|
|
5 Mar 2012
We have a new, young # 1 in the world – 22 year old Rory McIlroy. A BIG CONGRATS TO RORY on achieving a lifetime goal!
As Rory continues to learn to manage his emotional nature in a positive way, he will become a better and better player. Those of us who tend to be more emotional than analytical often have a harder time with self mastery. But the good news is that we get a far greater depth of experience along the journey! During his competitions as he has grown, Rory has always worn his heart on his sleeve. All too often he has allowed his frustrations with bad shots to bubble up to the surface – causing an adrenaline rush into his system – which in turn cost him FEEL and FOCUS for the next couple of holes.
Learning to turn OFF our emotions by turning ON our PROCESS OF SHOTMAKING and POST SHOT ROUTINE is a significant step toward entering the WINNERS CIRCLE. Rory is on the verge of conquering those fears and negative thoughts that creep into our psyche and get in the way of our ability to perform.
Coming down the stretch on Sunday, Rory heard the unmistakeable TIGER ROAR! And following a big gulp – virtually swallowing those bubbling up emotions, Rory responded with an 8 foot birdie of his own. Though this was followed by three consecutive errant irons shots as he navigated the Bear Trap, that birdie gave him the confidence he needed to make three great up and downs coming home. Well done Mr. McIlroy!
In my opinion, since Rory’s natural ball flight is a slight draw, he needs to use it as his “go to” shot, rather than that fade that he all too often pushes too far right. To do so, he merely needs to keep his left hand in front of his right hand through his entire release and into his full finish, ala, Nicklaus, Watson, Hogan, and my teacher and record PGA victories holder (82) Sam Snead!
Tiger Woods all of a sudden this week had a good swing! He was no longer dropping his head some 6 – 8 inches during his downswing. He was maintaining his spine angle all the way through to his finish. He was releasing the club head with forearm rotation and full extension down the target line, rather than the immediate left of target cut-off release that was making him hit big slices just to keep the ball in play.
Suddenly TIGER lead a tournament in total driving – something he has not done in years – and maybe NEVER! How, we ask, did this happen, almost overnight? Answer: He is Tiger Woods!
Throughout the history of the game, no great player has ever even attempted the nature of drastic swing changes that Tiger has. It is no secret that I never was a fan of his time with Hank Haney – when he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn off the tee. I haven’t been a fan of the swing motion and release patterns that I saw coming from Sean Foley, though I did see a lot of improvement in a number of areas. But suddenly on Sunday, coming home, Tiger pulled off the Tigeresque birdie, eagle finish that suddenly spurred him into contention – causing Rory to sweat out the Bear Trap!
Like him or not, you have to respect Tiger’s ability to accomplish not only the unexpected, but even the unthinkable! With his lowest Sunday round ever (62) is anyone writing Tiger off, anymore? The Masters is coming! With that swing he had this week, Tiger will be able to produce those controlled draws demanded by Augusta on the back nine. With the swing he had last week, he didn’t have a chance! Welcome to Tiger’s world!
The heart warming stories this week belonged to journeymen Tom Gillis and Dickie Pride. This is the second consecutive top 10 finish for Dickie Pride, earning this non-exempt struggling survivor yet another birth in next week’s WGC Cadillac Championship. Way to go Dickie. You are the PRIDE of American golf right now! Here’s hoping you can relax, rest and focus even a little bit better this week.
Our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD, this week goes to fellow Michigan born and bred, 43 year old, Tom Gillis, who enjoyed his highest finish ever in a PGA event. His final birdie on the 18th on Sunday tied him with Tiger for second! Tom had a week of putting that he will never forget! Would that he could keep that Genie in the bottle! But what was perhaps most impressive about Tom’s game this week was his composure and how ready it seemed he was, to play with the big boys! It sure would be nice for this week’s experience to endure for Tom so he could have his best year ever on tour and perhaps even that long sought trip to the Winners Circle. In his 22nd second year on tour, playing in equally as many different countries, I can think of no one more deserving of success that Mr. Tom Gillis! A heartfelt well done, Tom!
