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Off Course with Claude Harmon: What it’s like to coach an elite player

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 22:59:11 +0000

On this week’s episode of Off Course with Claude Harmon, Top 100 Teacher Dana Dahlquist explains how he approaches his first session with a new Tour pro.

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'Tough situation': Rules debate at Bay Hill includes pro ‘100 yards away’ from incident

Nick Piastowski — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 23:52:14 +0000

Beau Hossler hit his ball into the water. That wasn’t up for debate. But his relief was.

In a bizarre sequence during Saturday’s third round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and as first reported by NBC on-course reporter Jim “Bones” Mackay, Hossler’s second shot on the par-4 11th at Bay Hill dumped into the red-lined penalty area left of the green — and at least four people argued over where Hossler should receive his rules relief. One of the people, Mackay said, was “a player from the group in front, some 100 yards away.”

According to Mackay, Hossler and playing partner Billy Horschel believed that Hossler’s shot, from 166 yards away, had crossed over the red line that defines the penalty area near the green before finishing in the water. But the player in the other group said the ball did not clear the red line there, Mackay said, and a rules official was called.

In question was where Hossler would drop, according to Rule 17.1d. If Hossler’s ball had crossed the red line near the green, he would be able to drop in an area about 20 yards from the hole. If his ball hadn’t crossed there, Hossler would have to play from where the ball last did, which would be some 100 yards farther back.

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Mackay did not identify the player in the other group — playing ahead of Hossler and Horschel were Martin Laird and Paul Casey — but analyst Paul Azinger did wonder about it.

“Beau Hossler played his second from the fairway bunker, and the ball ended up in the water, and there was a lot of discussion as to whether or not his ball carried over the red line that defines the penalty area,” Mackay said on the broadcast. “Without question to he and Billy and actually myself, it looked like it cleared by a good two or three feet.

“But a player from the group in front, some 100 yards away, insisted that it didn’t. So they had a very interesting conversation out here. Billy Horschel was absolutely adamant with a rules official that it had crossed and they ended up, I think, making the correct decision, giving Beau the appropriate relief.”

As Mackay said, it was settled that the ball did cross the red line near the green and, after a penalty stroke, Hossler dropped from there. He finished with a double-bogey six.

“That’s a tough situation for these guys if you got some guy making that kind of call from the other hole,” Azinger said on the broadcast.

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GOLF's Subpar: Beau Hossler explains the impact a good pairing can have on Tour

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 20:58:55 +0000

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by PGA Tour pro Beau Hossler who explains why a good pairing can have a serious impact on a player’s performance.

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GOLF's Subpar: Beau Hossler talks leading the U.S. Open at 17 years old

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 20:42:34 +0000

Subpar’s Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz are joined by PGA Tour pro Beau Hossler who explains how difficult it was for him to be leading the U.S. Open at the age of 17.

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: Beau Hossler talks leading the U.S. Open at 17 years old appeared first on Golf.

Beau Hossler Interview: Leading the US Open at 17 years old, coming up just short in Houston

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:20:52 +0000

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, PGA Tour pro Beau Hossler joins former PGA Tour pro Colt Knost and jicky jack legend Drew Stoltz for an exclusive, in-studio, interview. Coming off a recent 3rd place finish in Pebble Beach, Beau talks what it was like leading the US Open at just 17 years old, why leaving home in California to attend the University of Texas has made him a better all around performer and how being paired with first time golfers in a pro-am nearly cost him his Tour card.

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The post Beau Hossler Interview: Leading the US Open at 17 years old, coming up just short in Houston appeared first on Golf.

