The Loop

How She Missed That, and How You Can Make Short Putts

Editor's Note: Every Monday Kevin Hinton, Director of Instruction at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y. and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, tells you how a tour player hits a key shot. This week Kevin laments how I.K. Kim* inexplicably missed a one-foot par putt on the 18th hole that would have won the Kraft Nabisco Championship on Sunday at Mission Hills (see video below). It would have been her first major victory. She lost in a playoff to Sun Young Yoo, who sank an 18-footer for birdie on the first extra hole. Every golfer can relate to the pressure of having to make a short putt, even one that's only 12 inches long. We've all been there. The important thing for Kim is to figure out a way to put it behind her. Clearly, she has immense talent, and because of her attitude and the way she handled herself* *(see second video at the end of this post)**, I predict she'll win tournaments in the future. Here, Kevin gives you five keys to making the short ones under pressure.

Roger Schiffman

Managing Editor

Golf Digest

Twitter @RogerSchiffman**