Nick Hardy, who we already wrote about once on this site today thanks to a couple of key tips he picked up, knows the man he’s chasing very well.
Thomas Detry co-leads the Sanderson Farms Championship (along with Mackenzie Hughes) through 36 holes, which is three clear of Hardy, who is tied for seventh.
After his Friday round in Jackson, Miss., Hardy called Detry a big brother to him. They both went to the University of Illinois and became close. Just a few weeks ago they roomed together at the Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
“He was a leader to me in school my freshman and sophomore year,” Hardy said. “Yeah, I learned a lot from him in college and still am. Now that he’s out here full-time, it’s great playing practice rounds and just trying to beat each other on the putting green. We’re very competitive, very competitive. Having that out here is only a bonus for me, and I think for him, too.”
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Trying to beat each other on the putting green?
Hardy was asked to elaborate. Apparently it’s a game they play on the practice greens at tournaments on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They played in college, and they still do now.
“Six-footer drill we call it,” Hardy said. “There’s six tees around the hole and we start on opposite sides. You make it, you move on to the next one, you miss, you stay. Basically you just try to pass the other person, and if you pass the other person, you win. That’s our game.”
It’s a good distance to practice, too. Last season on the PGA Tour, the Tour average from 3-5 feet was 87.87 percent. From 5-10 feet, it was 56.29 percent. Putts of those lengths make a huge difference.
And hey, if this game works for pros, gets those competitive juices flowing, helps them earn bragging rights over friends and allows them to practice that key distance, it should be able to do the same for you. Add it to your to-do list next time you and your buddies have time to kill.