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Watching a Tour event

Published

17 years ago

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So what is it about a professional golfer that you notice first? Is it their smooth swings that launch the ball effortlessly down the centre of the fairway? Is it the phenomenal clubhead speed they generate when they do decide to hit the ball hard, leaving less a divot as a scorch mark? Is it the touch and soft hands they show executing escape shots that we wouldn’t dare to? Or are they just good golfers that got a lucky break?

The truth is, watching a professional competition close up and in the flesh is a humbling experience. These guys are just like you and me in every way (except probably in better shape and annoyingly better looking) and yet they regularly play the sort of golf shots that would have us screaming ‘Did you see that! DID YOU SEE THAT!’ at our playing partners. From the booming drive to the chip knocked stiff, this is bread and butter to the professional golfer.

Standing at the practise tee you can see players warming up, trying new or different equipment and practising the shots that they might need on the course. Warm ups are a series of perfect half and three-quarter irons, clipping the (brand new premium quality) ball off the turf. Not quite the machine-gunning of range rocks off astroturf that you see every day at your local range. Full shots suddenly show you why they are the best of the best. The trajectory a properly struck ball takes is an eye opener. The ball fires off the club face with a startling low trajectory but with so much spin it seems to fly like a small spherical frisbee, boring through the air into the distance.

The distance control is just as impressive. I watched someone that plays on both the US and European tours and is known for the accuracy of his iron play. Taking aim at a practise green 150 yards away, of the 10 shots he hit the furthest went 151 yards, the shortest went 147. Most were bang on the money and I would have taken every one if I had been playing.

While they stretch their limbs and send these shots lancing down the range, equipment reps try to tempt them with the very latest and greatest equipment. Lovingly built to their own exacting specifications, these clubs are of the sort that you and I will either never see in our local proshops or could never afford. To the equipment junkies among us, this may be the most heartbreaking things a grown man can witness – ‘You’d like this driver tipped? Why certainly. Just give me one moment to rip out and throw away this 1000 dollar shaft and put in a new one’. After all this effort, the pro might give it a couple of swishes and then turn it down! Frankly, I admire anybody that has the self-discipline to turn down a free pen let alone a free golf club. I’m fairly sure that  if I were a in their (ergonomic and highly branded) shoes, I would be living in a house where clambering over golf clubs would be the only way to move from room to room and opening cupboards would be done at your own peril.

Out on the course, the difference between us and them is only more obvious. All of us know guys who can smash the ball 300+ yards from the tee box, but how many of them can do that into a landing area 15 yards wide with trouble either side. The iron shots are either low fizzers avoiding the wind or high floating shots that land softly and cuddle up to the hole, wafting left or right through the air. Pitches and chips are almost always knocked inside the leather. Not so much par saves as genuine attempts to get the ball in the hole from a distance that you and I would regard as ridiculous.

Then there’s the putting. Putting is a great leveller in golf. Providing you can grip a putter, there are no other physical attributes (apart from having at least one eye) that will help you get the ball into the hole. Looking at the sort of greens the pros have to putt on would give most of us the heebie-jeebies. The flat expanses that we are used to are replaced with tiered and sloping greens that would give anyone pause for thought. Then there’s the speed of the greens. Putts that would have barely travelled halfway on normal courses skate past the hole.

To give you an idea of how fast they are, I have to tell you a story of one of my friends who moonlights as an equipment rep for a putter company. He got a little carried away the first time he was on the practise green. Attempting to impress the surrounding pros with a cheeky little 6 footer he promptly managed to putt the ball 15 yards, clean off the practise green and much to the amusement of all. ‘Like putting on lino’ was how he described it.

Of course there’s also you and I and all our friends in the gallery. It can be nerve racking teeing up for the monthly medal when the only audience is the fourball due off after you and the starter. How much more nerve racking must it be to tee off in front of a gallery of hundreds, with television cameras (who may be broadcasting to millions) everywhere just in case you do top/shank/fat/thin/whiff it, when you are playing for your livelihood?