What I see in Tom’s swing that he needs to improve is a collapsing of his left elbow through impact and into his full finish. Tom would do well to click on my “elbows together” video tip on this very web site! When Tom learns to rotate his left forearm as a better way of releasing from ball to target, he will not only improve his accuracy and consistency, but his distance off the tee as well.
Justin Rose has one of the best natural swings on tour. It’s a mystery why Rose doesn’t win more often. I’d sure like to climb inside his head and get things straightened out in there. As I watched Justin hit every iron left of target this week, it is a true testament to the value of a great short game that kept Justin in the hunt all the way to that fatal splash on Sunday on the water guarded par three 15th – the first hole of the now famous Nicklaus designed “Bear Trap.”
The fix for Justin is really quite simple. It’s in his alignment and footwork AND in the type of shot he is trying to play. Justin’s natural swing produces the same natural slight draw that Rory McIlroy’s swing produces. Justin has to get away from trying to “cut” his way around the course. Once he begins to play to his natural talents, the game will become much simpler for him. And I really believe that will remove all the clouds of confusion that are keeping Justin out of the Winners Circle!
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
27 Feb 2012
A BIG CONGRATS TO JOHN HUH on his first PGA Tour victory in only his 5th PGA Tour event! This promising and highly talented rookie is an anomaly in today’s world of golf. He didn’t come up through the junior golf rankings or play collegiate golf. He didn’t even have an extensive amateur career prior to successfully making it through Q- School.
But he does have a beautifully connected and simple swing motion, much like that of another rookie off to a great start this year, Sang Moon Bae, who made quite a splash this week in the Accenture Match Play World Golf Championship.
John survived a grueling 8 hole playoff against a far more experienced opponent in Robert Allenby. When he failed to close the deal with a four foot birdie putt on the sixth hole of the playoff, he gave Allenby new hope. But surprisingly, Allenby’s nerves were more shattered than those of John Huh! Two holes later John canned the same putt he had missed earlier – this time for par and his first, well earned victory! I think we will be hearing a lot more from John Huh, particularly if he is smart enough to get a most needed week’s rest as soon as possible!
Other Q -School prospects who played well this week are: Matt Every and Colt Knost who finished top 5. Also Daniel Summerhays who lead going into the final round only to lose his rhythm to quickness – otherwise known as “nerves.” Daniel has a good solid swing motion, but like a young Freddie Couples had to learn, rhythm is the glue that produces the essential flowing sequence of motion. Michael Allen and Will Claxton also took advantage of an event where a lot of the top names were absent.
The most heart warming story this week, perhaps, belonged to journeyman Dickie Pride, whose top 10 finish earned him a spot in the Honda Classic. Life on tour has been tough for Dickie Pride who has been on and off tour more times than he can count. Good luck this week to Dickie as he negotiates his way through the Bear Trap!
Robert Allenby, coming home on Sunday, made a mental error that cost him an important victory. Bolstered by the confidence that Greg Norman placed in him as a selection to his President’s Cup team, Robert is back on his game. This week he putted well through 71 holes! The final 9 – not so well! His putting will hold up better down the stretch when he learns to putt with a true one-lever motion rather than just his hands/arms/shoulders.
Standing on the 72nd and what should have been the final hole with a two shot lead, Allenby thought he should hit a 3-wood. His caddie told him the right play was the driver and that he was hitting it well so just get up their and let it go! But, taking his caddie’s advice regarding club selection, he never got mentally committed to the shot. Instead of backing away to either confirm his choice or change it, he played a shot he was scared of! Result – well right into trouble which lead to his double bogey and a birth in the playoff.
Why was Allenby suddenly scared to hit his driver? His mind had wandered to the last time he was in a similar situation – a two shot lead on the final hole at the McGladrey Classic – where he pushed his drive right into the drink and lost the tournament. The mind is a very powerful tool! To be successful under the gun, we must get it focused properly.
Our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD this week goes to Chris Stroud. Chris has a sound swing motion, but with a little too much tension in his hands and forearms, which causes him to swing less than freely when the pressure is on. Result – steering shots! Not good! Missed opportunities! Chris lost this tournament with a stroke lost to par on 16. And needing only a birdie on either 17 or 18 to make it into the playoff, Chris steered his shots right out of play! When Chris develops a routine and mind set that allow him to trust his swing motion, he will make that cherished trip into the winners circle.
