Golf Instruction with Steve Scott: Allow gravity to help set up a shot https://ift.tt/3rKFBAU
If you want a set up fit for a queen or king, you’ve got to let gravity do its thing.
In this week’s episode of “Golf Instruction with Steve Scott,” Scott gives you a good tip to help you set up your shots.
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.
The perfect internship? Play 50 rounds of golf this summer — and get paid. https://ift.tt/3sZ8RUv
What percentage of Wisconsinites have looked out their window this week and thought about golfing? Maybe 50%? Higher?
Now imagine golfing for the entire summer, and getting paid for it.
The Wisconsin State Golf Association has cultivated what might constitute the best internship … ever? … seeking out an applicant willing to play a round of golf at 50 spots across the state for $10 an hour plus expenses for lodging, travel and golf. The WSGA is calling it “America’s No. 1 golf internship.”
“We really wanted to do something fun and unique while Wisconsin will already have a lot of attention on it with Ryder Cup being here,” said Rob Jansen, executive director of the WSGA. “The internship would promote all the great courses we have in Wisconsin. We have highly ranked ones but a lot of people don’t know we have 10 of the top 100 courses in the national rankings right here in Wisconsin.”
Jansen wants someone who’s ready to play them all.
The job would involve 50 rounds in 10 weeks, with ample photography and social-media documentation to highlight the various spots across the state.
“You don’t have to be the best golfer in the world; we’re looking for other skills that an individual might have,” Jansen said. “You still need a passion for golf, but what you shoot is secondary to how you experience the courses. We’ll look for photography skills, social-media skills, talking about the journey and highlighting what’s great about Wisconsin golf.”
Jansen said the visuals produced would serve as a photographic journal and give some courses promotional materials to use later. He’s looking for all applications by April 1. Applicants don’t necessarily need to be from Wisconsin; he’s already received submissions from across the country.
Applications need to be submitted via social media, either quote-tweeting the WSGA’s call for applicants, or by finding a creative means to share interest on Facebook or Instagram stories using #hiremeWSGA or #1golfinternship hashtags.
Free this summer? Say hello to America's #1 Golf Internship!
Get paid to play golf 50 WI courses in 10 weeks 10 top-100 courses Discover hidden gems
Jansen hopes to announce the intern on May 1, and golf begins June 1. In its inaugural year, the job could feature rounds with local dignitaries or perhaps even sports figures around the state.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
Mr. Consistency: Webb Simpson isn't looking to emulate Bryson DeChambeau https://ift.tt/38rhKyb
Over the last few years, Webb Simpson has grown into one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour. His game travels, week in and week out.
Through nine events this season, Simpson has four top 10 finishes: a T-8 at the U.S. Open in September, T-10 at the November Masters, T-4 at the Sony Open in Hawaii and T-28 two weeks ago at the World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession.
He hasn’t missed a cut and his worst finish was T-42 as the defending champion at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, which still earned him a cool $23,853. Not too shabby for a rough week at the office.
The 35-year-old North Carolina native currently sits at No. 10 in the world and is playing his best golf in the biggest events. With the Tour season picking up and Augusta National right around the Amen Corner, is it possible that Simpson’s eyes are on Japan?
“Oh, that’s a tough one. I think it would be an honor to represent the country,” said Simpson on the Olympics, “but I’m personally more interested in trying to win majors, the Players Championship, the FedEx Cup than be a medalist in the Olympics.”
“Part of it is exciting for me, but the thought of going halfway around the world for that timeframe in that part of our season is really tough for me to swallow,” he explained. “I feel like it would really shoot me in the foot for the Playoffs, and right now in my career, Playoffs are more important to me than the Olympics.”
Simpson currently ranks 33rd in the FedEx Cup standings, with Bryson DeChambeau leading the pack after his Arnold Palmer Invitational win at Bay Hill last week. Despite DeChambeau’s success on his journey to chase distance, don’t expect Simpson to be switching lanes by changing his game any time soon.
“We always want to get longer as players, but I have to remember my strengths and what got me to be a top-10 player in the world, and so if I get too far away from focusing on those strengths, then I feel like I’ll go backwards,” Simpson explained while also noting DeChambeau’s advantage.