And not just the first tee either. For a player how is having a good round, word gets out and his gallery suddenly swells. Rather than playing in front of merely several dozen people, hundreds now stand watch over every move. This all comes to a climax at the 18th where huge grandstands of yet more hundreds watch those all important final shots that change a good round to a great one. What sort of mental strength is required to shut out the watching gallery, the millions that might be watching at home, the expectations of sponsors and your family and friends when you stand over a breaking 5 footer that if holed, wins you a championship or even possibly a major.

All this in competition with your fellow professionals, fighting to get the best score possible for the victory, the money, the ranking points. They are a breed apart.

‘Could I ever be a professional golfer?’ is a question that everyone who has ever picked up a golf club has asked themselves. The answer, unfortunately for all but a tiny minority, is no.

Would I want to be one?

 

Yes please.

 

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1 Comment

  1. Mike K.

    Sep 4, 2007 at 7:19 am

    On the money! I’ve been to several quality tour events over the past two years, and walk away each time numb. I think to myself “These guys aren’t playing the same game.”

    Simply amazing – and that goes for the LPGA as well!

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Five Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

8 hours ago

on

May 16, 2024

By

It was a year ago that we the north, found ourselves with toes and fingers crossed. The Oak Hill PGA Championship of 2023 finished on schedule, despite the iffiness of weather in upstate New York. It’s 75 degrees today across the Niagara Frontier, which makes it two out of three (2022 was the same way) for sultry, unseasonal weather.

Louisville is, let’s be honest, a much better bet for a May PGA Championship, and Valhalla is an exciting venue for the year’s second major championship on the men’s circuit. Brooks Koepka came in as the defending champion, and Rory McIlroy arrived as the last golfer to win a major at the Nicklaus-designed course. That was a decade ago, and lord, have things changed in the world and golf.

Day one at Valhalla offered walk-in eagles, buckets of birdies, and potential for a record-low, winner’s score. We’ll get right to the meat of the matter, with five things that we learned. After all, if you can make par from the muck, anything’s possible in the land of the horses.

1. X marks this spot

Xander Schauffele went head to head last Sunday with Rory McIlroy, at least on the practice green. By the end of the round, Rors had won for a fourth time at Charlotte, while the X Man sat scratching his head, wondering what went wrong. Fortunately for us, Xander didn’t sulk.

The San Diego State alumnus absolutely torched Jack’s track with 62. Four birdies on the front nine, were followed by five more on the inward side. Schauffele never looked as if bogey was a consideration, and he might have gone even lower. Despite winning the Covid-delayed Gold medal at the Japan Olympics (I consider it a major, btdubs) Schauffele continues to chase an initial men’s major, and the validation that it brings. If 62 doesn’t get you over the hump, who knows what will.

2. Scottie starts strong? Aye.

Last month, Mr. Scheffler won a second green jacket at Augusta National. Last year in Rochester, Mr. Scheffler tied for second in this event. Mr. Scheffler began play today with a walk-in eagle, a one-hop affair that never looked as if it might go anywhere but to its home. Scheffler had a few rough holes, but that’s to be expected from a new dad. Each time he made bogey, he bounced back with birdie, so he has that short memory that winners crave. Surprisingly, Scheffler failed to manage one last birdie at the reachable 18th. Perhaps that miss will motivate him in round two.

3. LIV Check-In

It’s good to check in on the departed from time to time, to ensure that the fellows formerly known as PGA Tour members are doing well. It’s safe to say that some of them can still play. Defending champion Brooks Koepka posted 67 on the day, He had an eagle and three birdies on the day, with only a stumble at the 17th. He’s tied for 7th. Bryson DeChambeau made an eagle of his own, but also had a bogey, at the 12th hole. He cohabits eleventh position with Cameron Smith, who ALSO had a bogey on his card. They are one shot behind Koepka, and a fistful more behind the leader.