Ready, set, Beau! Despite an auspicious Tour debut, Hossler sees room for improvement

Ryan Asselta — Tue, 11 Dec 2018 02:38:16 +0000

If you had to, how would you grade your first season on the PGA Tour?
I guess a C. I did a lot of positive things, but it certainly wasn’t up to par. I don’t think there are many guys out here who are competitive who are gonna be really satisfied with anything, right? I mean, as much success as you have, you always want more. That’s what keeps you going and keeps you working hard.
At last year’s Houston Open, you played in the final group on Sunday, ultimately losing in a playoff to Ian Poulter. What did you learn, being in that situation for the first time on Tour?
At every level I’ve played, it’s been a bit of an adjustment once I’ve gotten into contention. At the pro level, Houston was kind of the first week I busted out and played really well in contention. And, truthfully, I felt like I played well enough to win the tournament. I just got beat.
You had about a 30-foot putt on the 72nd hole to win, and it burned the edge. Do you still see that putt in your mind?

In Houston, Hossler was just a few blades of grass away from winning his first PGA Tour title.

Not really. There’s no reason to get wrapped up in it. I hit a great putt, and that’s all you can do.
You also finished second at the Travelers. What about your game has helped you transition to this level so quickly?
I’ve putted probably as well as I’ve ever putted. It’s been the rock of my golf game. If you’re getting the ball in the hole, it makes scoring a lot easier.
You had a ton of success coming up through the ranks. When you think back to your time at the University of Texas, and having to sit out the National Championship due to injury, did that heartbreak make you a stronger player?
Yeah, it was emotional. I had worked [really hard] to get to the point where I was going to turn pro, and I’d planned to turn pro the day [after the Nationals]. To have to put that on hold was tough, but it certainly gave me more appreciation for playing.
Do you sometimes have to force yourself to step back and appreciate where you are?
Totally. I mean, I’ve had some tough tournaments. And at times it’s stressful. But there’s a lot worse problems to have. I feel very, very lucky and blessed to be doing what I’m doing.
When you think back on the history of UT golf, who’d be with you in the ultimate Longhorn foursome?
Well, if we’re doing just golfers, probably Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite and Jordan Spieth. I really enjoy playing golf with Jordan.

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So many people associate UT with Jordan. What’s different about you compared with him?
Well, I’m from California. [Laughs] But most people don’t know that. They hear “Beau” and Longhorns and think you’re from Texas. Right. They’re all generally pretty surprised. I’m a Texas immigrant. I live there, and it’s home for me.
You’re mature beyond your years. Where does that come from?
[Laughs] I have no idea. I guess I just think a lot. I’m pretty good at analyzing stuff, and I don’t speak unless I feel like I’m pretty knowledgeable on the subject.
Speaking of old ways, you often go with a visor instead of the hat.
The hat’s only for practice rounds. I whip out the visor in tournament play. I started wearing it in high school.
How about a mentor? Is there one person who has influenced you the most over your career?
Jim Flick was a coach of mine when I started to get serious about golf. My dad took me down there to the Kingdom, in Carlsbad, and I worked with Jim from the time I was 11 until he died, probably when I was 17. At a young age, I was very, very fortunate to learn from one of the best coaches ever, someone who had experience you could definitely not replace.
How about someone you look up to on Tour?
I’ve always been a fan of Phil, but I don’t look at any Tour player as a mentor because I’m trying to beat everybody. But I think there are certain things you can learn from every player out here. There’s a reason why they’re out here: They do something very well. And if you look at the top of the world rankings, a lot of those guys do different things well. I think you can learn from everybody. There’s people who are more open about what they do than others, and I ask a bunch of questions. But I just kind of learn by watching.
You’re a California guy who went to the University of Texas, so Dodgers baseball or Longhorns football —which is more important to you?
Oh, God. I’m gonna get grief for this, but Dodgers baseball all day! I’ve been a Dodger fan since I was three, and I still keep up, watching games while I’m on the road.
What was harder to take? The Dodgers tanking in two successive World Series, or your playoff loss to Poulter in Houston?
The playoff loss was way harder. [Laughs] I will always take my personal defeats as a little bit tougher than watching baseball on television.

