The post 1 surprising fact about Jin Young Ko’s incredible streak of 63 GIRs in a row appeared first on Golf.

The post 1 surprising fact about Jin Young Ko’s incredible streak of 63 GIRs in a row appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

No warmup? No problem

Jin Young Ko’s ball striking at the CME Group Tour Championship was sublime. How good, you ask? The last time she missed a green was Thursday morning. Ko hit her last 63 — yes, 63! — greens in regulation for the event. (For context, Tiger Woods’ longest GIR streak during his historic 2000 season was 29.) Those ball-striking numbers make Ben Hogan look like a weekend hacker.

To add a bit to the absurdity of Ko’s performance, it’s important to note that she was playing with a bum left wrist all week. The ailment bothered her so much that she didn’t make a full swing on the range before any of her rounds throughout the week. That’s right, 63 GIRs in a row without a full warmup.

News

“I had just some chips, few chip shot before the tee off and then few putts,” said Ko, who earned the largest paycheck in LPGA history with her win. “[I] put on the sunblock on my neck and hand and just talk[ed] with my manager.”

Ko came to the course each day, warmed up like she would for a round at a local muni, and proceeded to shoot 23 under for 72 holes.

“I didn’t practice at all for this week before the tee off,” Ko said. “I still played really well this week, so I couldn’t believe how I was hitting it so straight.”

No breakfast balls needed.

Summer(hays) isn’t done

You’d be hard pressed to point to a PGA Tour player playing better this fall than Talor Gooch. Coming into the week in Georgia, he had four top-15 finishes over his first five starts as he put together one of the most productive seasons of his career.

At the RSM Classic, everything finally came together as the 30-year-old broke through on Tour at last, winning on St. Simons Island for his first career victory.

Gooch’s win comes after seven years of searching at the pro level. While he won on the development circuits, his RSM win marks his first win against the game’s best.

“I had to learn how to believe in myself in some tough times,” he said. “It’s been a journey for sure, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

One reason for Gooch hitting his stride at last? Teaming up with GOLF Top 100 Teacher Boyd Summerhays.

“It was something I had been thinking about for a while,” Gooch said of the recent switch. “I wasn’t looking for an overhaul by any means … I’m very much a feel player and so I wanted someone who was not going to complicate the game, someone who was going to keep it simple and kind of let me be an athlete on the golf course. Boyd Summerhays, who I started working with, he fit the mold for that.”

Mark that as win No. 2 for a Summerhays disciple in 2021 as Tony Finau nabbed a win of his own during the FedEx Cup playoffs. Big year for Summer(hays) lovers.

The post 1 surprising fact about Jin Young Ko’s incredible streak of 63 GIRs in a row appeared first on Golf.

The post How a change to his takeaway helped Lucas Herbert win in Bermuda appeared first on Golf.

The post How a change to his takeaway helped Lucas Herbert win in Bermuda appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

A key swing change

Lucas Herbert has been a successful player on the European Tour over the last few years, but on Sunday, he experienced a coming-out-party on the opposite side of the Atlantic, winning the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. The victory is Herbert’s third over the last two years, and his first west of Europe.

“It just opens up so many doors for me and it’s just so exciting, being able to play out here now and pick a schedule,” said Herbert, whose win locked up full-time PGA Tour playing privileges. “To be out of that battle and get into some of these really big events, I’m looking forward to it so much.”

Instruction

Herbert explained after the win that in recent weeks, he’s been working on a swing change with his long-time coach Dom Azzopardi. After a stint of sup-optimal ball striking of late, Azzopardi suggested Herbert alter his takeaway to put the club on the correct plane.

“I was taking the club back a long way inside, inside plane going back and from there it was very hard to match it up,” Herbert said. “I was kind of leaking the ball to the right or double crossing left, which is not a really good way to play golf.”

As Herbert said, when bringing the club to the inside too far during the takeaway, his entire swing was thrown off. It resulted in blocking the ball to the right or, in an overcorrection, double crossing and pulling the ball to the left.

To fix this subtle flaw, Herbert attempted to keep the clubhead further outside his hands from the beginning of the swing until the shaft is parallel to the ground. This put his swing back on plane and allowed for a tournament-winning week of ball striking.

The post How a change to his takeaway helped Lucas Herbert win in Bermuda appeared first on Golf.

The post This element of Phil Mickelson’s game explains his Champions Tour dominance appeared first on Golf.