4. Sahith and Tony at Schauffele’s heels

Both Finau and Theegala represent a special sort of athletic golfer. Their power and their charisma blend to draw golf fans to their groups. Let’s be honest, too, and say that they don’t look like the traditional professional golfer. As much as Tiger Woods did in the 1990s, they have the power to bring greater diversity to the sport.

In terms of their play today, well, only Xander was better. Finau had a clean card, with six birdies and twelve pars. Theegala had seven birdies, ten pars, and one bogey. Each combined power and finesse to insert themselves squarely in contention, ahead of round two. How will they, and Xander as well, manage the afternoon putting surface on Friday? That’s the great unknown!

5. All those other guys are here!

Rory, Tom Kim, Collin, and Viktor are all at minus-three or lower. Valhalla may not be a traditional golf course, but it is the type of course that the world’s best play well. McIlroy currently sits at minus-five, tied with Robert MacIntyre, Kim, and three others in fourth position.  Maverick McNealy finished fast to reach the same figure, as did Tom Hoge. Morikawa closed with birdie to join the sextet at five below. Both Scheffler and Morikawa finished their rounds late on Thursday, meaning they should see smoother greens on Friday morning. If someone is a betting sould, wiser wagers could not be placed on better names than those two, two-time, major champions. Rory will tee off in Friday’s afternoon wave but, hey, he’s Rory, and he won going away last week at Quail Hollow, a course not unlike Valhalla.

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Morning 9: Tiger 2025 Ryder Cup talks continue | Rory: Tour in a worse place with Dunne’s resignation

Published

19 hours ago

on

May 16, 2024

By
By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the PGA Championship gets underway from iconic Valhalla.

1. Waugh: 2025 Ryder Cup talks continue with Tiger

Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner…”PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh said Wednesday that the organization continues to have conversations with Tiger Woods about captaining the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2025 and there remains no firm deadline to get their pick in place for Bethpage Black.”

  • “A day earlier, Woods told reporters here at the PGA Championship that he is undecided about taking on the role next year…”
  • “He doesn’t do anything that he’s not fully committed to,” Waugh said, “and we totally respect that.”
  • “Still, the PGA’s decision to hold off on naming an American captain for the September 2025 matches is a significant departure – at least three months late – from the past five captains.”
Full piece.

2. Rory: Tour in a worse place with Dunne’s resignation

Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard…”McIlroy, who has become an outspoken proponent of a deal with PIF, was denied a spot on the board last week but was named to the “transaction subcommittee,” which will spearhead the day-to-day negotiations. But the loss of Dunne will be a blow to those talks, the world No. 2 said.”

  • “Honestly I think it’s a huge loss for the PGA Tour if they are trying to get this deal done with the PIF and trying to unify the game,” McIlroy said. “Jimmy was basically the relationship, the sort of conduit between the PGA Tour and PIF.
  • “It’s been really unfortunate that he has not been involved for the last few months, and I think part of the reason that everything is stalling at the minute is because of that.”
Full piece.

3. Brandel on AK’s criticism: I thought it was a LIV bot

Our Matt Vincenzi…”On Tuesday during an interview with GolfWRX, Chamblee addressed the feud between Kim and himself.”

  • “At first, I thought it was a bot. But it’s not, it was just somebody who’s been bought.
  • “I thought it was juvenile. Social media is a perfect place for juveniles to go behave like children, like the ball pit at McDonalds without adult supervision. I’m sure Anthony Kim scrolls and gets positive comments and says ‘yeah, these people get me! I’m doing the right thing’. And it’s just juvenile and sad is what it is. I feel sorry for him.”
Full piece.

4. Aberg (knee) ready for PGA

Cameron Morfit for PGATour.com…”Ludvig Åberg said lingering knee soreness that kept him out of the Wells Fargo Championship last week will not be an issue at this week’s PGA Championship.”

