This pro is chipping one-handed … in competition. Here’s why

We’ve seen pros take rehersal swings with one hand. We’ve seen them hit shots around a practice green with one hand.

But it’s tough to remember when we’ve seen a pro break out one-handed chipping in an actual tournament.

That is until Saturday.

During the second round of the PGA Tour Champions’ Insperity Invitational, Wes Short Jr. faced a downhill chip after hitting it over the par-3 14th green. It seemed like a pretty straight-forward chip as Short addressed the ball, with only his left hand on the club.

His right palm remained flat on his right quad.

“Going one-handed?” exclaimed a confused Golf Channel play-by-play man Bob Papa.

Short slid his wedge right under the ball, popped it just on the front of the green and watched as it checked and rolled out to just a few feet from the hole. Short simply handed his club back to his caddie and grabbed his putter like business as usual.

“That tells me the man has the chipping yips,” analyst Lanny Wadkins added. “If you’re going one-handed or cross-handed, you’ve got issues with a two-handed normal grip.”

We’ve seen U.S. Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick have sucess with his cross-handed chipping method from inside 30 yards, but taking one hand off the club seems like a whole other level. The PGA Tour Champions social media team caught up with Short Sunday morning and it turns out taking his right hand out of the shot was the goal.

“I think my right hand has been causing me some problems,” Short said. “If it’s not on the club, then it can’t cause any problems.

“I’ve been trying to work myself back into two [hands], but I had quite a bit of trouble yesterday and so I went back to the one-handed the last couple holes”

Short started Saturday in a tie for sixth but had diasters on the 9th and 13th, carding a quad and a double. The up-and-down on 14 leveled the ship and he was able to make two birdies in his final three holes to shoot 77.

Jack Hirsh

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at jack.hirsh@golf.com.

 

 

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