“He’s been able to do I think what a lot of people really can’t do. Sure, he’s worked his tail off, absolutely, and I have so much respect for him. But I think he’s been able to devote more time to it than someone like me with a wife and five kids,” said Simpson. “Obviously it doesn’t take away from what he’s done, but my goals in golf — I’m not thinking I want to hit it 30, 40, 50 yards further, just because I feel like the time that would take would be too much for me.
“I’ve got to stay focused kind of in my lane and keep playing golf the way I know how to play.”
Photos: Webb Simpson through the years https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
Webb Simpson is back at full strength after contracting COVID-19, testing positive at the end of 2020. He lost his sense of taste and smell but is back playing great golf.
The North Carolina native has a number of titles under his belt, including the 2018 Players Championship and the 2012 U.S. Open, He has a total of seven PGA Tour victories through February of 2021 and won twice in 2020.
Here’s a look at Simpson through his illustrious PGA Tour career.
Rickie Fowler looks to break out of slump, 'be patient' at Players Championship https://ift.tt/3chmPKH
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Rickie Fowler always acts and looks like he’s living on the right side of par.
Rarely disheveled, forever optimistic, polite and approachable as the day is long. He’s been a crossover star to all ages, a natural who has graced scores of magazine covers and starred in numerous commercials. Married to a beautiful woman, resides in an oceanside mansion, plays golf for a living.
But while it’s a life well played, it isn’t without occasional hazards, and currently, he’s dealing with the most persistent slump of his career. As he works through a swing change, the winner of five PGA Tour titles and two others on the European Tour hasn’t won since the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. His most recent top-10 came in the 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions 14 months ago, and in his last 44 starts, his missed cuts (13) more than double his top-10s (6).
He’s dropped to No. 70 in the world rankings, his lowest mark since 2010, and the decline has been so unshakable, he isn’t qualified for the upcoming Masters, which he’s played 10 consecutive years.
“It’s definitely been a grind,” said Fowler, 32. “It’s been more of a struggle not beating myself up too much and kind of taking a step back, let everything happen, be patient.”
At times, however, his patience has run thin. There have been difficult moments between Fowler and his caddie, Joe Skovron (who has known his boss since he was 3). Occasionally, he’s taken his frustrations home.
“It’s tough for all of us that are involved, from my caddie, to my wife, she’s having to deal with me at home,” Fowler said. “I’m trying to be the best husband that I can, not bringing golf back home. But when you’re out on the road that long and on the grind, putting in the work at home, it’s pretty much been all golf.
“We’re all in this together and we’re going to keep battling it out.”
Familiar ground could provide Fowler the ammo to finally win the battle – the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass for this week’s Players Championship, which he won in 2015; and the Champions Course at PGA National for next week’s Honda Classic, which he won in 2017.
But if the battle continues after the Honda, Fowler will continue to grind and he and his team will remain confident the swing changes he’s making will take hold. In late 2019, Fowler turned to swing coach John Tillery after working with Butch and Claude Harmon for nearly a decade. Fowler and Tillery work more on how the body works to put the club in the proper positions instead of Fowler trying to put the club in the right positions.
“It’s golf, not a life sentence or character indictment,” Tillery said. “It frustrates him like it would anyone, but it also motivates him versus having some pity party.
“He’s a professional athlete in an insanely competitive sport. Talent doesn’t go away. We know what we’re doing and what we’re seeing in practice.”
Skovron agreed.
“He feels like he’s getting close, I feel like he’s getting close,” he said. “I know that’s a cliché. But he’s putting the work in. He’s getting good information from John Tillery.
“But everything kind of added up. The putter went cold. Making a swing change. Then you get some results that aren’t so good. And sometimes it’s not as far off as it looks. I know it’s an easy thing for me, but you’ve heard so many good players say it. You’re watching it and it’s not that far off. It’s a thing here, a thing there.”
Add Jordan Spieth to those in Fowler’s corner. Spieth has started to turn the corner after dealing with his own slump – he hasn’t won since the 2017 Open Championship and fell to 92nd in the world earlier this year, his worst ranking since 2013. But he has a tie for third, two ties for fourth and a tie for 15th in his last four starts.
Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth during a practice round prior to the start of the 2016 Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)
“The most difficult thing about struggling is when you’ve had a lot of success it’s almost impossible to struggle in silence, in darkness, and get your work done in the dark,” Spieth said. “We saw a nonhuman in Tiger Woods be able to make massive changes quicker than what is probably realistic for just about anybody else. That can sometimes hurt the quickness of jumping to conclusions of people, and so struggling publicly when you’re somebody like Rickie, it makes it hard.
“He’s sticking to it, he’s a very, very, very positive person and I think that’s going to serve him well. He also treats people better than just about anyone I’ve met. So all in all he’s got a lot more people in his corner than are not, that believe in him and he believes in himself, and as long as he continues down that path he’s going to be very successful.”
Fowler also knows he’s conquered adversity and criticism before.
When he arrived on the PGA Tour in 2009, he quickly became a celebrity, gracing magazine covers, popping up in numerous TV commercials and starring in PGA Tour pitches as one of the game’s leading men. But as his win column remained bare, critics charged he was just concerned about his image. Well, Fowler took care of that by winning the 2012 Wells Fargo Championship.
Three years later, he landed at The Players Championship to the news that his peers had voted him and Ian Poulter as the most overrated players in the game. With four birdies and an eagle in his last six holes of regulation and two more birdies in four holes in the playoff, Fowler hoisted the championship hardware that week and twice more than year.
And during the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month, Sir Nick Faldo, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and CBS’s lead analyst, took a loathsome shot at Fowler by tweeting: “Good news is if he misses the Masters he can shoot another six commercials that week!” Faldo said it was a round-about way to inspire Fowler but nonetheless apologized.
Fowler shrugged it off. He’s got more important matters to deal with.
“Everyone that’s played really at all, especially at some sort of a high level, completely understands that golf is up-and-down,” Fowler said. “Unfortunately, this one’s been a little longer than I would like it to have been, but, yeah, we’re grinding through it. It’s a matter of time.
“We’ll just keep kicking the darn door and she’ll fall.”
Are Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele becoming America's dynamic duo? https://ift.tt/3chmPKH
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – On Saturday morning of the 2019 Presidents Cup, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele were being beaten rather handily in a morning alternate-shot match when they were informed that Tiger Woods wanted to send them back out together in the afternoon. What did they think about that?
“We kind of looked at each other and didn’t really hesitate,” Cantlay recalled on Wednesday on the eve of the Players Championship. “We were like, ‘Yeah, put us out in the afternoon, we’ll go get it done.’ And we won that afternoon and played really well.”
It was the start of a beautiful friendship that has only blossomed on the golf course, over dinner and while playing cards, particularly gin. While there are several months to go before qualifying for the U.S. Ryder Cup team is completed and captain’s choices are made, Cantlay and Schauffele are quickly developing into America’s best duo.
Think about it: It’s highly unlikely that Tiger Woods will be able to play with Justin Thomas as they did to great effect at the Presidents Cup and JT’s successful partnership with Jordan Spieth in France still seems dicey despite Spieth’s recent resurgence. Brooks and DJ? I don’t think so. And who do you pair with Patrick Reed? So many questions for U.S. Captain Steve Stricker, but he would be wise to keep the Cantlay-Schauffele pairing intact.
For starters, they are two of the hottest players in the world. Cantlay has recorded six straight top 20 finishes, including a win at the Zozo Championship and a runner-up at the American Express. He’s No. 7 in the world and winning a significant title such as the Players this week would be the next box for him to check in solidifying his place in the game’s upper echelon. Schauffele is No. 5 in the world having made a Tour-best 23 straight cuts and finishing runner-up eight times since his last victory at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in 2019. He’s knocked on a lot of doors and no one would be surprised if he claimed the Players or a green jacket next month or really any of the four majors this season.
Ever since the Presidents Cup, Cantlay and Schauffele have become regular practice-round partners.
“Both of us were sort of like I would say lone soldiers for the most part, in terms of playing practice rounds by ourselves. And I know his team pretty well and he knows my – now he knows my team pretty well – but I pretty much knew everyone on Pat’s team before I knew Pat really well himself. So, it was kind of an easy mix. We just kind have a pretty laid-back schedule for a practice time. We do enjoying a game every week, it’s very competitive, and we feel like when we play against each other it sort of sharpens ourselves for the best week possible.”
Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay during a practice round prior to the Sentry Tournament Of Champions. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
On Tuesday, rather than battle head-to-head, Cantlay and Schauffele teamed up against Thomas and Spieth in a spirited nine-hole match on the front nine at the Stadium at TPC Sawgrass.
“We had them down every single way and JT made like a 35-footer on the last and Pat and I both missed our birdie putts,” Schauffele said.
“It hurt tying,” added Cantlay.
These two are part of a mutual admiration society. Here’s Schauffele waxing rhapsodic about Cantlay: “It’s almost impossible to rattle him,” Schauffele said. “He really doesn’t have a weakness and so there’s a lot for me to learn from him in terms of short game shots and how he approaches the game. So, it’s been great for me. I’m not sure if he’s learned anything from me, but I definitely learned something from him.”
When those plaudits were repeated to Cantlay, he held serve: “See, there he goes again, just being the best partner you could ask for, saying nice things,” Cantlay said. “He’s just good people. So, I feel like if it’s not something golf, which sometimes it is, we talk golf and we talk strategy I’ll learn something just that I can use in daily life, just because he’s such a good guy.”
As their friendship grows, so has their place as two of the top American pros, both under 30 and positioned to be a tandem in international competition for the next decade. And yet they remain two of the most underrated players in the game.
“We’re not particularly flashy and so that doesn’t get a lot of attention, if we’re not winning golf tournaments,” Cantlay said.
That could change this week at the Players or some time down the road on the way to the Ryder Cup, but by the time the biennial competition is played at Whistling Straits in late September, these friends likely will be told they’re being sent back out in the afternoon together. These two won’t be afraid to go “get it done.”
Players strategy: How will the pros play No. 16 at TPC Sawgrass? https://ift.tt/3etnawC
We all know that the famed island green at the TPC Sawgrass showcases all of the drama as the competitors navigate their way towards the finish, but the par-5 16th epitomizes the strategic elements required for the champion to get their hands on The Players Championship trophy.
Let’s dive into the strategy on this hole that often determines the tournament’s outcome, and traditionally is the easiest hole on the course — playing to a stroke average of 4.641 since 1982.
Off the tee
The first decision that the player will need to make is with club selection off the tee. Combining a wind direction that will be out of the northeast (left to right and helping) for most of the week and the fact that it’s already a short par 5 at a mere 523 yards, driver isn’t always the correct play as it will be more difficult to fit into this fairway that bends to the left at about 260 yards off the tee.
Steve Scott is the Director of Instruction for Golfweek. Click the photo to see Steve’s instruction tips.
Left-handers like Phil Mickelson or Bubba Watson can hit the more controllable power fade with their driver, but you’ll see Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy most likely take the fairway wood for the proper right to left shape to match the movement of the hole.
The ideal position for the tee shot will be in the left third of the fairway which opens up the green a lot more for the player where they won’t have to navigate the penalty area that is right and short of the putting surface.
Tee shots that find the right side of the fairway or the right rough will have the less advantageous angle, especially for the traditional front-right Sunday hole location, and the water looms large for a slight mis-hit shot.
Nick Watney takes a penalty drop after hitting into the water on the 16th hole during the third round of the 2011 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports
Go for it or lay up?
Following the tee shot, the second shot now takes center stage. Should they go for it or lay it up? An exacting shot is required, but it’s a necessary risk to take as since 2003, the players who go for the green in two average 4.46 and are an astonishing 2,950 under par, whereas those who lay up average 4.96 and are only a combined 77 under par.
As they will be looking between 200 to 240 yards to the green, it’s an important risk to calculate if a player is looking to climb the leaderboard. What makes the second shot interesting is that it is helpful if the player hits a left-to-right shot into the putting surface, a shot that is contrary to the shot they just struck off the tee.
Puttview TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (Courtesy of Puttview)
If a player does hit it in the rough and is forced to lay the ball up, the layup it must be far enough back as to not have the overhanging tree come into play for the third, especially for a hole location on the left side. A second shot going for the green from the rough will be simply rolling the dice.
Still work on the green
Once the player gets to the green, the heavy lifting is not completely done. In the last 7 years, the 16th green has an average ranking of 6th (6.42 to be exact) in greens most often three-putted as compared to the rest of the greens on the course.