The post This element of Phil Mickelson’s game explains his Champions Tour dominance appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Lefty’s Champions Tour dominance

Phil Mickelson has played four Champions Tour events since turning 50 last year and so far, he’s taken home three trophies. Since reaching the half-century mark, Lefty also notched major win No. 6 against the young’uns, so it’s reasonable to assume that he’s dominant on the Champions Tour merely because of a talent gap. However, as Mickelson explained after his win at the Constellation Furyk & Friends last week, the larger margin for error on the senior circuit has also keyed his success.

“I’m enjoying the golf courses, how I can be a little bit more aggressive,” he said after his final-round 68. “Like when I made a [double bogey] on No. 5, I can still recover. You do that on the regular tour, you just get eaten alive, you just can’t make those mistakes there and have a chance to compete and contend and win.”

Mickelson has always been a feast-or-famine player, so the ability to fire at pins and ratchet up the aggressiveness on the Champions Tour plays to his strengths masterfully.

“I like how you don’t have to be perfect, and I can get away with a shot or two here or there,” Mickelson said. “It makes it fun to play and play aggressive.”

If Mickelson can stay aggressive, it’s safe to assume he’ll take home plenty more hardware on the Champions Tour.

Be like Federer

World No. 1 Nelly Korda is not the most expressive player on the course, but as she explained at last week’s Founder’s Cup, that calm outer demeanor doesn’t always reflect how she feels on the inside.

“My face is pretty calm but not inside,” Korda said. “I’m definitely feeling all the emotions inside.”

While some players use their emotions as a fire that catapults their games to the next level, Korda prefers a more even-keeled approach. The cliché “one shot at a time” plays a huge role in achieving that attitude — something Korda said she’s tried to do since a young age — but she also said another major winner has served as a model for that on-course behavior.

“I’ve always looked up to Roger Federer and he’s always had one emotion in a sense,” she said. “He’s always been really calm on the court, so I kind of tried to take that to golf as well.”

Want to overhaul your golf bag? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

The post This element of Phil Mickelson’s game explains his Champions Tour dominance appeared first on Golf.

The post This simple power move helped a pro add nearly 20 yards to his drives appeared first on Golf.

The post This simple power move helped a pro add nearly 20 yards to his drives appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Squash the grape

There is no larger indicator of success in professional golf than distance off the tee. With analytics becoming more prominent in the game, it has become apparent that driving is not just for show — it is also important for making dough.

This understanding has led to a distance arms race on the PGA Tour. Bryson DeChambeau is the most prominent example of this phenomenon, but other pros have begun searching for distance as well.

Take Cameron Tringale, for example. Four years ago, Tringale averaged just over 280 yards off the tee, ranking 168th on Tour. In the time since, he’s added nearly 18 yards to his average off the tee and climbed inside the top 100 in driving distance last season.  

Part of Tringale’s speed jump came from reworking his swing to be more efficient and generate easier power. And he’s used a simple speed move to train his swing to be more efficient and add some pop to his drives. His favorite drill was shared in a social media video this week by the PGA Tour.

The theme of the drill is “squashing the grape” under his left heel on his downswing. By lifting his lead heel and imagining he’s squashing a grape underneath it on the way down, he properly transfers his weight through the ball and generates more efficient power.

“It’s more of a technique than a speed drill,” Tringale says. “But the byproduct of using my body more efficiently is more speed.”

If you’re looking to add a few extra yards to your drives, remember to squash the grape under your lead heel. Do that, and you’ll quickly see your distance soar.

Play your game

As noted above, distance is incredibly important for sustained success in golf. However, chasing distance can do more harm than good if a player gets away from their game in the process.

Celine Boutier is wise enough to know this fact, and she’s not let her lack of pop allow her to stray from what has made her a top player in the women’s game.

Short Game

The Frenchwoman averages just 256 yards off the tee this season on the LPGA Tour, but despite her unremarkable distance, she’s racked up seven top-15 finishes, including a win at last week’s Shoprite Classic.

“I feel like you have to focus on your own game. Everyone’s game is different,” Boutier said. “But it’s not my game to be bombing it and then having wedges everywhere, so I also know what to do with my strength.”

Boutier explained that while added distance would be welcome for her game, it’s not a priority for her to chase those extra yards. She knows what she does well, and if she plays her game, she can be a successful player.