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
27 Feb 2012
The best player this week survived! A BIG CONGRATS TO HUNTER MAHAN! Hunter birdied nearly 1/3 of all the holes he played this week. That is tremendous golf under pressure packed circumstances. This is a big win for Hunter who has struggled with fielding a predictable game the past couple of years.
What I like about Hunter’s swing is the consistent rhythm produced by the simplicity of his well connected and extended swing arc. Hunter’s simple routine and rhythm get him properly and efficiently focused shot after shot. We would all do well to learn to play this simply.
What Hunter still needs in his bag is a chipping game. After working hard during the off-season on his chipping, he has only one type of hand action chip shot in his bag – a high arcing cut shot – which obviously doesn’t work from all types of lies and in all situations. He needs a better teacher – one who understands hand action well enough to convey it simply to Hunter so he can learn to control both trajectory and spin when chipping – so he can accurately predict bounce and rollout to the pin from all types of lies and to different pin locations.
Rory McIlroy came close this week to becoming the second youngest ever to be ranked the world # 1! A very talented player, who Hunter Mahan ranks as currently the best in the world, Rory still needs to improve in two areas: controling his emotions and subordinating his right side to a more consistent and better left side control of his shot shaping.
A better and more consistent routine would serve Rory well. Your Routine is your best friend in this game. Its what keeps you in the moment so you can focus properly on the shot at hand. Rory at times gets too much adrenaline in his system, which causes excess club head speed with his short irons. A calmer approach to his shot making would deliver better distance control and more birdie opportunities.
Right side dominant swing motion doesn’t hold up as well in the heat of battle as a left side dominant swing. I’d like to see Rory set-up so that his right side “looks through” his left side to “see/feel” his target. This would serve to soften his right side at address and permit him to attack from the inside corner of the ball. That way he wouldn’t have to go to the controlled fade, which is not his natural ball flight, in high pressure situations.
When Rory goes to the controlled fade, he often overcooks it and leaves himself in trouble to the right. This, I believe, is caused by a set-up that is too right side dominant. When Rory negotiates these final two hurdles, which won’t be easy, I believe he can become THE GUY TO BEAT, week in and week out, much like Nicklaus and Woods were in their prime.
Mark Wilson was, to many fans this week, the over achiever! Perhaps the only person who gave Mark a chance to win this week was Mark, himself! He knows his game and plays it very well by not letting his ego get in the way. Mark knows he can’t hit it out their with the big boys, so he must produce his birdie opportunities with his mid and long irons. So guess where he invests his practice time!
Mark tends to lose the width of his swing arc when he gets off his game. A wider left side, full-turn takeaway with a flat left wrist and a sooner folding right elbow would serve Mark well. When Mark’s arc loses width in his backswing, he fails to turn fully behind the ball with his left side, causing his left wrist to break down and his right elbow to get stuck well behind him, thus opening his club face – so his misses are to the right. Better connection and extension would not only produce a more consistent and predictable ball flight for Mark, but would serve to add distance and accuracy as well – which he could use! Mark would do well to copy John Huh’s or Sang Moon Bae’s backswing motion! So would the rest of us!
Westwood again gets our CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR AWARD this week. Lee is perhaps the most complete golfer he has ever been. He is fit, his putting is much improved, his swing is grooved and he has good touch and imagination around the greens. So why doesn’t he win? Westwood has yet to find the solution – between his ears! His final hole against his nemesis, McIlroy, shows us the problem! His short iron approach to 17 came up short. His chip failed to check and went way long. And his final putt was perhaps his worst stroke all week. All three shots found him lacking in focus! He was out of his routine!
Lee Westwood has to be the most frustrated golfer on the planet, unless its Robert Allenby, who lost an 8 hole playoff to rookie sensation John Huh this week in Mexico, after doubling the 18th in regulation! A BIG CONGRATS TO JOHN HUH on his first PGA Tour victory.
Golfstruck – Better Golf – Right Now!
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.
|
|
