Golf Digest Search Results

What wedges do the PGA Tour's top five scramblers wield?

Alex Myers — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:36:00 GMT

By E. Michael Johnson It's probably no coincidence that Graeme McDowell, the PGA Tour's leader in the "scrambling" statistic, won at Harbour Town Golf Links, where small greens test wedge play. Here are the...

Golf World Monday: Masters field gets set

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:01:00 GMT

By Brendan Mohler

The conclusion of the Shell Houston Open meant the finalizing of the Masters field (except for the spot saved for the winner of this week's Valero Texas Open, provided he is not already invited).

Among those who locked up spots in the World Ranking's top 50 was Henrik Stenson, whose final-round 66 earned him a T-2 at Houston, where he needed to finish no worse than solo 13th. Fredrik Jacobson and Richard Sterne have also earned trips to Augusta, despite neither having played last week.

Narrowly missing out on a spot was Augusta native Charles Howell II, who needed to finish fifth in Houston but finished T-10, with middle rounds of 72-70 hurting his cause.

Marcel Siem, who won the European Tour's Trophee Hassan II, temporarily sat inside the top 50 (at No. 49) but was edged by the finishes of Stenson and Russell Henley. The latter shot 68 Sunday in Houston, where a T-45 landed him No. 50 on the ranking, .0251 points ahead of Siem.

Former U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy, who began his week at No. 50, missed the cut in Texas, dropped outside the magic number and withdrew from this week's San Antonio event after playing 10 of the last 11 weeks.

Follow @BrendanMohlerGW

D.A. Points finds winner's circle with quick tips from Gary Gilchrist

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:09:00 GMT

By Stephen Hennessey

When D.A. Points missed a short putt to miss the cut at Bay Hill two weeks ago, Gary Gilchrist, in his second week working with Points, saw a different mindset in his student.

This wasn't the easily frustrated golfer who first came to Gilchrist looking to turn around a forgettable season. Points seemed content with where his game was trending, albeit after another missed cut.

Points' confident mentality explains how he went from missing seven cuts in nine events this year -- with a T-63 his best finish -- to earning his second-ever Masters invitation with his win Sunday at the Shell Houston Open.

"I said to him, 'I believe in your game, and I see it. I see a lot of very positive things to work with,' " Gilchrist recalled of his chat at Bay Hill with Points, who Gilchrist started working with at Innisbrook for the Tampa Bay Championship. "I was very proud of him today, it was amazing the guts and the determination he showed today."

Optimism on the PGA Tour mostly comes from either success on the course or tangible results on the range. The latter was enough to make up for the lack of the former. Searching for answers three weeks ago and not doing well in the final year of his winner's exempt, Points received refined instruction from Gilchrist, who gave the 2011 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner a couple of drills to work on.

Points' tendency is to rush his transition from the top of the swing, so Gilchrist gave him his "right-foot-back" drill to quiet his right side and allow the upper body to move through impact. It was that drill Points rehearsed before puring a driver down the middle on the 72nd hole, leading to a 13-foot par putt to hold off Billy Horschel and Henrik Stenson by one shot.

"It shows you how talented these guys are, for him just getting a little bit of confidence and he trusts his game," Gilchrist said Sunday.

Gilchrist had just a few pointers for his new student, who he's added to his stable of golfers that includes Charles Howell III, and a number of top LPGA players such as Yani Tseng.

Switching back to his mom's putter got a ton of the attention after the win in Humble, Texas, too. Gilchrist said Points' hands were getting a little too behind in his putting stroke with the SeeMore putter he had been using in weeks past, causing him to flick at it. The old Ping Anser putter Points has trusted for years, along with some pointers from Lamar University men's coach Brian White, gave Points a "much better stroke" and Gilchrist noticed how "his shoulders were much more level and caused very little breakdown through the ball," Gilchrist said.

But as Gilchrist points out, with all players on the PGA Tour level, the biggest difference for Points was a combination of small changes that gave him an optimistic outlook toward this week.

He's seen similar success in Charles Howell III's superb play in 2013, although he shared Howell III's disappointment for missing a Masters invitation by a couple strokes in Houston.

There was no more over-analyzing for Points. And in just three weeks of working together, Gilchrist helped Points to his second tour title.

"I had sent him a text [earlier in the week], and I told him that people who win, they aren't always the most talented or the most gifted," Gilchrist said. "It's the person who believes he can win who often wins. So if you go out there to win, you have a chance at winning. If you go out there playing golf not to make mistakes, you're going to make plenty of mistakes.

