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Graham DeLaet’s revealing reason for missing the Memorial

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Since tying for 14th at the RBC Heritage in mid-April, Graham DeLaet hasn’t had his best stuff, finishing 77th at the Wells Fargo Championship and missing cuts at The Players Championship and the Byron Nelson.

DeLaet, never a strong scrambler, has seen a steep decline in the quality of his work around the green. Thanks to the PGA Tour’s new strokes gained data, we can see that the Canadian has dropped from 123rd in strokes gained: around-the-green at minus .056 last year to 188th at minus .393 this season. And he’s presently 156th in scrambling.

Not good.

However, DeLaet’s problems around the green are more significant than even these abysmal numbers indicate. He took to Twitter to tell fans why he’s bowing out of this week’s Memorial Tournament….and unfortunately, it looks like the reason might rhyme with “grips.”

As you would expect, all manner of replies fluttered in on Twitter, including everything from a swing thought recommendation from ESPN’s John Buccigross, to meditation to less-wholesome morsels of advice.

Now, perhaps you’re the “grin and bear it” or “strong and silent” sort who doesn’t think a pro ought to be revealing what ails him. However, for the average golfer, DeLaet’s admission has to be refreshing. Whatever potential cures the bearded Canadian pursues, two things are commendable here. Honestly presenting his reason for withdrawing from the Memorial; and not teeing it up when he knew he had no chance of winning.

DeLaet has always been a social media straight shooter — remember when he called Patrick Reed out for what he believed to be a dubious injury claim and withdrawal earlier this year? This latest bit of honesty about golf’s unspeakable y-word should serve to further endear the Saskatchewan native to fans.

Here’s hoping that DeLaet, who is one of the purest strikers in the game and currently sits at 20th in strokes gained: approach-the-green, can distribute some of that aptitude to his pitching, chipping, and sand play.  

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26 Comments

26 Comments

  1. Dave

    Jun 3, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Right on Justin

  2. Paul

    Jun 3, 2016 at 3:19 pm

    Seriously, loose the beard. What do you have to loose,…. There is an addition object in your sight line that was not there for most of your life. Will that alone fix it? No, but it is a start. Chip 5000 balls while looking at your target not the ball. If that doesn’t work practice chipping the other hand. You have to get other parts of your brain working to get over this. I have been through it. It is not mechanics it visual. Ever notice how smooth a putting stroke can get if you look at your target and not the ball. Not always the best for direction but for tempo it works great. Same for chipping. The slighest tweak can cause problems in a golf swing at all levels not just the elites.
    Hope it helps

  3. Steve

    Jun 2, 2016 at 11:32 pm

    Keep you chin up Graham.

  4. Shallowface

    Jun 2, 2016 at 7:08 pm

    I have suffered with both chipping and putting yips in the past and in my case it was caused by poor eye alignment (head tilt was causing my eyes to be aligned well right of the target line). Once I corrected the eye alignment and put in a lot of practice to regain trust, no more yips for the past 15 years.
    I was glad to discover that a setup flaw caused the issues which manifested themselves as yips, and that it wasn’t truly a “nervous breakdown.”

    • Shallowface

      Jun 3, 2016 at 10:59 am

      Sorry about the double post, but it took nearly two hours for the first one to appear.

  5. Cr

    Jun 2, 2016 at 6:32 pm

    I yip on my driver. May be I should grow a beard

  6. Jay

    Jun 2, 2016 at 6:17 pm

    You probably got the y’s because you’re a troll.

  7. Shallowface

    Jun 2, 2016 at 5:30 pm

    I’ve dealt with both chipping and putting yips in the past. Mine were related to eye alignment (my eyes were aligned to the right of my target line). Once that was fixed, combined with a lot of practice to regain lost confidence, no more yips.
    It was comforting to discover that they were really more of a mechanical flaw than a nerve issue, although the resulting mishits and missed putts from the mechanical flaw led to nervousness.

  8. Gosh

    Jun 2, 2016 at 2:39 pm

    I hate to be this guy, but maybe shaving the giant, “look-at-me” ironic beard might h3lp him focus.

    • Joshuaplaysgolf

      Jun 2, 2016 at 6:19 pm

      Right. Because anytime anyone expresses themselves and doesn’t look like everyone else, its simply because we want attention.

