Tiger Woods wins Chevron

                                                Allan Henry/ USPresswire

A year ago I wrote a post called “Will Tiger Win Chevron” and he almost did.  If it were not for the phenomenal putting of Graham McDowell, Tiger would have won the Chevron World Challenge in 2010.  However, it was not his time; his game was not yet ready to win.  In March of this year I wrote another post called “When will Tiger Woods Win again”?  Well that was answered today as he beat out Zach Johnson to win the 2011 Chevron World Challenge.

I know we do not need stop the presses and announce to the world that Tiger is back.  However, I think the golf world has got to stop and take notice.  Even though this was not a full field event there were plenty of good players in the mix to validate this win.  The real test will come next season when he has to face the top players in the world on the grandest stage of all, major championship golf.  I would be willing to bet he will walk onto the practice ground in 2012 with a little more swagger.  I also bet the other players will take more notice as well.

The difference in Tigers game at this event in my opinion from 2010 to 2011 was three things.  First, he has control of his golf ball again.  At Chevron today he was hitting golf shots that he was visualizing.  He was controlling his ball flight, trajectory and distance.  Second, he drove the ball pretty well and kept it in play.  Thanks to the return of the “Stinger”, a shot Tiger made famous in his career.  The Stinger gives him the ability to hit fairways in a controlled manner, with very little risk.  One could argue that he stopped hitting the Stinger over the past few years because of his left knee.  Anyone that has ever tried to hit a knockdown shot with a long iron knows the tremendous pressure that you put on your leading leg.  In Tigers case since he plays right handed his left leg is the leading leg.  Now that his knee is healed from the surgery the Stinger shot is back and he can practice it.  The final difference in his performance is his putting.  He is making putts again when they matter.  He is making putts to save par, to get up and down and to win.  That is what he did today when he birdied the final two holes when it mattered and he won.

Although I have never really rooted for Tiger Woods I do enjoy watching him play.  As a golf fan he is fun to watch because he as the ability to do things on the golf course that very few ever will.  He has the ability at times it seems to will the golf ball into the hole.  That is special, rare and fun to watch.  So, if nothing else this win will make the start of the 2012 season pretty exciting and will make watching golf fun again.  After all, who can make the game as fun and exciting as Tiger Woods?  The answer is no one and for that reason alone the win today at Chevron was a great “W” as Tiger would say.



Seeing the Line



Source; lockedinputting.com

I had a rare experience on the golf course last weekend which leads me to this post “Seeing the Line”.  I somehow managed to shoot a record low five under par 31 on the back nine of Saturdays round.  I have only ever made five birdies in a round a few times but never in a nine hole stretch.  This comes after I managed to shoot a less than impressive forty two on the front nine.  Given the weather conditions around here this time of the year I was not all that disappointed with the score on the front.  The fairways and greens are soft and wet, we had a consistent breeze and the greens are bumpy from fall aeration.  However, given it is late November we are just happy to be playing.

After the round one of my fellow players asked me what the difference was on the back nine.  At the time I stated that I had more looks at birdie on the back than I did on the front.  On the front nine I could not get the ball on the green in regulation, so very few birdie putts.  Consequently, this lead to a bunch of bogeys as I was unable to get up and down for par.  I was striking the ball great but my chipping was horrendous.  So, like a lot of amateurs I squandered shot after shot with poor chipping.

However, after having some time to reflect on the round I came to the realization that the difference on the back nine was that I saw the line.  This usually happens to me a few times each season but it is pretty rare.  Allow me to explain what I mean by seeing the line.  When I line up a putt I have a standard routine like most people.  I get directly behind the ball and do the best to read the break, usually plumb bob the line and get an understanding and feel for the speed.  When I get over the ball, I line up my putt for the ball to travel on the intended line I have selected and attempt to roll the ball on that line.  On most days I make some putts and miss some others.  However, once in a while I see the line and nothing else.  I get the sensation while reading the putt that I cannot miss.  When I get over the putt, my focus narrows, everything else around me seems to silence and I get the feeling that the putt is going in.  I focus solely on holing the putt and not missing.  I do not concern myself with hitting it too hard, too easy or that I have misread the putt.  I trust my feel, touch and read, then release the putter head.