“My gain in distance has definitely helped me, but I also know I’m not going to be a long hitter like Maria Fassi or Patty [Tavatanakit] or Bianca [Pagdanganan],” she said. “Any gain I can get of course is welcome, but I also know that’s not the strength of my game.”

Ready to overhaul your game? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

The post This simple power move helped a pro add nearly 20 yards to his drives appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Phil Mickelson made 2 tweaks to his putting technique appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Phil Mickelson made 2 tweaks to his putting technique appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Old dog tries new (and old) tricks

Phil Mickelson had an adventurous start to his 29th PGA Tour season, including hitting driver off the deck from a forest and coaching a rogue marshal who mistakenly picked up his ball. But in the nearly three decades we’ve gotten to enjoy Lefty’s brilliance, adventure is what we’ve come to expect.

It was ultimately a middling T36 finish for Mickelson as he sprinkled flashes of brilliance with stretches of struggle. But if nothing else, the week served as an incubator for some tweaks to his putting. Mickelson made two changes to his putting in Napa, borrowing a bit from his past, while also embracing some new-age tech that has become popular in recent years.

News

In a nod to his past self, the 51-year-old tried to get his patented forward-press technique into the same position he used as a kid.

“It’s getting to that same position every time,” he said. “I’m not overpressing, I’m not underpressing, so my launch characteristics when I get on the Quintic system is very consistent and that’s what I’m looking for.”

And while Mickelson searched for answers from his past, he also embraced a bit of modernity in the form of an arm-lock putting grip. After experimenting with the grip extension for the last six weeks, he finally put the putter in the bag during competition last week.

“I had been working on it and in some practice rounds like I’ll get on a roll and just start making a lot,” he said. “It takes a little getting used to, but it seems like I’ve had moments where I just start rolling it in from everywhere.”

The changes appeared to do some good for Mickelson’s putting. He gained .529 strokes on the greens for the week (good for 41st in the field) and was lethal from 15 to 20 feet. He made 54.55 percent of his putts from that range and easily led the field in that category.

“I thought I putted really well,” he said. “That’s good that the ball’s hunting the cup and tracking.”

Be like Patty Ice

Max Homa is officially a three-time PGA Tour winner, and he credited the reigning Player of the Year for the mental fortitude needed to get the job done in Napa.

“[I] learned a lot from what Patrick Cantlay said after the Tour Championship,” Homa said after his win at the Fortinet Championship. “I saw a press conference he did where he kind of said that he just tries to be himself at all times. And I try to kind of be introspective and think, well, who am I?”

Homa concluded that when he plays at home, he likes constant chatter on the course. He tried to bring his at-Homa (get it?) attitude with him to the tournament, being wholly himself while between the ropes.

“If I have something to say I’ll say it to either my caddie or whoever I’m playing with,” he said. “So I tried this week to talk a lot and be me and not feel like I was being any different than who I am. Like I said, I learned a lot from what Pat said in his press conference at East Lake.”

If you’re going to draw inspiration from someone, the reigning Player of the Year isn’t a bad place to start.

Need help on the greens at your home course? Pick up a Green Book from our affiliate company, GolfLogix.

The post Why Phil Mickelson made 2 tweaks to his putting technique appeared first on Golf.

The post This was Anna Nordqvist’s go-to shot around the greens at Carnoustie appeared first on Golf.

The post This was Anna Nordqvist’s go-to shot around the greens at Carnoustie appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Nordqvist’s key to victory

Anna Nordqvist conquered Carnoustie Golf Links last week as she claimed her third major victory at the AIG Women’s Open. Her ball striking was superb over the weekend as she shot 65-69 over the weekend to hold off the three runners-up by a shot.

The ball striking was no doubt an integral asset to the Swede’s success over the weekend, but she Nordqvist also showed creativity and finesse around the greens to keep bogeys off the card. She dropped just one shot over the final 36 holes, thanks largely to her excellent play around the greens.

Each time she got in trouble, there was no risk of putting up a big number — or even a bogey. Nordqvist often opted for the low-risk option around the greens, using a putter to nudge her ball up near the cup.

Instruction

“I think the links golf, you kind of have to,” Nordqvist said of her decision to repeatedly use the Texas wedge around the greens. “When you’re out of position, I just feel like I need to get myself back in position and give myself a par putt.”

Norqdvist said she put an emphasis on speed control on the greens in her preparation for the week, knowing she’d faced lots of long putts for birdie that she’d need to get within tap-in range to avoid bogeys.

