Golf Instruction with Steve Scott: Don't chili dip the chip https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
If you don’t want to chili dip your chip, pay attention to this tip.
In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” Scott gives you a good tip to strengthen your short game.
Scott, the PGA head golf professional at the Outpost Club, founder of the Silver Club Golfing Society and a PGA Tour Live analyst, has taken his thorough knowledge of the game and broken it down into digestible lessons from which anyone can benefit in Golfweek‘s series, “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott.”
Check out these step-by-step instructions and tips in the video above and share your before and after videos and photos with us on Twitter with #GolfweekInstruction.
Photos: Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational returns to Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando.
The par-72 course is playing 7,466 yards this week. Tyrrell Hatton is the defending champion.
This week’s winner will take home a check for $1,674,000 and 550 FedEx Cup points. The winner also earns a three-year PGA Tour exemption.
It’s coming up on five years now since Palmer passed away at age 87. At Bay Hill, there is a 13-foot bronze statue of Palmer in full swing standing near the first tee. No doubt, his legacy is remembered and celebrated every year there.
Rory McIlroy follows Tiger Woods' lead, gets into contention again at Arnold Palmer Invitational https://ift.tt/3r9VIrm
ORLANDO, Fla. – There may be no better place than Bay Hill and no better tournament than the Arnold Palmer Invitational for Rory McIlroy to get on a roll.
Following Tiger Woods’ lead helps, too.
McIlroy, the former world No. 1 and four-time major winner, put himself in prime position to snap his winless streak dating to the 2019 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions with a sparkling 6-under-par 66 Thursday to grab the lead in the opening round of Arnie’s annual bash.
McIlroy made five consecutive birdies on his front nine, two more on the back and made just one bogey and put his signature to one of his best rounds of the year.
“I’ve watched Tiger enough here over the years and the way he played this course was, he played it very conservatively, he took care of the par-5s, and that was usually good enough to get the job done,” McIlroy said. “So sort of take a little bit of a leaf out of his book.”
Not a bad read, for Woods won a record eight times here. As for McIlroy, he has four top-6 finishes the past four years, including victory in 2018.
“I feel like you don’t have to do anything special to shoot a good score here,” McIlroy added. “You can be really conservative off the tees if you want to be. There’s a bunch of irons that you can hit off tees.
“I think the toughest thing about this course is the par-3s and I played them in 3-under today. So that was a bonus.”
McIlroy, 31, held a 1-shot lead over Bryson DeChambeau, who didn’t try to drive the green by hitting across the massive lake on the par-5 6th but still birdied the hole and added five more for a 67. Jason Kokrak shot 68 and three players were at 69 with many others still on the course.
McIlroy, with 18 PGA Tour titles and 27 victories overall worldwide, has gone 23 starts without winning. He was the hottest player before the COVID-19 global pandemic shut down the PGA Tour. While he’s had 10 top-10s during the stretch, he’s fallen to No. 8 in the world, his lowest ranking since 2019.
“The nice thing is it’s feeling better and better basically every time I go out there on the golf course,” McIlroy said. “I saw a lot of really positive signs out there today, which is really encouraging.”
Especially the 5-irons he hit on the 14th and 17th, two difficult par-3s, that led to birdies.
“Just little draws into the wind, flighted it the way I wanted to,” he said. “Those shots last week that I was trying to hit were missing the target 20 yards left. So it was nice to just see them coming out in the window I was anticipating.”
McIlroy also gains confidence looking at the stat sheet.
“I’ve always felt comfortable here,” McIlroy said. “I saw a stat the other day that this course, more than any other on the PGA Tour, the correlation between strokes gained off the tee and performance at this course is higher than anywhere else and obviously myself and Bryson, No. 1 and 2 in strokes gained off the tee for the season, and we both shot two good scores today.”
Bay Hill Bomber: Bryson DeChambeau back to hitting bombs, opens with 67 https://ift.tt/3c4o67F
Bryson DeChambeau reached in his bag at the par-5, sixth hole and grabbed an iron.