That is what happened to me on Saturday’s round on the back nine.  I wish I knew how to harness the feeling or call upon it at will.  I guess the lesson I can take from this weekend is that I should try and apply that focus, routine, concentration and confidence every time I stand over a putt.  Perhaps that will be one of my primary putting goals for next year.

What do you do in your putting routine to see the line? 

Tiger vs. Stevie Part 2

Source; AP

In my previous post I talked about the Tiger versus Stevie breakup from Tigers perspective.  This time I thought I would try and understand the motives and actions of Stevie Williams from his perspective.  The primary difference from Stevie’s perspective is that he did not initiate the breakup, he was on the receiving end.  Like most long term relationships that suddenly end the person on the receiving end is usually angry and bitter.  That was certainly true in this case.  Stevie’s actions and comments on the 18^th green at Firestone after his win with Adam Scott was indicative of that.  As a reminder here are Stevie’s comments after the Scott win.

"I have been caddying for more than 30 years now. I have won 145 times and that is the best win of my life," Williams said afterwards. "A lot has been said this week and it is great to back it up. I back myself as a frontrunner as a caddie and I have won again."

It is pretty obvious to anyone that follows golf that the comments were made in anger.  After all he won many major titles while on the bag of Tiger Woods along with a lot of World Golf Championship events.  These are no small achievements.

Although I must say I cannot blame him for his anger and disgust.  He stood by Tiger through Tiger’s most difficult times not only professionally but personally.  Stevie was asked repeatedly about his knowledge of Tigers affairs and he stated time and again that he had no knowledge.  Not to mention Tiger and Stevie were close friends by all accounts which had to add to the hurt.

In the end however, I think Stevie needs to let this go and accept Tigers decision.  After all, Williams made a lot of money over the years due to Woods’ success on the golf course.  I think it would be easy to say he made in excess of $10 million from that relationship.  Not a bad deal for carrying a set of golf clubs around the world’s most beautiful courses while witnessing some of the best golf every played. 

So, if I am Stevie Williams I move on to a new chapter in my life.  Let bygones be bygones and find success with a new player.  He seems to have done that with Adam Scott.  He had a great run with one of the greatest payers of all time and reaped the rewards from his work.  Lastly, Stevie needs to avoid the camera, spotlight and interview requests.  Leave that up to your player and do not fall into the trap that media is leading you into.  He should know by now that there are cameras and microphones everywhere.  Especially in any golf related events.

In the end,  I do not know if Tiger was right or wrong in his decision to let Williams go.  Nor, do I necessarily blame Williams for his anger and disgust.  What I do know is that the world of golf needs to see Tiger Woods playing great golf again and Stevie needs to go back to being a great caddy for Adam Scott.  Hopefully this handshake solidifies the end to this working relationship and begins the mending process of two of golf’s great characters.



Tiger vs. Stevie

Source; Getty Images

Wow, what a soap opera the Tiger vs. Stevie show has become.  How is it possible that a partnership that worked so well for so many years could end up like this?  No one really knows what Tigers Woods’ motive was in the first place to replace Stevie.  Some have suggested that Stevie knew a little more than he let on about Tiger’s personal affairs.  Others suggest that Tiger wanted a fresh start and canned everyone including his Management Company, Swing Coach and Caddie.  Only Tiger knows his real motives.  Stevie on the other hand made a lot of cash from carrying Tiger’s bag over the years.   We do not know exactly what Tiger paid him; however, the standard pay for caddies on the PGA Tour is 7% for the week and 10% should the player win that week.   Even if Stevie was paid under the standard rate, he still made some big bucks during his years with Tiger.  So, why the break up and why all the controversy ever since?