The post Ready, set, Beau! Despite an auspicious Tour debut, Hossler sees room for improvement appeared first on Golf.

Beau Hossler in three-way tie atop Quicken Loans leaderboard; Tiger Woods is four shots back

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 20:03:00 +0000

POTOMAC, Md. (AP) – Beau Hossler has been hanging around the lead on the weekend in search of his first PGA Tour victory, and he gets another chance at the Quicken Loans National.

So does Tiger Woods.

Hossler, the 23-year-old in his first full year on the tour, birdied four of his last five holes and finished with a 35-foot birdie putt on No. 18 for a 4-under 66, giving him a share of the lead with Ryan Armour and Brian Gay.

Armour (65) and Gay (64) each made short birdies on the par-3 ninth hole to finish their rounds and tie for lead.

Woods finished a steamy morning on the TPC Potomac at Avenel with two pars that felt just as big. On a day in which he made seven birdies – all but two of them from 15 feet or longer – Woods didn’t let a good round go to waste at the end. He saved par from the bunker on the eighth and ninth holes for a 65. That matched his low score of the year and left him four shots behind, the closest he has been going into the weekend since he was two shots back at the Valspar Championship.

“I’m not that far back,” Woods said. “The scores aren’t going to be that low and it’s going to be a tough weekend. It will be over 100 degrees and it will be a long weekend mentally and physically. I’m in a good position now.”

Hossler has at least a share of the 36-hole lead for the third time this year, and he had a close call in the Houston Open, losing in a playoff to Ian Poulter. He has shot in the 60s in 21 of his last 38 rounds.

“I’ve had a lot of really good rounds. Unfortunately, I’ve had some kind of high ones that are uncharacteristic for me,” Hossler said. “I think that was six in a row in the 60s, so I’m feeling good. I’m getting it in play nicely off the tee and I’m rolling the putter really well, so that obviously helps.”

They were at 9-under 131, one shot ahead of Francesco Molinari (65) and Billy Horschel (68). Molinari, who is playing the Quicken Loans National and John Deere Classic with hopes of boosting his FedEx Cup standing, hit all 18 greens in regulation.

Woods was among 20 players separated by four shots going into the weekend that is expected to be hot as ever along the Potomac River.

The course rated the fourth-toughest on the PGA Tour schedule last year behind only three majors, though the greens have remained mostly receptive even under a blistering sun on Friday.

“I think the course changed a little bit at the end of the day,” Horschel said after finishing in the afternoon. “I think the course will be a little bit firm, a little bit faster, but I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere what it was last year, so I think you can still go out there and score. We’re going to try to put two more rounds in the 60s, see where it puts us for Sunday.”

Hossler had a 66 on Sunday at the Travelers Championship to tie for second behind Bubba Watson. He began his big finish by driving just through the green on the reachable 14th for a simple up-and-down birdie, stuffed his approach to 3 feet on the next hole, and then took on the water to the right of the green on the par-3 17th and hit that to 6 feet for birdie.

Gay started on the back nine and opened with five birdies in eight holes before his momentum slowed. Armour, playing in the same group, had only one birdie in 10 holes until he finished with four birdies on the front nine.

“Brian got off to such a hot start, you were just trying to keep up,” Armour said. “You were just trying not to fall too far behind him, and if you do that, you probably were up near the lead.”

Rickie Fowler, the only player from the top 10 in the world playing this week, shot a 66 and was in the group five shots behind.

Woods didn’t make a putt over 8 feet in the opening round. He started Friday with a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-5 10th, and after a bogey from the hazard on the next hole, followed that with an 18-foot birdie putt. His biggest shot was chipping in from 80 feet on the 18th for birdie as he made the turn. His favorite shot was a 3-wood he hammered from 282 yards onto the green at the par-5 second hole for a two-putt birdie.

It added to a 65 and a realistic chance going into the weekend.

“I think I’m not that far away from putting it together where I can win,” Woods said.

