Earl's Recent Past Golf Blog's
March 18, 2024
Has Scottie Scheffler taken it to another level?
The Players Championship isn't officially listed as a Major, but it deserves at least a Golf Star. It has the best field in golf, played on an iconic golf course that produces the same kind of drama that the back nine of Augusta does on a regular basis. A win at The Players is the highlight on anyone's career record that doesn't include a Major. The 50th addition of this event was worthy of every minute of viewing for the casual golf enthusiasts and diehard fan.
Scottie Scheffler has reached into rarified status that was exclusive property of Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. Greatness is defined in years, which is the only thing that Scottie lacks at this time, but his display of tenacity, guts, and then dominate play was what we have come to expect from a Tiger or Jack. Tiger could raise his game to fit the occasion. He won tournaments with his game lacking. That's a special quality that we haven't seen in a long time. Scottie was fighting through physical problems, but still gutted out hard fought scores of 69 and 68 in rounds two and three. In the final round a healthy Scheffler took command of his game and put on a charge for the last 15 holes that was surgical in nature, in that he dissected a most demanding course and made it look easy. The moment was not too big for him to raise his game to the importance of the event.
Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark should have won this tournament. Wyndham had a five shot lead after two rounds, but lost the lead to Xander after round three. His first two rounds were so good that you expected him to keep on rolling and have a signature win along the lines of what Tiger did in his prime. Wyndham is really good, but not elite. Maybe he will get there, but he let this one get away early in round three and didn't come out swinging in round four until he was pressed up against the wall in the late going. His resolve and mental toughness on the last three holes were outstanding and should give him self-assurance when place in a similar situation in the future. Too bad it came too late, but maybe a valuable lesson was learned.
Xander Schauffele is a tactician in his approach to the game. It is why he is consistently high on the money list and posts regular top 10 finishes. His golf swing is almost robotic and demands near precise movement, which he usually can do. However, based on the past few years when he is in serious contention, the swing lets him down. It is my observation that when the going gets tough, he goes back to "playing golf swing" and not playing golf. That fine line between really good and major winner is razor thin and it is my belief that he hasn't allowed himself to trust his swing and shot-making to break through to the next plateau. He, just like Wyndham, should have seized control of the tournament early in the last round and not let Scottie back in the tournament. Xander is a great competitor and his resolve down the stretch also should be commended, but the tournament was lost earlier.
Brian Harman never had the opportunity to run away with this tournament. He was always fighting from behind to get to the leaders. In the end, he had just as good a chance as Xander and Wyndham to tie Scottie for the championship. It was no surprise that he could stay up with this type of competition based on his performance when winning the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool last year. One putt short of a tie, but a solid effort from a player that knows how to play and probably doesn't get proper recognition.
It's probably is too early to crown Scottie Scheffler as the next coming of Tiger Woods, but let's revel in his brilliance that mimicked Tiger at his best. For the seasoned golf observer this one had so many storylines and nuances, which made this so interesting and meaningful. In the end, World Number One showed why he has raised his game above an array of highly talented motived competitors.
March 2, 2024
Great golfers have great imagination
Long time "on the course" golf commentator, Bob Rosburg, was famous for reporting that "so and so" golfer had "no chance" after Rosburg had analyzed and viewed his lie and circumstance. Then the player hits this miraculous shot out of trouble to get on the green and close to the hole, to which Rosburg would utter that, "I didn't think that was possible". What was most ironic was that Bob Rosburg was a PGA Champion and one of the best scramblers and out of trouble players the game as seen. Most likely if he had to hit the shot that he was describing, he would have had the imagination to pull that shot off.
The most imaginative golf shot that I ever witnessed was on the 15th hole at Santa Maria Country Club during the final round of the 1967 California State Open. I was still an amateur after just graduating from college. My friend, Bill Feil, and I had made the cut and finished our round and we went out to see the leaders finish their round. The fifteenth hole was devilishly difficult, demanding a straight tee shot with OB on the left and trees and sandy area on the right. Ted Makalena, was a touring pro that had won the Hawaii Open the year before and was in contention for the lead. He pushed his tee shot to the right in a clump of trees that blocked his path to the green. His lie was on soft sand about 130 yards from the green. Bill and I had a good look at his predicament and saw no clear shot and disaster everywhere. The pin was located on the right side of the green, right over a deep culvert, which was instant bogie or double bogie. Over the green was heavy rough and not where you would want your ball to end up. Ted sized up his shot and saw a small window between the trees about twenty yards ahead of him and about four feet high and six feet wide. Going through that opening was pointed straight out of bounds, so any shot he had to hit had to slice dramatically and carry the culvert in front of the narrow green. Normally from 130 yards a touring pro would hit a wedge or possible a 9 iron, but the opening was not far off the ground. So, Ted used a five iron to hit only 130 yards. Ted took out his five iron and Bill and I didn't know what he was doing. He executed a near perfect shot that picked the ball cleanly off the sand, when through the small opening and sliced 20 yards landed on the greens and bit and stopped about 10 feet from the hole. Unbelievable. Bill and I looked at each other and I said, "we're not ready to turn pro".
Jack Nicklaus has stated, "I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head". If you can't see it, how are you going to achieve it? "Imagine great things, and they will become real". Imagination to golf is what gets you to the next level. Your imagination should push you to try new things and expand boundaries. You don't know you can do something if you don't try.
Paul Runyan, one of my top three short game specialists of all time, made this statement at a PGA teaching seminar that I attended many years ago. The subject was a routine 60 foot shot to a level green. Most would have a standard technique and shot to handle this situation. Paul then stated that he probably had over one hundred different shots to choose from for this particular shot. That's imagination!
Golf pros don't have just one shot for a 150-yard target. They can hit high, low, medium height shots. Small, medium, large hooks or slices, using varying length swings and speeds with different clubs. Doing all the permutations, the combinations could be in the thousands. Your swing shouldn't be one set swing for all occasions. Use your imagination and expand your shot repertoire, your golf game and scores will improve.