I thought I would try and understand it from the perspective of both Tiger and Stevie.  Let’s start with Tiger since he is the one who initiated the break up.  I have decided to make this a two post series.  In this post I will focus on the Tiger Woods perspective.  Check back soon for my perspective on Stevie.

If I am Tiger Woods, one of the greatest players of all time, why do I fire my caddy?  Why do I get rid of a very close confidante and friend like Stevie Williams?  Not only did Stevie stick with Tiger through the entire “Tiger Slam,” but he was also a great caddy.  Do I fire him as a first step to clean the slate and start anew professionally?  Do I fire him because I want to distance myself from all the memories associated with a previous life?  Does he know some things about my past that I do not want disclosed?  Is it possible that there was a pre-nup between caddy and player?   Seriously, could it be possible that Tiger’s contract with Stevie prevents Stevie from disclosing anything he knows about Tiger’s personal affairs?  After all, how much could Tiger hide from a guy like Stevie?  They shared a lot of time together on the road, in planes, hotels, etc. 

Ok, enough of the conspiracy theory.  Perhaps it was as simple as Tiger saying enough is enough, I am cleaning house and starting over.   I am replacing everyone around me that is related to golf and my professional life.  I want no more reminders of the past and want to begin phase two of my life, Tiger Woods 2.0.

Only Tiger and Stevie know what truly happened and perhaps it will never come out to the public.  It may well be that Tiger’s lawyers have Stevie so tied to a contract that we will never know.  Only time will tell.

I hope this drama has come to an end so that we can get back to golf, but I fear we will hear more in the years to come from these two.

Feherty Show



Source: golfchannel.com

When I first heard that David Feherty was going to have his own show on the Golf Channel I was a bit surprised.  I really did not think we could pull it off.  However, I was impressed and really enjoyed his list of guests. 

It is rare these days to see Lee Trevino in an interview setting.  He has more or less faded from the professional “golf scene”.  As one of the great players in the history of professional golf it is interesting to hear his take on Tiger Woods or the state of the game today.  There will come a day when we will no longer be able to see an interview with players like Trevino, Player, Palmer or Nicklaus and that will be a shame.  The same goes for his interview with Tom Watson.  What a golfing icon he is and he still has serious game. 

Another episode I really enjoyed was the Greg Norman interview.  I always enjoyed watching Norman as a competitor and it is good to see him excel in his business endeavors.  After seeing his sprawling Colorado Ranch we all realize what a different world he lives in.  Feherty’s comment that it took him 45 minutes to get to Greg’s ranch after he found the driveway was hilarious.

It was obvious that David Feherty had to make a few phone calls to get the show off the ground but it was worth it.  I am not a big fan of reality TV and the only show I TiVo is Big Break.  So, it was refreshing to have another golf program to watch that was interesting and fun.  I am looking forward to a new season should the show get renewed.  It will be interesting to see who his guests next year are.  There is a rumor that former President Bill Clinton wants to be a guest.  There is no doubt that will lead to some interesting questioning from Feherty. 

In my opinion, the Feherty Show is the best interview program on the Golf Channel since Golf Talk Live with Peter Kessler.    Let’s face it most golf talk shows are quite boring and pretty repetitive.  It was fun to watch an interview style program that had some character and humor.  We all knew that Feherty would not ask the standard interview questions and he did not disappoint. 

Feherty is a one of a kind figure in the world of televised golf programming.  His style is unique and unpredictable.  Part of his charm is you do not know what he is going to say next.  I have no doubt he hears voices in his head that most people don’t.  After all, who else would talk to an electric chicken named Frank?



Stroke Play Strategy

As a follow up to my post about Match Play Strategy I mentioned I would write a similar post on my Stroke Play Strategy.  Here are some bullet points I refer to prior to playing a stroke play round.  I also keep them in mind throughout the round to stay focused on my goal of shooting the lowest score possible.  I know this should always be the goal but sometimes I lose sight of it.