  9. Alex

    Jun 2, 2016 at 1:38 pm

    I’m an amateur who had the chipping yips for 9 years so I feel sorry for the guy, he’s a pro making a living out of playing golf, I imagine the pressure must be intense. Hope he gets over it.

  10. ooffa

    Jun 2, 2016 at 11:59 am

    He needs to shave. The beard is scraping his neck causing him to flinch.

  11. ben

    Jun 2, 2016 at 11:45 am

    There is not a worse feeling in the world than the yips. Good luck Graham! Everyone can give advice on how to overcome it but is just such a unique condition. I feel it is one of those things that the player will have to figure out themselves.

    • steve

      Jun 2, 2016 at 1:21 pm

      The yips is the worst feeling in the world. you must be really heartless, self centered and lonely.

  12. cody

    Jun 2, 2016 at 11:40 am

    interesting. While i do not have much sympathy for him and his “chipping problems”. i think that the flat honesty about the withdraw is refreshing.

    • Justin

      Jun 2, 2016 at 4:40 pm

      As someone who has dealt with anxiety and panic disorder for my entire life its not that simple as a “problem with chipping” He gave us a little insight to what is triggering him but the trigger is just the start of the problem. When anxiety takes over everything seems like it will literally kill you. Its a maladaptation to stress that causes your brain to think everything is attacking your entire existence. Our Veterans suffer this in with PTSD where you can be triggered by anything in our ordinary life, but that’s not how our brain interpenetrates it. Its a real SOB.

      • Scott

        Jun 2, 2016 at 8:06 pm

        Well said, Justin.

      • Steve

        Jun 2, 2016 at 11:34 pm

        Being paranoid doesn’t mean everyone’s not out to get you.

      • Stefan

        Jun 3, 2016 at 7:47 am

        Well said.. and in fact, for Graham this anxiety IS attacking his entire existence. Playing like that he will make virtually no money at all, so there’s a chance the anxiety gets worse when he’s feeling it on the financial side too.

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Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (1/16/24): Cobra Forged One Length irons

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At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a set of Cobra Forged One Length irons.

From the seller: (@adamwittman): “4-PW, GW, lw. Nunchuk shafts. $350 tyd conusa.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Cobra Forged One Length irons

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

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What GolfWRXers are saying about Kevin Kisner’s new Callaway X Forged CB irons

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In our forums, our members have been discussing Kevin Kisner’s new Callaway X Forged CB irons which he has in the bag at this week’s CJ Cup. WRXers have been commenting on the switch and the clubs themselves in our forums.

For lots more photos, check out the full thread here.

Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • btyh: “Holy offset.”
  • Glf_LU: “These are interesting. Not going to make a rush to judgement until I see them in person. It does look like a little more offset than I would expect to see in this model.”
  • bcflyguy1: “Kisner is not one to make a lot of equipment changes (see the GBB driver he’s still using), so if these do have staying power in his bag that will be interesting to see. I have to wonder if there’s something different about his set, because like others have mentioned there appears to be more offset on his than I recall seeing in the samples I’ve had in hand.”

Entire Thread: “Kevin Kisner’s new Callaway X Forged CB irons”

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WATCH: PGA Tour players play hole blindfolded and it’s hilarious/amazing

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As part of a Srixon campaign, four PGA Tour players recently participated in a three-hole challenge, with each hole being a different game; hole No. 1 was blindfolded, hole No. 2 was costumes and distractions, and hole No. 3 was alternate shot with a baseball bat. The teams were Smylie Kaufman and Sam Ryder against Shane Lowry and Grayson Murray.

Watch the full video below, since it is quite entertaining (albeit not the type of golf that Old Tom Morris surely had in mind), but in particular, make sure to check out the first hole where Lowry and Ryder play a full hole completely blind folded. It’s amazing to watch how badly Ryder struggles, and how Lowry nearly makes par.

Cleveland-Srixon’s marketing department has been hard at work crafting these viral-esque ad campaigns; if you remember, former long-drive champion Jamie Sadlowski recently dressed as 80-year-old Grandpa Jamie to fool range-goers. That video has since gathered over 1.2 million views on YouTube.

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