Yes, an iron. That’s not a typo. There was a moan and then a groan because the fans – yes, there are fans this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational – had come to see the reigning U.S. Open let the big dog eat.
DeChambeau laughed, as if saying, “Just messing with you,” and switched to his driver. In many ways, this moment encapsulated DeChambeau’s game since winning the U.S. Open in September. Golf’s strong man has been toying with us, recording just two top-10 finishes in his last six starts and missing the cut two weeks ago at the Genesis Invitational. He shot 77-64 in the first two rounds last week at the WGC-Workday Championship. The Incredible Bulk has been incredibly ordinary of late.
DeChambeau already validated his unorthodox efforts to beef up and chase distance, but the question remains: Will it be sustainable and will continued success lead to a generation of shake-chugging, iron-pumping golfers following his example? Too soon to say, but a slightly slimmed-down DeChambeau delivered the type of performance in Thursday’s opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational that suggested he may be finding his stride. The World No. 11-ranked player carded six birdies and posted 5-under 67 at Bay Hill Club and Lodge to trail Rory McIlroy by one stroke.
“I’ve always played pretty well off of a few weeks in a row in tournaments,” DeChambeau said. “I’ll kind of gain some momentum normally and I hope this is just the start.”
Starting on the back nine, DeChambeau rolled in a 12-foot birdie at No. 10, but gave it back one hole later, missing a 3-foot par putt, for his lone bogey of the day.
“Haven’t done that in a long time and I guess I was due for it, I don’t know,” said DeChambeau of missing a shortie and noting he didn’t feel comfortable with his putter.
He bounced back at No. 12, sinking a 6-foot birdie putt and then showed off why distance is king these days on the PGA Tour. He bashed his tee shot 340 yards into the left rough at No. 15, but no worries. It’s easier hitting a wedge from the rough than a 6-iron from the fairway at the elite level and DeChambeau flicked a wedge from the spinach inside 2 feet for a kick-in birdie.
DeChambeau turned in 34 and strung together three birdies in a row beginning at the par 5, fourth hole coming home. That included a rather routine birdie at the par-5 sixth despite not going for the green off the tee.
The line Bryson DeChambeau took on the par-5 6th hole at Bay Hill during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“On 4 it was kind of straight into the wind, I’m like, ‘Man, it may be possible if the wind kind of flips a little bit,’ ” DeChambeau said. “It was just too much off of the right and more into the wind than anything.”
He also said that the current Cobra driver he’s using has a heavier head that he’s switched to for more control.
“I had to rein it back a little bit, we’re working on some, hopefully some new technology in the next couple weeks that will help mitigate some of those speed, interesting speed issues that we have,” he said.
What if he had been using his previous model?
“I totally could have done it today,” he said.
DeChambeau still is hopeful that the conditions will dictate a green light to try to drive the sixth green.
“If it’s more downwind I’ll be able to do it tomorrow, hopefully, or some time during the weekend,” he said.
But, for the first time, DeChambeau also added a caveat, declaring he may not go directly for the green, but rather target an area 30-40 yards right of the green and short of a bunker.
“Look, all I’m looking for is 10 miles an hour downwind and I’ll be definitely going left,” he said.
Brats, cocktails and golf: Wisconsin course gets new owners and a new plan https://ift.tt/30a3eqc
Those accustomed to hitting the links at Wanaki Golf Course in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls can rest easy — the former Waukesha County course will reopen this spring, under private ownership.
He also said he plans to raise fees slightly — maybe a dollar.
The new ownership group wants to build on last year’s success, he said.
“Last year was our best season,” Schaefer said.
He said Wanaki will be the same golf course the community has loved since 1970.
Community members worked to keep Wanaki Golf Course open through the Save Wanaki campaign. Members of the Brookfield East girls golf team promoted awareness at Capitol Drive and Brookfield Road on Sept. 13, 2019. Pictured are, from left, coach Chris Minchk, Isa Zuniga-Meyer, Grace Schulz, Jenny Austin, Lily Schick, Mahika Mohan, Josie Clegg and Reagan Vander Heide.