• Hit fairways and greens- it is a simple concept but difficult to do sometimes.  However, in stroke play it is critical to shooting a good score.
• Par is always a good score, 18 pars is never a bad thing- I focus on this because it can be hard to play conservatively at times. 
• Stay patient- do not get ahead of yourself especially if you get into trouble on a hole.  Slowing down and making a good decision can be the difference in saving par versus making a bogey. 
• Everyone is playing the same golf course- no matter how difficult the conditions are, everyone will face the same challenges on the course.
• If you get into trouble, get out, do not be a hero- oftentimes your total score can hinge on a single hole.  If you find yourself in trouble get out, take your medicine and move on.  Do not ruin a good round on a single hole.
• Take no more than a bogey-  a bogey can be recovered with a birdie but “other scores” are tough to come back from.
• Go ahead and release the club, do not play tight- hit the shot and accept the result, your practice and preparation will pay off here.
• SLOW DOWN- this is especially important in making decisions or when trying to get out of trouble.  I struggle with this one all the time.
• When nervous take deep breaths and more practice swings- I have found this to have a calming effect.  It will keep you loose and allow for a more relaxed swing.
• Do not hit the shot until ready- the way I like to think about this is that I only have one opportunity to hit this shot my entire life.  It sounds dramatic but it helps me to put it into perspective.

Sucking it up in a Stroke Play Tournament

I recently tried to qualify for the Pennsylvania State Mid Amateur Championship which is being held later this month in Williamsport, PA.  The Mid AM is for players over the age of 25 and that have a handicap index less than 7.4.  I chose to enter the qualifier this year for three reasons.  First, I prefer to play competitive golf over social golf.  Second, the qualifier was held at Sunnehanna Country Club in my hometown.  Third, I wanted to test my game under pressure to see what I need to work on for the remainder of this year and next.  There is no better way to test your game and nerves than by playing competitive stroke play golf.  Unlike team sports you are out there on your own with no one else to blame and nowhere to hide.

The start of the event was delayed by two hours due to heavy fog.  So, after we warmed up we had a nice long wait before we teed off.   Any time I play stroke play in qualifiers I try and handicap the field to know what I need to shoot to make the cut.  In this case I was thinking 78 or 79 would make the cut and advance to Williamsport.  So, all I had to do is play reasonable well and I would get through.

Well, my plans were altered on the first hole as I had “one of those starts”.  Without reliving the events of the entire hole (in an effort to keep my sanity) lets pick up the action on my fourth shot from the greenside bunker.  The first hole is a par four and yes, I was laying four in the greenside bunker, not good.  The sand conditions at the course that day were heavy and wet due to the morning fog.  So, I tried to pick the ball a little cleaner than normal (hit closer to the ball) and harder since the ball was about sixty feet to the hole.  This is where the terror began, as I bladed the ball over the green, down the hill and into the woods.  I found myself with my ball against a rock, in thick trees on an uphill slope.  After a few whacks in the woods, a poor chip shot and two putts I walked off the green with a double digit score.  It was the highest score I have made on a golf hole since I was eight or ten years old.  Needless to say I was very disappointed and just a little angry at myself.

After that debacle I knew I was going to have to grind to post a respectable score and not embarrass myself any further.  I could have easily threw in the towel and gave up or not posted my score.  However, neither is my style.  So, I buckled down and fought all day to shoot in the mid eighties.  That was certainly not my plan at the start of the round.  However, I was proud of my effort, patience and stick to it ness.  I kept telling myself all day that every one that plays the game competitively has one of “those moments” at some point.

In the end, I hung in there, played my hardest on every shot and never gave up.  It was not my best performance by any means but I am proud of the effort I gave.  In stroke play golf every shot counts so whether you play well or poorly the scorecard does not lie.

What do you do to stay focused and positive in stroke play tournaments?