The post Beau Hossler in three-way tie atop Quicken Loans leaderboard; Tiger Woods is four shots back appeared first on Golf.

Expert Picks: Valero Texas Open

Tue, 17 Apr 2018 12:00:00 +0000

GOLF.com’s Ryan Asselta and Sean Zak make their fantasy golf picks for this week’s Valero Texas Open.

The post Expert Picks: Valero Texas Open appeared first on Golf.

Ian Poulter beats Beau Hossler in playoff to win Houston Open, claim final Masters invite

Sun, 01 Apr 2018 18:30:00 +0000

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) — Ian Poulter delivered another big moment Sunday, this one for himself.

Down to his last putt, Poulter made a 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Beau Hossler, and then he won the Houston Open with a par on the first extra hole to earn the last spot in the Masters.

One week after Poulter was mistakenly told he had locked up a spot at Augusta National through the world ranking, he left no doubt by winning with a clutch moment reminiscent of his Ryder Cup heroics from Medinah in 2012.

“I had to dig deep today,” said Poulter, who closed with a 5-under 67.

Hossler, who also shot 67, overcame a three-shot deficit with four straight birdies on the back nine. He had a chance to win on the 18th in regulation with a 30-foot birdie putt that trickled over the right edge of the cup.

That set the stage for Poulter, and the 42-year-old from England lived up to his nickname as “The Postman” by delivering his biggest putt in years. Poulter pounded his chest five times when the putt dropped, and all Hossler could do was smile.

Ian Poulter!

A birdie on the final hole to force a playoff @HouOpen.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/HAiASKMHkI

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 1, 2018

In the sudden-death playoff on the 18th, one of the more daunting finishing holes off the tee with water down the left side and a bunker to the right, Hossler found the bunker for the second time. He hit into a greenside bunker, and his third shot caught way too much ball and went over the green and into the water.

Poulter was safely on the green as Hossler took his penalty drop, chipped onto the green and took two putts for a triple bogey.

They finished at 19-under 269.

Poulter won for the third time on the PGA Tour, and his first in America since the Match Play in 2010 at Arizona. This was his first stroke-play victory in America, and the timing could not have been better.

When he reached the quarterfinals of the Dell Technologies Match Play last weekend in Austin, he was told that it was enough to get him into the top 50 in the world ranking by the end of the weekend, the cutoff for qualifying for the Masters.

It turned out he needed to win his quarterfinal match, and Poulter was informed of the mistake before he teed off. Kevin Kisner beat him, 8 and 6.

Poulter was so disappointed that he contemplated not even going to Houston, and when he opened with a 73 in a first round of low scoring, he packed his bags and prepared to go home to Florida the next day. Instead, he bounced back with a 64, and shot 65-67 on the weekend.

“Last week was painful,” he said. “To come here this week, I was tired. I was frustrated on Thursday. … I was patient. I waited my time. And this is amazing.”

It was his first victory since the HSBC Champions, a World Golf Championship event at Mission Hills in China in 2012. That was a month after Poulter led Europe to a stunning turnaround in the Ryder Cup by making five straight birdies to win a fourballs match and give Europe momentum to overcome a four-point deficit.

Along with going to the Masters, Poulter cracks the top 30 in the world and now is in good shape to be eligible for the rest of the majors. He also has a two-year exemption, critical because he nearly lost his card a year ago until he was spared by a clerical error by the tour.

Hossler did everything right until the playoff. His four straight birdies included a 30-footer on the par-3 14th to tie for the lead, and a wedge that settled 4 feet below the hole that gave him the lead with three to play.

Jordan Spieth closed with a 66 and tied for third with Emiliano Grillo (68), giving Spieth momentum for the Masters. It was Spieth’s best finish against a full field since he tied for second in the Dell Technologies Championship outside Boston in September.

“Goal accomplished for the week,” Spieth said. “I’ve made some big strides from my last couple tournaments. I’m very excited for what next week holds.”