"Basically the reason he won today was mentally he's in a great place."

Follow @s_hennesseyGD

Photos by Getty Images

Tiger talks about his round with Obama, WGC Match Play

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:09:00 GMT

By JIm Moriarty

MARANA, Ariz. -- It's not often Tiger Woods can get a kick out of winning $15, but when the guy you're splitting the pot with is the President of the United States, a Hamilton ($10) and a Lincoln ($5) take on new meaning, even if Hamilton only made it as far as Secretary of the Treasury. Barack Obama isn't the first POTUS Woods has played golf with -- that distinction belongs to Bill Clinton -- but he's the first President who still had the nuclear codes handy.

Related: Photos of Obama playing golf

Woods is famous for giving out nicknames to close, and sometimes not so close, associates. Did he come up with one for the President? "Partner," replied a smiling Woods. And how, exactly, does one go about giving the needle to the most powerful man on the planet? "Easily," Woods replied, well, easily. "Playing with the President was pretty cool. He's just a wonderful person to be around. And we won.

Woods will compete for the first time since winning at Torrey Pines.

"He's a pretty good athlete," Woods continued. "We all know he played a lot of hoops. I kind of forgot he's a lefty, but to see him out there hitting shots, he hit it well. And we didn't play under the easiest conditions. It was blowing harder than this (Tuesday at Dove Mountain) and it was a little bit cooler than this. He's got amazing touch. He can certainly chip and putt. If he ever spent -- after these four years -- spent more time playing the game of golf, I'm sure he could get to where he's a pretty good stick."

Butch Harmon, one of Woods' former teachers, spent the day before Woods played with Obama giving the President golf lessons. "It was just a nice day," said Harmon. "It was his (the President's) vacation and I'm going to leave it at that."

So, in just three days, Woods will go from playing with the man who authorized the mission to get Osama bin Laden to a head-to-head battle with Charles Howell III. About the only thing those two golfers have in common is that they're both skinny. "Well, I lived with the guy in Orlando," said Woods of his first round opponent in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship. "You'd see him out there on the range and the putting green just grinding away. His work ethic has never changed, never waned. I admire guys who put in that kind of work. It's not easy to do."

Outside of his appearance before various members of the Secret Service, this is Woods' first outing since winning at Torrey Pines. "The first week, I didn't touch a club and just got away from it," said the three-time winner of the Match Play. "And the second week I started hitting balls, chipping and putting. Then the past week, I started playing quite a bit, got my playing feel and all that done."

Follow @GWMoriarty

(Photo: Getty Images)

Inside the numbers: Will these PGA Tour pros keep it up?

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:36:00 GMT

By Alex Myers

The PGA Tour is still so young, most people aren't even aware it's started. Still, with the first five tournaments of 2013 in the books -- the last two of which were won by arguably the sport's two biggest names -- there's been plenty of golf to analyze. Here we present three stats that jump out so far, and take a stab at whether or not they can hold up as the year goes on:

Player: Russell Henley
Stat: 1.574 strokes gained/putting (1st)
Will he keep it up? Yes. Well, not to the number itself, but to Henley continuing to putt well. Since strokes gained putting became an official stat, the season-ending leaders have been Luke Donald (.844 in 2011) and Brandt Snedeker (.860 in 2012). Henley can really roll it, but a 1.574 seems a bit high, unless the rookie has some sort of magic putter. It did seem that way, though, as the University of Georgia product had seven one putts on the final nine holes of his Sony Open win, including pouring in birdies on the last four holes. Following that performance, his caddie, Todd Gjesvold, called Henley the "best putter I've ever seen." OK, so that could be a little kissing up to the boss, but you get the point.

Player: Nick Watney
Stat: 80.3% greens in regulation (3rd)
Will he keep it up? No. Other than in 2008, when he was 16th at 68.23%, Watney hasn't finished better than 30th in this category. The past two years, he's been consistent, but slightly better than mediocre, finishing 54th in both 2011 and 2012. Then again, he did switch equipment companies in the offseason, so perhaps his new Nike clubs are really making a difference. If he keeps this up, the Swoosh might have to shoot some new commercials.

The Week In Golf: Phil, DJ, Pebble, and... Kate Upton?

