Capelle On Golf

J.B. Holmes was taken out by Tiger’s subpar barrage in the first round at the Accenture Match Play Championships. Still, we learned a few things about this likable 25-year-old up and comer.

He’s only 5’,11″, but he’s longer off the tee than Tiger. And he doesn’t seem to have the super wide drive in his repertoire. In fact, he’s as long as John Daly with a backswing half as long. Holmes doesn’t look like an athlete but he must be. After all, it takes incredible eye/hand coordination to accelerate so quickly through the ball, and to hit it such prodigious distances.

Holmes plays well under pressure. He birdied that last hole to tie Mickelson at the FBR on Super Bowl Sunday, then beat him in playoff with a 13’ birdie putt. Against Tiger he shot a 69 (according to the card, which in match play is not always exact) against the most intimidating player in golf history.

Now for the bad news. The golf world came down hard on Sergio Garcia a half dozen years ago for his 15-30 waggle pre-swing routine. To his credit, Sergio fixed this problem. Holmes, unlike Sergio, is super quick once he gets up to hit a shot. The trouble is that it takes him about 8-10 practice swings to prepare for each shot. In the amateur game, he could be the poster boy for the 7-hour round. Since the TV people are on to his routine, they could solve the problem easily enough if Holmes is unwilling to. TV should 1) cut to his shot when he’s ready to hit or, 2) show him on a 10-20 second delay. Then we wouldn’t have to suffer through those practice swings.

Big problem #2: Holmes’ caddy helps him line up while he in his putting stance. This is within the rules, but it shouldn’t be. As Jack Nicklaus once said, aiming is one on the primary skills in golf. Allowing a caddy to help with this part of a shot eliminates the skill of aiming. It’s time golf’s ruling bodies (the USGA and R&A) eliminate this inherently unethical practice.

Tiger Woods completed one of the greatest comebacks in golf history and, more importantly, saved us from having to watch Holmes’ routine over the next 1-4 days. Maybe that’s the reason why the golf Gods guided Tiger’s four straight putts of 14-35 feet into the cup.