“The best lag putt of the day was the one on 18 when it mattered the most,” she said.

Flop shots and low spinners might be sexy, but the Texas wedge is often the most reliable club in the bag around the greens.

Playing well when you lose your swing

Golf is not a game of perfect. It’s a rare day when you go to the course and everything in your swing is feeling great. It’s true for weekend hackers and professionals alike. Sometimes, the ball just will not do what you want it to.

When you start to lose your swing, it can be easy to panic. But fortunately, there are strategies you can use when your swing heads south.

Here are two things major-winner Sophia Popov does to hold her game together when she doesn’t feel her best.

Know where to miss

“If I know I can’t attack the pins because I’m not feeling good, my swing’s not good, I try to focus on where I wanna miss it in order to give myself the best opportunity and best chance to make up and down and get away with par or even drop a longer putt for birdie.”

Positive visualization

“Visualize a certain shot that you actually like hitting. I think in my head, ‘What’s my favorite shot?’ I love to hit a low cutty shot. It’s my go-to when things aren’t working out. Then I just try to channel that and trust it.”

Want to overhaul your bag? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

The post This was Anna Nordqvist’s go-to shot around the greens at Carnoustie appeared first on Golf.

The post These 8 numbers show just how difficult Oakmont Country Club really is appeared first on Golf.

The post These 8 numbers show just how difficult Oakmont Country Club really is appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

How hard is Oakmont?

Oakmont Country Club is known as one of the best championship venues and a course that has stood the test of time. It’s also known as one of the most difficult golf courses on the planet.

With awkward tee shots, pitched fairways and lightning-fast greens, there is no letup on the Henry Fownes design from the second you step on the 1st tee to when your ball finally drops in the cup on the 18th green.

On-course analyst and former caddie Jim “Bones” Mackay put it simply during the Saturday broadcast of the U.S. Amateur: “This is the hardest golf course I’ve ever seen,” he said.

These eight numbers from the 36-hole stroke-play portion of the 121st U.S. Amateur hammers home that point. (Oakmont and Longue Vue Club each hosted one round of stroke play.)

-77.16: The stroke average in the first round.

-74.94: The stroke average in the second round — after Oakmont was soaked by afternoon storms.

-527: Total number of birdies at Oakmont.

-1,1715: Total number of bogeys at Oakmont.

-329: Total number of doubles or worse at Oakmont.

-10: Number of players who broke par in their round at Oakmont.

-24: Number of players who shot over 80 in their round at Oakmont.

-1: Number of players who shot over 90 in their round at Oakmont.

“I don’t think it gets any easier,” said eventual runner-up Austin Greaser. “It’s still very, very hard.”

Point taken.

LPGA breakthrough

Ryann O’Toole made 227 LPGA Tour starts prior to last week’s Women’s Scottish Open. In her 228th start, she finally nabbed her first win.

O’Toole closed strong in Fife, Scotland, on Sunday with a 64, enough to edge Lydia Ko and Atthaya Thitikul by three shots for her maiden victory.

After her win, she revealed that the grind of pro golf had taken its toll. The fatigue had gotten so bad that she had even been contemplating retirement. But just as she started thinking about who she was away from the course, everything came together inside the ropes.

“It’s just accepting there’s more to life,” O’Toole said. “There’s a future of other things, and I think that just kind of eased up out here rather than the pressure of just making the pressure — I’m Ryann in a lot of different ways rather than just Ryann the golfer.”

Sometimes letting go is all it takes.

Creativity is key

Playing a golf course as difficult as Oakmont takes some imagination, and at the U.S. Amateur that creativity was on full display.

Over the last several decades, close to 15,000 trees have been removed from the property. The change has provided some breathtaking vistas, but it’s also resulted in giving players some unique options on how to navigate the course. Namely, playing down the wrong fairway to get better angles and avoid bunkers.

As Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine noted, players were fond of playing down the wrong fairways on at least six holes throughout the week, all in hopes of bettering their look into the devilish greens and avoiding penal bunkers.

“You have to dodge [the bunkers] at all costs,” Joe Highsmith told Romine. “If you have to go on another hole, then so be it.”

Though creative, the lines players took during the U.S. Amateur were likely not what Fownes had in mind when he designed the course over a century ago. Nevertheless, the course still proved to be a stern test as the stroke average for the week sat at a brutal 76.07.

