EARLY? THAT'S ON TIMEI hate feeling rushed. If my teacher, Todd Anderson, wants to meet for a 7 a.m. session, he'll find me hitting balls at 6:45. My parents ingrained that in me when I was a kid. If I'm 10 minutes early, that's on time to me. There are certain things I don't want to be late for. When I started dating my wife, Brittany, she didn't realize how important being on time was to me. If I told her a time I'd pick her up, that meant I'll be ready to go 10 minutes before that.
Photo By: sam greenwood/getty images
KEEPING IT IN ORDEROne thing I'm pretty anal about is making sure my clubs are always in the same spot in my bag. That way, they're easy to find. If I check my clubs at the airport, I can take a quick glance and know if everything is where it's supposed to be. I've been with my caddie, Micah Fugitt, since 2011. He's not as organized as I am, but he's pretty close.
DRIVERThe 8.5-degree marking on my Ping G25 driver (Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki 63-X shaft, 45.25 inches) isn't accurate. It's actually 9.6 degrees. All the lofts on my woods are customized to give me the distance I'm looking for.
FAIRWAY WOODSI've dialed in the exact lofts on my Ping G25 3- and 5-woods (13.9 and 17.6 degrees, Oban Kiyoshi Black 75-05 shafts) to give me an ideal ball flight and the control I need.
IRONSThe workability of my Ping S55 irons (3-iron through pitching wedge, ZZ65 shafts, Golf Pride V55 grips) really plays to my strengths. I like to shape the ball into each green. You'll notice the orange-and-blue paintfill for the Florida Gators in my set. Oftentimes, I'll opt not to carry a 4-iron so I can add an extra wedge. That flexibility helps me cover more meaningful gaps.
WEDGESYou won't find any crazy stampings on my wedges like other guys have. I like a simple look on all my clubs. I play two Ping Tour wedges (True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts) and each one (53 and 59 degrees) has been bent from the standard loft to address more shots.
PUTTERIn college, I must've changed putters at least three times. Before that, I had the same flat stick for 10 years. I started using this Ping Redwood Piper S at last year's Honda Classic, and it's been great. I use a SuperStroke 2.0 grip, which keeps my hands unified with my left-hand-low stroke.
BLUE STREAKI like having a routine. Before a tournament round, I'll always mark my Titleist Pro V1x balls before I start putting. Just like the paintfill on my irons, I mark my ball with the orange and blue of my Florida Gators.
GATOR CHOMP!Even if I'm practicing at home, I keep my clubs clean. They don't have to be squeaky clean, but I don't like it when the grooves are dirty. I'm not sure what it is, but a clean club makes me feel more confident.
LOST AND FOUNDI used to have a divot-repair tool from the SEC Championship at Sea Island when I was a freshman at Florida. But I lost it two years ago. So I grabbed one from Annandale Golf Club when I was playing the tour event there. It's brought me good luck.
CHANGED HANDSI used a 1986 quarter, the year I was born, for 10 years. But I lost that, too. Then in college, I got a 1936 quarter as change from a Checkers Drive-In. I figured it must be special, and it has been for me.
JERKY BOYThere's not much about me that's superstitious. But in the middle of last year I realized whenever I ate some Buffalo-style jerky, I'd start playing well. Now I break out the bag whenever I need a birdie.