Chris Wood stormed to victory at the Lyoness Open yesterday to claim his second European Tour win. The Englishman shot a bogey-free final round 67 to finish 2 shots clear of Spaniard Rafa Cabrera-Bello.

Gregory Bourdy had led entering the final round and, after a birdie on the first hole, looked like he was well set to secure the victory. However, the optimism was short lived and he would double bogey the second hole, eventually carding a 78 to finish outside of the top 5. 

It was left then to the 27 year old Wood to hold his nerve and secure a win that had been a long time coming.

So, what was in Chris' bag?

Fabian Gomez earned his maiden PGA Tour victory at the St.Jude Classic in Memphis. The Argentine shot a final round 66 to finish four shots clear of Englishman Greg Owen, another player looking for his first PGA Tour win. 

Owen was 2 shots clear of Gomez after 7 holes but was unable to match his playing partners level after the turn in what was eventually a fairly comfortable win for the 37-year-old. 

Phil Mickelson carded a 65 to finish in a tie for third. 

Finding a comparison to Tiger Woods in the entire world of sport is difficult. The breathtaking heights Woods reached in the early parts of his career, most notably from 2000-2001 when he won all four Major Championships in a row, had never been seen before and may never been seen again. Not even Jack Nicklaus, the only man who should ever be mentioned in the same breath as Woods, managed to achieve such a feat on the way to his 18 Major Championships. You can make reasonable arguments that Lionel Messi, Sachin Tendulkar or Roger Federer have all reached similar peaks in their respective sports but that doesn’t wash with me. Messi, great though he is, has had times during the peak of his career where people were unsure if he was better than Cristiano Ronaldo. The same logic applies to Tendulkar with Lara and Federer with Nadal.

I say this to illustrate how stunning it is for a fan of Tiger Woods, or a fan of golf in general, to see the greatest singular talent the sport has ever seen crumble like a poorly played game of Jenga. It tells a great deal about the current state of Woods’ game that we are unsure if the 80 he shot yesterday, in the first round of a tournament he has dominated previously, is the nadir. Everyone has bad days, every sportsman or woman has had days where they just don’t have ‘it’. Maybe they woke up on the wrong side of the bed or didn’t have a strong enough cup of coffee. This isn’t just one day though.

Ever since Woods won the US Open on one leg in 2008 he’s had trouble with his knee, Achilles and most recently, his back. There have been positives, he won 5 PGA Tour tournaments as recently as 2013, but they’ve been mixed in with the injuries that have crippled his progress. These issues have forced him to reconsider and reconfigure what was once the most beautiful swing in golf. To find the magic formula, the formula that he hopes will take him back to the top of the golfing world, he’s cycled through swing coaches like a rich man does boxer shorts (if you can afford it you only wear them once, right?)

The issues he’s having grappling with a new swing are clearly both physical and mental. Mentally, to me anyway, he looks shot. As a young man he always seemed content with the world, like there was nothing he’d rather do than be out on the course competing. He had this wonderful, light-up-a-room-when-he-walks-in sort of smile. Now, he looks like the stresses and strains that come with being one of the most over analysed human beings on planet Earth are taking their toll. He’s only 39, retirement age for athletes in most sports but young for a golfer, yet he looks about 50. He stands in front of the mic after another tough round and he looks exhausted, his eyes heavy and his shoulders slumped.

Then there’s the physical aspect of his game. Obviously those injuries are going to take a toll, they would on anyone, so if he had to make changes to his swing to prolong his career then so be it. He’s also much, much bulkier now than he was in his peak years. Back then he was fairly wiry and supple - his swing flowed beautifully like a piano concerto, all the individual parts blended together to compose the most graceful tune. Now it seems choppy, he can’t quite get the body to do as he wishes so he fights it throughout the swing. With his barrel chest and tree trunk arms he can’t get them to rotate like they once would.

It isn’t too late, of course. Anyone with the natural ability Tiger Woods had, and I assume still has somewhere, can conceivably achieve anything. I hope this was just another blip on a long road to where he wants to be.

We want the great athletes to end their careers by drifting slowly in to the night, Father Time eroding the skills they once possessed with every passing day. Tiger Woods is currently experiencing the exact opposite. That’s sad.  