‘A modern, rustic feel’
But Schaefer said the clubhouse has been “completely remodeled.”
“It will have a modern, rustic feel,” he said.
Additional seating will be offered outside, for a total of 14 tables on the patio.
“It is beautiful outside, and we created more outside space,” he said.
The newly named Turn Bar & Grill will also have new bathrooms and will open at 10 a.m.
He said that the restaurant can be for nongolfers to dine or for golfers.
“We want people to stay as long as possible,” he said.
Turn Bar & Grill got its new moniker because people on the patio can see “the turn” — the point where golfers finish their front nine holes and make the turn to the back nine.
Schaefer noted that since the course is now privately owned, with a liquor license, the clubhouse can offer a full beverage menu — which it couldn’t have under county ownership.
“People can drink wine and many different drinks (at Wanaki this season),” he said. “We will have a full beverage menu.”
As owner of the Milwaukee Brat House (both the downtown and Shorewood locations) and Jack’s American Pub on Brady Street, Schaefer said he will incorporate some of those menu items at the clubhouse. While the menu hasn’t been set yet, Schaefer said they plan to offer pizza, bar menu items and a Friday fish fry.
More plans
Schaefer said the clubhouse remodel took up most of the time this winter. But there were some upgrades to the course, as well.
Crews have already removed 150 of the 320 ash trees infected with emerald ash borer. The rest of the infected trees will also be removed, and trees will be planted to take their place, he said.
Schaefer also plans on bringing in 60 new carts, replacing the old carts and expanding the fleet.
His team plans to decide later whether to use the course for skiing or selling Christmas trees during the winter.
“We will definitely do something,” said Schaefer.
He said the clubhouse area may be too small for weddings or big events, but it is possible to have some activities there.
Schaefer noted that Waukesha County ran the course for 50 years — and he sees no reason his group can’t run it for another 50.
“We plan to keep it open as long as our family is able to run it,” Schaefer said.
When longtime Wanaki general manager Jim Ehnert learned of the county’s plan to close the course, he called it “devastating.”
His family home borders Wanaki’s fifth hole, and Ehnert grew up on the course. He started working there at age 16 and worked his way up. In 2000, he was promoted to general manager. He has worked at Wanaki for more than 35 years, he said.
When he learned about the possibility the course would be sold to private owners, he realized the new owners might not want to keep him. But the day after Storm Family Group took over, Schaefer met with Ehnert and put those concerns to rest.
“They are incredible. This was the best possible outcome,” Ehnert said.
Ehnert said they plan to add new leagues and grow existing ones.
He said they plan to increase youth golf activities and have more social and couples leagues.
Ehnert added that Wanaki has been the home course for both Brookfield Central and Brookfield East high school golf teams and that the Menomonee Falls and Sussex Hamilton high school teams use it often. He plans to continue having those teams and other high school teams use the course.
Ehnert said he would like to build on the support he saw in the fight to save the golf course.
“I did not expect that,” he said. “It was very humbling. Now, people are more engaged. We created a Wanaki family.”
COVID-19 delayed the PGA Tour dream of this former UGA golfer, but he's still smiling https://ift.tt/3e6mfC8
Former University of Georgia golfer Greyson Sigg has a happy-go-lucky demeanor that he carries wherever life takes him.
Like last Tuesday, two days before playing in the Puerto Rico Open, the third career PGA Tour event of his career.
Sigg sat on the balcony of his hotel, kicked his feet up on the rail, looked out at the ocean and settled in for an hour of media interviews.
His first appearance on SiriusXMs PGA Tour Radio was canceled because of breaking news of Tiger Woods’ car accident that severely injured the 15-time major champion. The station apologized, and Sigg understood.
“I mean, it’s the greatest golfer of all time, of course, nobody wants to hear from me about playing in Puerto Rico,” said Sigg, poking fun at himself while understanding the gravity of the situation.
Or during his four-year career at the University of Georgia while playing golf for Chris Haack.
Greyson Sigg eyes a putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance at Victoria National Golf Course in Newburgh, Ind., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020.