The post These 8 numbers show just how difficult Oakmont Country Club really is appeared first on Golf.

The post How Nelly Korda’s new technique — and putter! — won her a gold medal appeared first on Golf.

The post How Nelly Korda’s new technique — and putter! — won her a gold medal appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Nelly’s new technique

It was a golden week in Tokyo for Nelly Korda.

The World No. 1 continued her dominant 2021 campaign with an emphatic win at the Women’s Olympic Golf Competition, outlasting Lydia Ko and Mone Inami by a shot. The win was her fourth of the season — and her third since she switched to a left-hand low putting technique earlier this summer.

“I always putted more with my left shoulder up and I wanted to see how it would be if I would have my shoulder square at setup,” Korda said. “The only way to do it is if I gripped it left hand low. My shoulders just rock so much better and I’m just connected more with my chest when I’m putting when I grip it left hand low.”

Since the switch, the 23-year-old has transformed into the best player on the planet. She started her heater with a win at the Meijer Classic and came back the next week with a breakthrough victory at the KPMG Women’s PGA. She’s also got more rounds of 63 or better (three) than rounds over par (one).

But a simple putting technique change is not the only reason for Korda’s summer hot streak. GOLF.com learned last week that she also put a new putter in the bag to better compliment her left-hand low technique.

With a left-hand low technique, Korda’s stroke path is more square to the target. Because of this, she opted to put a putter in the bag with less toe hang to match her release when she strikes the ball. The switch has taken her game to all new heights.

“I feel way more confident over it,” she said. “I know that my chest and my arms move more together, and I just feel like there’s less room for mistakes for me with left hand low.”

JT’s secret to recovery

Professional golf is an international sport, and sometimes that means some demanding travel days. Last week, Justin Thomas shared an Instagram post detailing his month-long galivant around the globe. He flew over 23,000 miles over four weeks, as he played everywhere from Tokyo to Memphis.

A frequent flyer program will help ease a demanding travel schedule like, but even more crucial is a quality recovery and fitness routine. First class seats might make for comfort in the skies, but recovery and fitness put Thomas on the path toward lifting trophies on Sundays.

“What makes me get back to normal is just get a good sweat in,” Thomas said in a recent video from the PGA Tour. “We work hard in the gym in off weeks and when we’re away from the course to have our bodies feeling as good as possible to handle those three-, four-, five-week stretches.”

Check out the entire video below to hear from Thomas on he keeps his body fresh even after some demanding travel.

Ready to get your swing dialed in? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

The post How Nelly Korda’s new technique — and putter! — won her a gold medal appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Xander Schauffele ditched arm-lock putting at the Olympics appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Xander Schauffele ditched arm-lock putting at the Olympics appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Xander’s golden putting stroke

Xander Schauffele raised some eyebrows two months ago when he went away from a traditional putting technique in favor of the controversial arm-lock putting method. Even though he’s statistically been one of the better putters on the PGA Tour over the last several seasons, he decided to experiment with the arm-lock technique in search of even the slightest advantage.

Gear

“It’s just, it’s better, it’s easier, it’s more consistent,” Schauffele said at the time. “The fact that it’s anchored to your arm, there isn’t a whole lot of — you can flinch in your hands, but you can’t flinch your entire left arm, so that’s the process behind that.”

But last week, during his gold-medal effort at the Olympics, Schauffele was back to his old ways. Gone was the arm-lock technique, replaced by his old, traditional method.

“I switched because the arm lock was a little too slow, I guess, I couldn’t hit putts hard enough,” he said. “I kind of got some good feels back with my putter at the Open Championship and so my caddie and I decided to run with it this week.”

As Schauffele explained, he made the switch back two weeks ago at the Open Championship, but the Olympics were the first time with his traditional method while back in contention.

He had no trouble shaking off the rust, nor trusting his stroke under pressure. Schauffele clinched the gold medal by draining a testy four-footer on the final green.

“I just tried to really become more present and just focus on the 4-footer,” Schauffele said. “Once again I just reminded myself, this is just a four-footer, all you have to do is make it, no big deal.”

Family advice for Annika

Winning a major championship is always special, but with her family on hand at the U.S. Senior Women’s Open, Annika Sorenstam’s victory last weekend was all the better.

Sorenstam lapped the field at Brooklawn Country Club, claiming the title by an impressive eight-stroke margin. Her family was on hand to witness the entire thing.