Puttview TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (Courtesy of Puttview)
Some of this has to do with the multi-tiered nature of the putting surface and some of it has to do with the fact that as players reach the green in two with longer clubs and have longer first putts. Also, one can’t negate the psychological aspect of the ability to pick up a shot with a two-putt birdie and the first putt being lagged too far from the hole in protection of that hopeful birdie.
The 16th will definitely play both a strategic and pivotal role in the finish here at TPC, and the winner will likely birdie this hole all four days. And if history has anything to say about it this year, it will all go down as it did with Fred Couples in 1996, Craig Perks in 2002 or Rickie Fowler in 2015 where a dramatic eagle propelled them towards holding the trophy at days’ end.
(Steve Scott is Golfweek’s Director of Instruction and is working the Players Championship as part of the PGA Tour Live crew.)
Brooks Koepka's knee injury puts Masters start in doubt https://ift.tt/2ZhwsTt
The knee injury that forced Brooks Koepka’s withdrawal from the Players Championship on Sunday night could jeopardize his participation in the Masters next month.
Koepka told Golfweek on Wednesday afternoon that he sprained his right knee and will have further orthopedic consultations next week to determine the best course of action. Asked if he would return to action in time for the Masters, which begins in 29 days, Koepka would only say he will await results of the tests before committing to a schedule.
“No timeframe as of right now,” he said. “We will know more after the consultation.”
The four-time major winner declined to detail the extent of his injury or how he sustained it. “An accident happened while I was with my family over the weekend,” he said. “We are doing everything possible to make sure we are back as soon as possible.”
The injury is the latest in a lengthy list of physical frustrations for the 30-year-old. He was benched for three months after injuring his left knee slipping at the CJ Cup in South Korea in 2019. Compensating for that knee led to a labrum injury in his left hip, and more recently he has complained of stiffness in his neck.
Despite the ailments, Koepka has rediscovered his form in recent weeks. He won the Waste Management Phoenix Open last month — his eighth victory on the PGA Tour — and tied for second in the WGC-Workday Championship two weeks ago. An injury-free Koepka would have been considered among the favorites at Augusta National, having finished T7 last year and T2 in 2019.
Pushed on how frustrating the injuries have been, Koepka was succinct and upbeat: “I’ll be back.”
The Players Championship: Best tournament prop bets https://ift.tt/eA8V8J
The PGA Tour is at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, for The Players Championship. The tournament features the strongest field to date in 2021. In search of value, we look at the 2021 Players Championship odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions for the top tournament prop bets.
Brooks Koepka withdrew Sunday afternoon due to a knee injury but Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele are all in attendance to challenge Rory McIlroy in his defense of his 2019 Players Championship title. Bryson DeChambeau will look to go back-to-back following victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Niemann made his debut in this event last year but was able to play just one round. He’s a strong fit for the course as an expert ball-striker with 1.64 Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green through 35 measured rounds on the 2020-21 season. He started the calendar year with back-to-back runner-up finishes in Hawaii.
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Top 10: Kevin Streelman (+1200)
Missed the cut in four of his last six appearances at TPC Sawgrass, but was a co-runner-up in 2013. He was also the runner-up at the 2020 Travelers Championship; TPC River Highlands was also designed by architect Pete Dye.
Top player
Top English: Justin Rose (+800)
Bettors and DFS players alike were spurned last week when Rose withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational in the third round due to a back injury. Jump back on the inflated odds at a course where has played 49 competitive rounds with an average of 1.01 strokes gained on the field per round.
Ancer is coming off a quality T-18 finish against a strong field at the WGC-Workday Championship. He’s gaining 0.70 strokes per round from tee-to-green with 0.34 SG: Approach per round and is a good fit for the course. He tied for 12th here in 2019.
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First-round leader
Cameron Smith (+6600)
Smith is tied for fourth on the PGA Tour this season with a Round 1 scoring average of 68.40 through 10 tournaments. He shares that tie with Niemann, but Niemann is +6000 to hold the 18-hole lead at TPC Sawgrass. Smith also shares the PGA Tour in par 5 scoring average and can start in favorable opening-round scoring conditions.
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