 Other day 1 observations

•          Monty! – How about the 51 year old Colin Montgomerie shooting a one-under 69 to sit tied 14^th. He may have played better from tee to green than any other player, the only thing costing him a really low round was a couple of makeable putts he missed. This could be to do with the greens but I’ll discuss that in a moment.
•          Rory – He played average. His main issues came on the green where he seemingly couldn’t make anything all day. At +2 he’s got to put together a solid round tomorrow to ensure he isn’t too far from the leaders over the weekend.
•          Spieth – He shot a quietly impressive round of -2 to leave him in an excellent position. The only lower score during the afternoon was three-under so that underscores how happy he should be.
•          Stenson – The only European surrounded by a wave of Americans at the very top of the leaderboard, he’s got the perfect temperament to deal with the testing conditions so this could be the weekend he breaks his major drought.
•          The Greens – Several players were outspoken in criticising the greens. I must admit on television they looked very odd, I’ve never watched a golf tournament where it’s so difficult to distinguish between the fairway and the green. Obviously that doesn’t guarantee they play poorly but, judging by the opinions of those that have putted on them, they’re not in the best shape. Definitely something to monitor over the weekend. 

Harrison Ryle

harrison.ryle@foremostgolf.com

Bubba Watson secured his second PGA Tour victory of the season on Sunday at the Travelers Championship. It was a dramatic final day with Watson having to beat Paul Casey in a play-off before he could walk away with the title. 

Playing in murky and wet conditions, both Watson and Casey played some incredible golf. Unfortunately for the Englishman he couldn't replicate this level of play on the second play-off hole: he drove in to a fairway bunker off the tee, hit his second shot in to another bunker before finally chipping over the green to all but secure victory for Watson. 

So, what was in Bubba's bag?

Driver: PING G30 (Grafalloy Bi-Matrix Rocket Pink X shaft), 9 degrees

3-wood: PING G30 (Fujikura Motore Speeder Tour Spec 8.2 X shaft), 14.5 degrees

7-wood: PING G30 (Fujikura Motore Speeder Tour Spec 8.2 X shaft), 19 degrees

Irons: PING S55 (4-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts)

Wedges: PING Glide (52SS, 56SS and 60TS degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts)

Putter: PING Anser Milled Anser 1

Ball: Titleist Pro V1X

Pablo Larrazábal was faultless on Sunday in shooting a final round 66 to edge Henrik Stenson by 1 shot. It was always going to take something special from the Spaniard, the leaderboard was congested at the top throughout most of the final round and world number seven Stenson was playing some brilliant golf just ahead of him. 

His sixth birdie of the day on 16 provided the margin of victory and, although he had to watch the rest of the groups finish to be certain of victory, none of those players behind him could muster up anything spectacular coming down the last to threaten Larrazábal's place at the top. 

So, what was in Pablo's bag?

There is nothing more frustrating in the game of golf than reading greens. In theory it should be pretty straightforward but is the difference between decent players and genuinely great players.

We take a look at the key elements involved in understanding green play.

Patience

In reality, the golf ball will never react the same way twice therefore it is futile to become frustrated with gravity. Even the perfect read can result in a missed opportunity… this golf.

Remain patient and stick to your technique and preparation on every putt.

The Skill

Many players over think putting and this is the biggest issue. Simply get into position at address and line up initially straight at the hole. This way you have a clear mental image of the shot.

From here, adjust your aim based on the green slopes and consider the speed. Remember, uphill putting is always easier with less pressure.

Judging The Slope 

The best way to read a green is via practice. You can certainly aid your general ability by maintaining a steady role roll of the golf ball and complete the stroke.

Most misreads occur because players don’t judge a slope properly. Putting across the green can be tough but ignore any cuttings and focus purely on the target area.

Practice Drills

Scatter balls around the practice green and play repeatedly over the slope to gain an understanding of the depth of movement. The best way to learn is watch the movement of the ball off the blade on certain trajectories.

It can also be a useful exercise to place a ball in front of the ball you are playing consider how it will run differently along the same line.

Reading greens is about confidence and understanding what is required to judge pace and angle. There is a degree of natural talent needed but every player can improve and reduce their score with the basic principles or green reading. 

If you need any further assistance with this then please visit your Foremost Golf professional. 

Danny Lee became the ninth first-time winner on the PGA Tour this year with victory at The Greenbrier Classic. It was a hard earned victory for the New Zealander, who had to overcome David Hearn, Kevin Kisner and Robert Streb in a play-off before the celebrations could begin. 

If you ask any pro what they carry in their bag, the answer usually includes multiple wedges. The modern game is about shot making and precision. Many of the era's top players are tremendously skilled in the wedge department, including Phil Mickelson and rising star Jordan Speith.

We review what is needed to bring versatility to your pitch game.

Open the clubface                                               

The most precious tip on varying wedge play is the use of the face. When the blade lies open it automatically adds loft and generates spin. The opposite applies when the face is closed or square.