The 26-year UGA coach knew Sigg’s personality better than anyone as Sigg has been around the Haack household often during a nine-year relationship with Haack’s daughter, Katie.
But Sigg’s carefree disposition allowed their coach-player relationship to blossom and earn him All-SEC honors his senior season.
“He’s got a really laid back personality and he just tries not to put a whole lot of emphasis on things and make them more important than they really are,” Haack said. “Don’t make it more important than it is, it’s just golf. He’s always going to embrace that and is very laid back. He just kind of rolls with the punches better than anybody.”
Sigg has played some of the best golf of his life on the Korn Ferry Tour, the PGA Tour’s breeding ground for golfers vying to reach the sport’s top level. But adversity hasn’t escaped the easygoing 25-year-old.
Sigg contracted COVID-19 last October and was forced to quarantine for 14 days. Fortunately, his only symptoms were a loss of taste and smell.
Where the virus had its largest impact on the Sea Island resident was delaying his claim to a PGA Tour card. When the tours had to take a hiatus for three months last year, the PGA Tour announced in April that the Korn Ferry Tour wouldn’t have its annual graduation of the top 25 players on its money list.
Sigg was in the top-10 of the developmental tour’s list and well on his way to Tour membership, but the Augusta native will have to wait until later this to fulfill his lifelong dream of reaching the PGA.
Former UGA golfer Greyson Sigg tees off during a tournament in 2014. (Photo/Steven Colquitt, UGA Sports Communications)
Like most things in his life, Sigg took it in stride.
“There were a lot of people who called me to tell me how sorry they were,” said Sigg, who is sixth in the Korn Ferry Tour points standings and eighth on its money list. “But, you know, it was such a weird time and we’re out here playing golf for a living. So, I wasn’t too upset.”
Due to the coronavirus interference, the PGA Tour made an exception for players inside the top 10 of the Korn Ferry Tour points standings when the 2020 season ended.
Top-10 players like Sigg and Will Zalatoris, who finished sixth in last year’s U.S. Open, are eligible to play in “additional events” like the Puerto Rico Open, Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship that are played opposite of bigger events such as last week’s WGC Workday Championship.
Sigg missed the cut of the Puerto Rico Open but it doesn’t affect his status on the Korn Ferry Tour. He’s still on the path to earn his Tour card.
“I definitely always dreamt of being on the PGA Tour and it was easy to like pro golf and being able to go to the Masters every year and seeing that and made it my dream to play in a Masters one day,” Sigg said. “I’ve got a long way to go, don’t get me wrong, but it’s pretty cool how I’ve managed it so far and I’ve come a long way in the past couple years.”
Sigg says he’ll target around 15 of the final 20 events in the Korn Ferry Tour season. An average showing should secure his PGA Tour card.
If it happens, Sigg said, it will accomplish a goal he set out for in high school.
But he’s not going to sweat it too seriously.
“Obviously, I would have liked to get my card but I’m still in a really good position to get my card for the 2022 season,” he said. “That’s going to be fun this year. It’s going to be a pretty stress-free year because I’m pretty close to locking it up. I’m in a good spot, I’m not really going to get too upset about it.”
Did Bryson DeChambeau go for it on No. 6 at Arnold Palmer Invitational on Thursday? https://ift.tt/3qnobJ6
ORLANDO – Even for Bryson DeChambeau, the Paul Bunyan of the PGA Tour, the challenge looks unconquerable.
Trying to drive a par-5? Really, Bryson?
But that’s exactly what one of the biggest boppers on the PGA Tour said he intends to do this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the 555-yard, par-5 sixth hole that is guarded by a lake on the hole’s entire left side.
Back in January, he told Golf.com he would “100 percent” try to drive the green.
“No. 6 at Bay Hill is one of those I’ve been eyeing,” DeChambeau told Golf.com. “I think I can do some pretty cool things on it.”
But conditions have to be favorable for DeChambeau to pull off the feet. While the scorecard reads 555 yards, the green can be reached by cutting across the water and carrying the ball 340-350 yards from the back tees.