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Ian Poulter, Beau Hossler share lead at Houston Open, eye Masters final invite

Sat, 31 Mar 2018 19:48:00 +0000

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) — Ian Poulter has played in the Masters a dozen times, never missing the cut. Beau Hossler has never played a competitive round at Augusta National.

Both are in position to become the last man in the Masters field, and neither wants to think about it.

The 42-year-old Poulter surged into a share of the lead at the Houston Open on Saturday with a 7-under 65, and Hossler, a 23-year-old PGA Tour rookie, matched him at 14-under 202 after he holed a 7-footer for birdie on the par-4 18th to shoot 69.

Like all PGA Tour events that offer full FedEx Cup points, the Houston Open title comes with an invitation to next week’s Masters.

“No, not thinking about it, not talking about it,” Poulter said. “I’m going to go out and have some fun tomorrow. There’s a lot of ifs and buts. I’ll have no emotion at all. I’m in a no-lose situation. … I’ll go do my job.”

Four players were two shots behind Poulter and Hossler — Australian Greg Chalmers (65), Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (67), American Kevin Tway (69) and Paul Dunne of Ireland (69) — and none of them has a spot at Augusta yet either.

Hossler has popped up on a major leaderboard before — he briefly led the 2012 U.S. Open while still in high school — and he said getting to the Masters would be “as good as it gets.” But he said contemplating that opportunity would only lead to “trouble” on Sunday.

Poulter shot 64 on Friday after opening with a 73 that had him packing his bags in anticipation of a missed cut. It was the first time since his last victory in 2012 that he had consecutive rounds of 65 or better on the PGA Tour.

Asked if his rounds ranked among the best back-to-back efforts in his 23 years of touring professionally, Poulter said, “From a putting standpoint, yes, absolutely.”

It was a simple fix for the English veteran renowned for making crucial putts on winning Ryder Cup teams. He opened his shoulders slightly, allowing him to see the lines better, and has played his last 40 holes in 16 under, without a bogey.

“Hopefully I’ve found the key,” Poulter said. “I need to write it down and, when it’s not there, I need to read it.”

Poulter nearly made it into the Masters last week with a run to the quarterfinals at the Dell Technologies Match Play, which improved his world ranking to 51st — just missing the cutoff to move into the top 50. Making matters worse, he had been told by media members that his quarterfinals appearance would guarantee him enough ranking points. But just before he began his quarterfinal match, officials informed him that he’d need to make the semis.

The news knocked Poulter off his game and he lost badly, 8 and 6, to Kevin Kisner.

“Some people were getting in my head space, which is never good,” Poulter said. “Yeah, maybe I was a bit angry on Thursday. Maybe I was kind of forcing, trying to force my way into (the Masters). That didn’t work, so I had to re-think it. I kind of had to flow the cobwebs out, reset and go again.”

Rickie Fowler birdied three of the first four holes to move into the lead before he faltered with a double bogey on the sixth hole and a triple bogey — including a three-putt from inside 7 feet — on the par-5 13th. He shot 73 and was five shots back.

Jordan Spieth, whose putter appeared to be heating up after a season-long slump, had four three-putts in the first eight holes — including two misses from inside 4 feet — and shot 71. He trailed by four shots.

Henrik Stenson and Matt Kuchar were 11 under, among the dozen players within three shots of the lead.

Ninety players teed off Saturday, the most in almost three years on the PGA Tour, after Bobby Gates’ final-hole bogey on Friday allowed an additional 20 players to make the cut. Seventy-five remain after Saturday’s secondary cut, including Phil Mickelson, who had a double bogey and a triple bogey in his round of 72.

Now that he’s out of the hunt, Mickelson will spend Sunday trying to gear up his game for Augusta. Hossler, Poulter and many others can only hope for the chance to do the same.

The post Ian Poulter, Beau Hossler share lead at Houston Open, eye Masters final invite appeared first on Golf.