Player: Charles Howell III
Stat: 69.114 scoring average (1st)
Will he keep it up? The jury is still out. A lot has been expected from CH3 since he burst onto the scene more than a decade ago. While he's had a very solid career with nearly $25 million in on-course earnings, he hasn't fully delivered on the promise he showed as an NCAA champion at Oklahoma State. Shortly after, he won the 2002 Michelob Championship to highlight a year in which he finished ninth on the PGA Tour's money list, but he's added just one win since (2007 Northern Trust Open). Maybe 2013 will finally be the breakout year. Howell already has a playoff loss to Brian Gay at the Humana, a T-3 at the Sony and a T-9 at Torrey Pines. Keep in mind that at 33, he's the same age Phil Mickelson was when people were still wondering if he'd ever take his game to the next level.

Follow @AlexMyers3

Humana not up to the challenge vs. the NFL

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:42:00 GMT

By John Strege

The golf on Sunday, in the event you missed it, and we're reasonably certain you did, was at least entertaining, notwithstanding its B-list cast.

The A-listers on which golf was depending to avoid indifference were Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, Nos. 1 and 2 in the World Ranking. They were around on the weekend, but only via an amusing Nike commercial. Each missed the cut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, exposing the downside to a sponsor committing seven-figure appearance fees.

Meanwhile, back in the USA, the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation, or the Hope, as it was known in simpler days, had the misfortune of opposing a thrilling end to the 49ers-Falcons game and the start of the Ravens-Patriots game.

Colin Kaepernick and Tom Brady or Brian Gay and Charles Howell III (or Scott Stallings and David Lingmerth)? Football was a prohibitive favorite and you won your bet if you gave the points.

The Humana Challenge winner was Gay, who contributed to the entertainment factor with one of 10 rounds of 64 or better Sunday on the Palmer Private Course at PGA West in La Quinta, Calif. The kind of warm, sunny January day that explains the winter popularity of the Palm Springs area was the impetus for the kind of low scoring that typically amps up the drama.

Gay won on the second playoff hole, prevailing over Howell and Lingmerth, but it was less the story of the day than the collapse of Scott Stallings.

The Humana Challenge, admirably, is dedicated to the promotion of healthy living and was an advocate of taking 10,000 steps a day, or the equivalent of what a tour pro takes in the course of a day's work. Of course, doing so is no guarantee of good health. Stallings exceeded 12,000 steps, according to a Golf Channel graphic, yet he presumably felt sick afterward.

Stallings, twice a winner on the PGA Tour, began play on Sunday with a four-stroke lead, and increased it to five for a time, before his own indifferent performance opened the competition to all comers. Of the top nine finishers, Stallings was the only player to shoot higher than 65, a number he exceeded by five strokes. More to the point, he bogeyed two of his final three holes, including the last, when he yanked a 6-iron second shot to the par-5 18th, the ball bounding into the pond left of the green.

Dare we say that this native of Oak Ridge, Tenn., also known as Atomic City for its role in the development of the nuclear weapon that ended World War II, bombed on the back nine?

Stallings, 29, played the first 60 holes without a bogey and was bidding to become the first winner to play a tournament without a bogey since Lee Trevino in 1974. That ended when he carelessly missed a two-foot par putt on the seventh hole, the beginning of his demise.

Gay won for the fourth time with birdies on the two playoff holes, defeating Lingmerth, a Swede playing only his second PGA Tour event, and Howell, who finished second for the 14th time to remain stuck on two victories for nearly six years and counting.

Played opposite NFL football with Super Bowl berths at stake gives us a clearer understanding of the Challenge in the Humana.

Follow @JohnStrege

PGA Tour: Fantasy Fix: John Deere Classic

Alex Myers — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 04:00:00 GMT

We discuss a weird week in West Virginia, Stricker's stranglehold on Illinois, Cornhole, and of course, this week's PGA Tour stop.

The Next Great American Golfer?

Alex Myers — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:00:00 GMT

A long list of golfers have been tabbed to succeed Tiger Woods as the next great American star. They haven't all worked out

PGA Tour: Fantasy Fix: Mayakoba Golf Classic

Alex Myers — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT

We discuss playing favorites, spitting on the golf course, Pau Gasol being on the trading block, and this week's other PGA Tour stop.

PGA Tour: Fantasy Fix: The Barclays

Alex Myers — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 04:00:00 GMT

We discuss long putter fantasies, the unpredictability of the NFL, the return of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and of course, this week's PGA Tour event.