from ball to target. His simple, connected motion is very repeatable and many of us would do well to copy it.
Next time you get a chance to watch his swing, play it in slow motion. By doing so, you will see how well he maintains left side control of backswing, downswing and delivery -all the way through to his finish. As Sam Snead taught me, left side control is the key to accuracy and predictability.
Martin Laird is a player on a mission: to make the 2012 European Ryder Cup Team. He got off to an impressive start by finishing second this week. But he will have to play more in Europe to gain favor of selection. With a baker’s dozen Europeans ranked ahead of him going into the season and the likes of Oosthuizen, McDowell and Garcia making strong comebacks, making this year’s team will be no easy task.
Martin has one of the most sound swings on tour. His tendency is to get sloppy with his footwork. Watch to see if in his finish position he is balanced on the inside of his right big toe or has allowed his right foot to spin out. This is a common mistake many of us make and one that is critical to the direction your right side fires.
Also, Martin tends to get quick in his transition with his putting stroke, which causes him to lose distance feel. When he feels the tick/tock rhythm of natural pendulum speed he is a pretty good putter. If his decision making and the quality of his routines deliver the best of his motion consistently, he WILL create enough birdie opportunities and avoid doubles. All he needs then is to sleep with his putter.
Webb Simpson continues to play well with his new found confidence. He now knows he belongs and can therefore play more relaxed. As with every great athlete, playing with a relaxed focus is the key to performing – both out of the box and down the stretch.
What concerns me about Webb’s game is the quirky disconnect/reconnect motion of his swing. This lack of a fundamentally sound swing motion requires great timing and feel to be consistent. He is sort of the next coming of Freddie Couples – a player you love to root for, but one who keeps you guessing when a totally errant shot will usurp his trip to the winners circle. Our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD this week goes to Webb Simpson.
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