The Short Game Blues
A few weeks ago I watched the short game guru Dave Pelz on The Golf Channel talk about leaving putts on the low side. Dave did a study using a variety of players from different handicap groups to make his point about speed and reading putts and how often players would leave the putt on the low side.
Well this weekend definetely proved Dave’s point if you watched any of the tournaments televised around the world. After watching the episode on putting by Pelz I started really paying attention to the number of putts that the tour players are leaving short and low. The number is unbeleivable. Seldom do the best players in the world get the ball to the hole and have enough break read into their putts.
If you watch Tiger Woods today, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in their hay day they gave their putts a chance. They are not afraid to putt a come back putt. These players today are trying to protect their position and are not willing to put their nerves on the line to make a three or four foot putt coming back. Anthony Kim truly looked a player who wanted to win and was willing to over come his fear to do so. He routinely poured the putts in the hole and his competition routinely lagged up to the hole and came up short time after time. Most of the time when a player comes up short it is his/her nerves that is holding them back.
In an interview this weekend at The Wachovia, Stewart Cink said he was not worried about winning, just as long as he continued to play well. With that attitude, he is only concerned about winning a big check($179,200) which he did. But Stewart shot a final round 74 and slipped to a tie for seventh after starting the final round in fourth. The great champions of the past and Tiger Woods of today certainly enjoy the money but their heart is set on winning the grand prize. Most of the modern players seem to be very intimidated by any competitor that looks them in the eye and says they are going to beat their butts.
Anthony Kim stepped up to the plate Sunday, birdied the first hole and made a statement that this was his championship and the rest of the field said okay. One would think with all the guaranteed money from clubs, clothing and special endorsements that these guys and gals could put the blinders on and play some tough golf.
The golfing media keeps writing about the generation that is going to challenge Woods. It appears that the golfing generation of today with maybe one or two exceptions will not be challenging anyone. They are very happy(Cink) to get their check, fly from tournament to tournament in a private jet and have everyone cater to them and enjoy the good life. A few of the past number one players come to mind that either could not stand the fire in the kitchen or just did not want the lime light were David Duvall, Fred Couples and Davis Love. As soon as these guys got to the top they said enough. Duvall said he lost interest and now for the last couple of years he has been trying to make a come back. I don’t think he had a clue how good he had it and he may never get it back.
All of these players can hit the ball, but to score you have to have an inner drive and determination that you are going to get the ball in the hole and you are not going to be beat. Being competitive and unwilling to loose is something you have and it probably can’t be taught. The inner feeling of hating to loose has to be greater than the want to win. Sam Snead did not want to loose at anything he did, whether it was catching the most fish, the biggest fish or pitching pennies at a crack in the floor. And I am sure Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones, Nicklaus, Watson, Babe Ruth, Babe Didrikson Zaharias and other great champions were and are the same way.
The short game lets these players down and their nerves and lack of toughness to win shows up on the course.
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