Standing on the tee box, DeChambeau played with the crowd, initially pulling his 3 wood from the bag. The crowd moaned. He laughed. Then he took out his driver, and played an aggressively conservative line that found the fairway. At the time of the drive, the wind was slightly against DeChambeau, who was just one off the lead.
The line Bryson DeChambeau took on the par-5 6th hole at Bay Hill during the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo: Screenshot)
The reigning U.S. Open champ gave it a go during Wednesday’s pro-am, even with the wind against him.
“Everybody wants to see this,” DeChambeau said as he walked to the tee.
And then he hit two balls into the water, coming up 20 yards short each time.
“If it’s not into the wind, I can get there,” he said.
Later on Twitter, he added: “Thought I would attempt to carry the 6th hole today (340 with the carry). Wind was brutal and I came up short (only gave it a few tries) but might be something I go for if the conditions are right.
“We’ll see.”
If he makes the cut, DeChambeau will have three more chances to clear the water and reach the green. So, yes, we’ll see.
Rickie Fowler is struggling, and Nick Faldo took a nasty shot at him https://ift.tt/38sZfZH
Rickie Fowler is probably at the top of the best player not to win a major list, or at least he’s the player golf fans root so hard to see finally win one.
He’s gotten so close at all four majors but has fallen just short and lately, he’s been struggling: he’s missed two cuts in 2021 and finished no better than 20th in any tournament he’s played in since September.
Which brings us to what Sir Nick Faldo said on Twitter about Fowler who is currently on the outside looking in on making the cut to play in the 2021 Masters.
Faldo said this in response:
Good news is if he misses the Masters he can shoot another six commercials that week! https://t.co/kgGcmaZUJO
There was a period when Fowler’s ample screen time on Sunday afternoons was earned through his fine play. Now that time is paid for by a seemingly endless parade of partners confident that Fowler can help them sell everything from insurance and automobiles to mortgages and underwear. It’s the Arnold Palmer business model, and more power to Fowler for leveraging it so astutely. But at what cost to his career?
Still, it felt like Faldo didn’t have to go there. He called it “motivation.”
Tiger Woods told deputies after car crash he did not remember driving https://ift.tt/3dNVlyI
TORRANCE, Calif. — Tiger Woods told sheriff’s deputies after crashing a car that he could not remember driving, and he did not know how the collision happened, according to an affidavit for a search warrant used to obtain the “black box’’ of the vehicle Woods was driving Feb. 23.
Woods later said the same thing at the hospital, where he was treated for multiple leg injuries suffered during the crash, according to a copy of the search warrant affidavit obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Woods initially was unconscious after the crash in Southern California when a resident found the golfer trapped in a loaner car and with blood on his face and chin, according to the affidavit, which was submitted by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Johann Schoegl.
“The deputies asked him how the collision occurred” at the scene of the crash, according to the affidavit .”Driver said he did not know and did not even remember driving … Driver was treated for his injuries at the hospital and was asked there again how the collision occurred. He repeated that he did not know and did not remember driving.”
Schloegl said he believed information stored on the black box — such as the speed the car was traveling at the time of the crash — would assist in determining how and why the collision occurred, according to the affidavit.
Data from the car Woods was driving “constitutes evidence that tends to show the commission of a felony or misdemeanor offense,’’ according to the form filled out to obtain the search warrant. But Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has said the ongoing investigation into the crash is not a criminal investigation.
“The investigators in the accident, or in the collision, they did a search warrant to seize in essence the black box of the vehicle,’’ Villanueva said Wednesday. “And that’s all it is. And they’re going to go through it and see if they can find out what was the performance of the vehicle, what was happening at the time of impact. And with that, they’ll have more information they can attribute the cause of the accident. And that’s all it is, and we’ll leave it at that, OK?’’
Villanueva also addressed why the sheriff’s department did not seek a warrant to obtain a sample of Woods’ blood that could be used to determine whether someone was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“And investigators will determine what is needed to determine the accident, or the traffic collision.”