“It’s very different to share it with your loved ones,” Sorenstam said. “To kind of have them walk here, walk the fairways, see what I do for a living and see what it takes to get there, and to be able to share it with them, like I said out there, this is a totally family affair in a lot of ways.”

As it turns out, having her family on hand didn’t only give her a morale boost. Her children were happy to give her some competitive advice as well.

After a third-round 72, Sorenstam headed to the range in search of a spark for her final round. While there, her 11-year-old daughter Ava gave her some practical advice.

“Ava kept telling me, ‘When you hit a shot tomorrow, mommy, don’t have anything in your mind,” she said. Sorenstam’s 10-year-old son Will was there with some advice as well. “Will told me to believe and that I can do it.”

She took that advice to heart on Sunday as she carded a four-under 68. It was one of just two sub-70 scores on the final day of competition.

“Sometimes you don’t know if kids listen to what you say, but a lot of these words I feel like they’ve come out of my mouth to them,” Sorenstam said. “Now I’m get being it back, so I’m happy about that. I’ve got to live to my own lessons.”

Bad practice session? Keep your chin up

At the Olympics on Sunday, Rory Sabbatini started his day with what he described as one of the range sessions of his career. “Couldn’t find the golf ball and the clubface to match them up at all,” he said. Later that day, in the fourh round, all he did was make 10 birdies and an eagle on his way to a 61 and the silver medal. Takeaway: golf is weird. Bad practice doesn’t always lead to a bad round. Remember that next time you start your day with a series of tops, slices or shanks. There’s always hope!

Need help with green-reading? Pick up a Green Book from our affiliate company, GolfLogix.

The post Why Xander Schauffele ditched arm-lock putting at the Olympics appeared first on Golf.

The post This newfound mental approach keyed Cameron Champ’s 3M Open win appeared first on Golf.

The post This newfound mental approach keyed Cameron Champ’s 3M Open win appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Teachable Moments, GOLF’s weekly instruction column that will help you improve your game through the excellence and expertise of the Tour stars of the week. Class is now in session.

Champ’s new mindset

Cameron Champ secured his third PGA Tour win last week in Minnesota as he earned a two-shot victory at the 3M Open over Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Jhonattan Vegas. The win represents Champ’s first top 10 in a tumultuous season in which he’s missed as many cuts as he’s made.

After the win, Champ explained the secret to busting a slump had nothing to do with tweaking his technique or altering his swing. Rather, he credited a revamped mindset as the catalyst for his rediscovered success.

Gear

With four missed cuts and a WD over his previous five starts before the John Deere Classic, the 26-year-old stepped back and took stock of his life — on and off the course. Champ decided he needed to bring the personality traits he’s known for off the course — cool demeanor, selflessness — and bring them inside the ropes.

“After Detroit I just took a step back and said, ‘You know what, this is enough, I can’t keep going on this way … I have to be true to myself and who I truly am as a person,'” Champ said. “This week I really didn’t get mad at results. If I did get mad, it was more so what I was thinking before that shot and what caused me to hit that shot. So it’s definitely for me a way better perspective as far as how to get around the course.”

With golf being as much mental as it is physical, resets of the mind can make all the difference. It sure did for Champ.

The secret to hitting long greenside bunker shots

There may be no shot in golf more difficult than the 40-yard bunker shot. Although pros can pull off these shots with ease, don’t be fooled — long greenside sand shots aren’t easy.

But even though it might not be easy to hit these shots as well as the pros, you can still use a professional-quality technique. In a video from the PGA Tour, veteran Michael Thompson shared his best tips on long shots from the sand.

“The hard part on long shots from the sand is you want the ball to carry a long way and you don’t want it to run out too much,” Thompson says. “Typically when I have to carry the ball about 20 yards, I take my 56-degree rather than my 60.”

With the proper club selected, Thompson then focuses on his setup. The key, he says, is keeping the weight on his front foot and then keep the ball forward in the stance.

Once it’s time to hit the shot, Thompson takes a steep backswing and then focuses on the follow-through.

“The follow-through is the key,” he says. “If you stop where you hit the sand, you’re just going to dump it a few feet in front of you … All you have to do is swing down and through the sand, and the ball pops right out.”

If you follow these tips and make an aggressive swing, the ball should come out of the bunker with ease and put you in position for a nice sand save.

The post This newfound mental approach keyed Cameron Champ’s 3M Open win appeared first on Golf.