  • “The world No. 6 Åberg, who finished second at the Masters Tournament in his very first major start last month, allowed that he is wearing a brace as a precautionary measure.”
  • “Knee’s good,” said Åberg, 24. “It was more of a safety concern last week that I didn’t play. I’m consulting with my doctors, and I trust them with everything that I have, so it’s not bothering me at all this week, and I look forward to playing. I’m wearing a brace just for safety reasons, but it’s nothing that’s bothering me. I’m focusing on the golf.”
Full piece.

5. Masters employee pleads guilty to stealing millions in memorabilia

Sean Leahy for Yahoo Sports…”A former employee of Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia pleaded guilty on Wednesday to transporting millions of dollars worth of stolen Masters memorabilia and historic items, including a green jacket belonging to Arnold Palmer.”

  • “According to federal prosecutors, 39-year-old Richard Globensky made around $5 million over the course of a decade from selling items stolen from the Augusta National warehouse, which were then transported to another party in Florida.”
  • “Globensky pleaded guilty to one count of transporting stolen goods across state lines. As part of his plea, he must hand the government a $1.5 million check this week.”
Full piece.

6. Chamblee on why Rory hasn’t won a major

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee gave his opinion as to why McIlroy has come up empty.”

  • “I just think he can’t find a place mentally where he plays his best golf.”
  • “If you go back and look at what he did from 2011-2014, in that stretch, he led roughly 20% of the rounds he played in major championships. His game has not fallen off, not one bit.
  • “He’s, on paper, pretty much the same player he was. He’s not quite the ball striker he was 2011-2014, not quite, but he’s made up for it with his short game around the greens and on the greens. He’s almost the same player.”
  • “Yet, he’s led just two rounds beginning with the 2015 Masters to the 2024 Masters. I just think that tells you he can’t find the proper way to prepare, the proper way to ease into a round. When he’s needed to play his best, he’s played his worst. When he’s played his worst, he’s then followed it up with his best golf. That’ll tell you that he’s just not in the right place mentally.”
Full piece.

7. Why Scottie’s caddie will have a fill-in Saturday

Paul Hodowanic for PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler will have a fill-in caddie on the bag for Saturday’s third round of the PGA Championship.”

  • “Ted Scott, Scheffler’s full-time caddie, will miss Saturday’s round at Valhalla Golf Club to attend his daughter’s high school graduation. Scott will leave Friday night after caddying the first two rounds and return late Saturday to loop the final round.”
  • “That’s something we talked about from the beginning of our relationship was family always comes first,” Scheffler said during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday. “It’s the same thing for me as it is for my caddie. It was a pretty easy decision. He told me at the beginning of this year that that was the date.”
Full piece.

8. Chamblee: LIV format makes it impossible to judge player talent

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee explained why he believes the LIV format makes it impossible to determine if a LIV player is playing well.”

  • “Describing the format as “stupid”, Chamblee stated
  • “The format for LIV is just stupid. There’s no other word for it. 54 holes, 54 players start. Willy nilly here and there.
  • “Nobody winning a golf tournament should finish on the third hole on some par three while his closest competitors finish on the 17th hole or the 18th hole.”
  • “When we asked Brandel if LIV players should be in majors, Chamblee indicated that it would be tough to do with no way to truly measure their performance.
  • “It’s just a laughable concept. There’s no way to judge the talents of these players out there. You look at their data, and again, their data is laughable. It’s very hard to hit 75% of your greens and it looks like everybody on their tour is hitting 75% of greens. Who’s keeping their stats? Who’s doing their data? They haven’t gotten their act together.”
Full piece.

9. Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

  • Check out all of our galleries from the year’s second major!
Full piece.
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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 PGA Championship

Published

3 days ago

on

May 14, 2024

By

GolfWRX is on site this week at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship.

While we see fewer equipment changes and new gear seeding at major championships, we get a look at custom gear and looks into the bags of players we rarely see, which is just as exciting. In the case of the PGA Championship, this means a look at the gear some of the PGA Professionals who qualified for the tournament will be gaming, and LIV players, such as Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed.

Check out links to all our albums from Valhalla below and check back throughout the week as we continue to update.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

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