Practice

When firing balls at the range, practice playing the shot forward in your stance. This will allow the ball to fly from the club at a higher trajectory. By moving the position of the swing and the trigger it will adjust distance and shot type naturally.

It is about striking with confidence. Perfecting the snap motion through impact generates more spin and more variety of striking.

Steepness of the Swing

It can also prove useful to vary the downswing angle. This can increase ball speed and spin to enable additional shots unavailable with a traditional swing path. There is no right or wrong answer, many players find methods of shot making with wedges that cannot be found in a text book. Sometimes lies and circumstance dictate a need for something new.

Great Tip

Practice playing longer irons with open blades to perfect the technique. It will seriously aid your consistency on the pitch side of your game. Learning this skill will add shots to your armoury without the penalty of buying new wedges. 

If you need any further assistance then please visit your local Foremost Golf professional. 

There are few achievements in sport that have never been accomplished. Every tournament in every sport crowns a winner – somebody always wins The World Cup, The Grand National or even The World Conker Championships.

Nobody has ever won golf’s four Major Championships* in the same calendar year.

Never.

Nobody has even really come that close: Tiger, Jack and Arnold won the first two – The Masters and The US Open – in 2002, 1972 and 1960 respectively but couldn’t get over the line at The Open. Tiger, of course, won all four Major’s in a row from the 2000 US Open to the 2001 Masters but his run stopped after that.

Here we are again then, with the weight of history looming large on the shoulders of young Jordan Spieth. For the first time in well over a decade golf finds itself in the most unique of positions: someone with a genuine shot to achieve the unachievable.

Before the year began the Texan was well known in golfing circles as an upcoming talent, someone to watch for in the future as a potential Major Champion. You’d have been hard pressed to find anyone however, aside from maybe Jordan himself, who thought this first half of the year was possible. He blew everyone out the water at The Masters to win by 4 strokes, then followed that up with a topsy-turvy, nail-biting victory at The US Open; holding his nerve brilliantly under extreme pressure.

His maturity for someone his age is exceptional. He’s 21 but listen to him speak and you hear a man twice his age – sagacious and knowledgeable. As much of an asset as his temperament is, Spieth’s real gift is his putting. He avoids overthinking many of his putts by taking a rather unique approach; instead of looking at the ball during the strike he simply looks at the hole and, more often than not, it ends up in the bottom of the cup.  

Despite all of his many qualities there’s no sugarcoating how tough the task still is. Neil Payne at fivethirtyeight.com calculated his chances stand around 1% to complete the Grand Slam**. This is the challenge that golf poses unlike any other sport, no matter how much better you are than your opposition the fact you have so much opposition makes it infinitely more difficult. You have to hope that your best effort over the four days is better than 100 other people's.

He moves on to The Open Championship at St.Andrews with as good a chance as anyone - his edge around the green’s should be even more pronounced and the withdrawal of Rory McIlroy is obviously beneficial.

He’s given himself a chance to chase immortality, you can’t ask for more than that. Now what will Jordan Spieth do?  

*(FOOTNOTE – this is from 1958 onwards when the PGA Championship adopted a stroke-play format to match the other three majors. Bobby Jones won a ‘Grand Slam’ in 1930 when the US and UK amateur championships were in place of The Masters and The PGA)

**(Calculated before Rory McIlroy’s likely withdrawal)

Other Notes

•          Welcome home – The Open returns this year to the spiritual home of golf, The Old Course at St Andrews. Steeped in history and tradition it gives every player that extra incentive to play well this week knowing The Open will not return here for another five years or so.
•          How’s your putting? – As is often the case with links golf it’s going to take someone with a good imagination around the greens to be successful. Having to use your putter more often will suit those players that are particularly strong in that area, for those that aren’t however it’ll be a long couple of days.
•          Check the forecast – If it blows a gale then anything could happen and the tournament will turn in to survival of the fittest. If the weather stays fair then there’s the potential for some low rounds, the last two winning scores at St.Andrews have been 14 under (Tiger Woods, 2005) and -16 (Louis Oosthuizen, 2010) so you can see the potential there for guys to go low. 
•          British interest – Paul Casey has been in relatively good form this year, he finished in the top 10 at The Masters and just missed out in a Play-Off against Bubba Watson at the Traveleres Championship. Justin Rose is always in with a chance of course but also look for some of the Scottish lads to perform well in their home Major. Marc Warren finished in the top 30 at the recent US Open so maybe he replicates that form at St Andrews.
•          Dark Horse – Shane Lowry played exceptionally well at Chambers Bay to finish in the top 10 and has also been fairly consistent on The European Tour this year, maybe the Irishman is on the verge of a breakthrough. 

Harrison Ryle

harrison.ryle@foremostgolf.com