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Wetterich Grabs Third Round Lead
Brett Wetterich shot a 5 under par 66 to grab a single shot lead over Aaron Olberholser in the third of the Duetsche Bank Championship. Phil Mickelson was another shot back after a 68 and Tiger Woods (67) three back. All told there are twelve players within five shots of the lead heading into today’s final round. Mr. Woods and Mr. Mickelson will be paired for the third time, this time in the second to last group which could lead to some really loud cheers drifting back to the leader during the afternoon. Steve Stricker, the Fedex Cup points leader is one of those twelve persuers, five shots behind.
Brett Wetterich called his par at the fourth a "round saver", while Phil Mickelson decribed it as "just an amazing par".
Those may be understatements. After fanning his tee shot way right into the trees, Mr. Wetterich needed six drops to get the ball in play, allowing him to stiff a 220 yard 5 iron to four feet and save that par. Two holes later he added an eagle on his way to a 66 and a single shot lead over Aaron Oberholser.
Mr. Mickelson trails by two shots and Tiger Woods is three back after coughing up two shots with three putts on the last two holes. This is Mr. Wetterich’s first time ever entering the final round with the lead. "If I go out and shoot 5 under like I did today, it’s going to be hard to beat me, unless someone really plays a good round of golf,” Wetterich said. "I’m going to go out and try to make the best score that I can. And if someone catches me and beats me, then they did.” There certainly are a lot of chasers, as a dozen players are withing five shots of the lead.
Mr. Woods and Mr. Mickelson will be paired for the final round thanks to Aaron Baddeley’s decision to go for the par 5 18th green in two from out of a fairway trap. That ill fated decision led to a shot that found the hazard right of the green and led to a second bogey in the final three holes. After playing with Mr. Woods and Vijay Singh for the first two rounds, Mr. Mickelson shared that since teaming up with Mr. Woods old teacher, Butch Harmon, he’s learned to watch for some nuances of Mr. Woods. "In the past, I haven’t really played that well with Tiger,” Mickelson said. "But he [Harmon] told me a couple things that he likes to do, and I kind of watched for it, and I chuckled throughout the round when I’d pick up on it. I think that working with Butch has really helped me understand how to get my best golf when I play in the same group as Tiger."
Mr. Wetterich leads the field in driving distance, not really surprising, has missed only twelve fairways thus far, and is fourth in greens in regulation. "He can make a bunch of birdies," Woods said. "He plays extremely aggressive, very strong, very powerful. It’s just a matter of him being up there in contention enough times to gain the experience because we all know he has the talent to be up there consistently, it’s just a matter of being up there." Ah yes, just a matter of being up there, with twelve guys chasing you, in the final round of the second playoff it might not prove so easy.
I was watching after Mr. Woods finished up and was asked on television by Jimmy Roberts if he remembered finishing up with two three putts. The response, "I don’t want to", reminded me of something Manuel de la Torre said his father taught him. Never try to remember what you did wrong, unless of course you wish to attempt to repeat the error. Always focus on what you did correctly so you can repeat that instead. Sound advice when one plays as fickle a game as golf.
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Bettinardi BB1 Wide putter review – Club Junkie Reviews
Bettinardi has long been known as one of the best putter manufacturers in golf. The BB line is considered the company’s flagship. This year, Bettinardi took more input from the tour in order to optimize CG placements and refine the feel in the lineup. To optimize the CG and ensure that the sweet sport is in the correct location, Bettinardi engineers reshaped the shoulders and bumpers on the back of the head for better weight placement. The face also features a brand new Perpetual Flymill milling that enhances feel and feedback as well as gets the ball rolling more consistently. You can check out all of the details on the 2024 Bettinardi BB line of putters in our launch report. For a full review check out the Club Junkie podcast on all platforms or on YouTube below.
I have been using a Bettinardi BB8 Wide for the past two years, both previous generations, and really loved those putters. They were the first blade putters I have actually gamed in well over 10 years, so you know I was excited to see the 2024 BB lineup.
The BB1 Wide jumped out to me immediately, because it is similar to the BB8 Wide, just a little softer and with more rounded edges. Out of the box, the BB1 Wide looks great, and I think the new Black Pearl PVD finish has a slight shine to it that looks a little nicer and more high quality than the matte grey from the last generation. The gloss black stepless shaft and bright blue Lamkin grip are solid editions to the whole package and give the putter a little glitz that doesn’t distract. Finally, Bettinardi updated the BB covers to magnetic closure, and I am way too happy about that!
Out on the green, the BB1 Wide frames the ball well and you can easily see that it has a shorter heel-to-toe measurement than the BB8 Wide. From face to back the putter is wide, but I think the stubbiness of the head makes it look a touch wider than it really is. The look from address also greets you with a softer and more rounded look from the bumpers and overall shape of the head. As you would expect the flange is longer and includes a single site line for alignment. I like this setup as a single, longer, site line tends to be what I line up the best. A thicker topline is slightly rolled for a softer and thinner look that blends in well with the profile of this putter head. If you like the larger mallets that have been trending lately then I think you will enjoy looking down at the BB1 Wide.
On the course and the putting green, the Bettinardi BB1 Wide offers a great soft feel at impact, softer to me than last year’s BB8 Wide. Bettinardi’s Perpetual Fly Mill face has deeper grooves that provide this softer feel while still putting a nice roll on the ball. The greens up here in the north are still long and bumpy, but the BB1 Wide provided as smooth of a roll as it could under the conditions. Some playing partners were dealing with big hops and jumps in the first foot of their putts, but I never had that problem with the BB1 Wide. The initial roll limited the hop and skip more than I expected, and I felt like it started the ball on line very well. Aiming the putter was simple and easy as I had the same single site line on my previous putter.
The sole of the BB1 Wide is a little unique as it has a sound slot that runs the length of the cavity from heel to toe. We don’t see a lot of sound slots on retail putters but they are used to fine-tune the sound of a putter at impact. The use of the sound slot on the BB1 Wide definitely increases the audible sound at impact and gives it a slightly more metallic sound. I was a little worried that the sound would have too much “ting” to it or be offensively loud, but I was impressed that it was much more dialed down. Feel off the face was soft, definitely softer than the previous BB line. Now while that softer face is great, it does reduce a little of the feedback on where you struck the shot. You can tell the misses are there but they are a little softer than you would expect from a fully milled putter.
Forgivness with this putter is pretty good, and it will allow you to get away with less-than-perfect strokes. The amount of mass out on the toe and heel make the putter much more stable than a lot of blades. While it isn’t high mallet MOI stable the putter will show you that shots off the toe or heel will stay online well and come to rest right next to the hole. Distance control is precise and you won’t be stunned by a ball that jumps off the face with too much speed or the opposite. Putts on the putting green from the same spot just consistently toll to the same finish line, if they don’t drop into the cup.
Ultimately, a new finish, face milling, and design keep things fresh and high-performance but in a very classic package. Bettinardi did a great job mixing those things to keep the traditionalist and the gear junkies both happy. While the lineup doesn’t feature a massive amount of head shapes, it nails some core designs and should be a big hit for Bettinardi.
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