Capelle On Golf

Bubba Watson needed a birdie on the final hole of regulation play to get into a playoff - so all he did was launch a 396 yard cart-path-aided drive to with 51 yards of the pin on 18 at River Highlands in Connecticut. He then stuffed his wedge to within 6 feet and made the clutch putt.

Watson (31), who leads the tour with an average poke of 305.9 yards, joined Scott Verplank (45), and Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin (50), who averages a mere 257.5 yards off the tee, in a playoff. On the first hole Watson hit his drive about 315 yards, then nearly holed his approach, the ball stopping about 3 inches from the cup. Verplank, to his credit, matched Watson’s birdie with a gritty effort from about 8 feet while Pavin bunkered his approach and was eliminated. On the second playoff hole, Verplank miss the green on the par 3, bogeyed, and Watson had his first tour victory.

Now I know Watson hits it miles and his forte is bending the ball like no other player on tour. But, for the life of me, I watch him swing and I have no idea where the ball is going. I mean, his swing, and especially his follow through, is the most convoluted mess I’ve ever seen, a fact that’s compounded by the fact that he’s a lefty. Indeed, in comparison, Watson makes Jim Furyk’s swing seem like the textbook method.

The win is his first on the PGA Tour, which should give to his confidence a boost.  And Watson did manage to tie for fifth in the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, of all places. Still, it is hard to imagine with his swing that this highly emotional players and genuine nice guy can leverage this into major championship success.

Ravin about Pavin
Corey Pavin, who earned a tie for second despite finishing dead last in driving distance, continues to provide a lesson for us all. As he said in an interview, “I just play my game.” And what a game it is. He bunts the ball down the middle, leading the tour in accuracy with 75% of fairways hit. He shapes the ball any way he wishes, a shotmaker of a bygone era. And though he doesn’t hit many greens because of the length of his approaches (he’s 182nd in GIR), he misses to the smart side of the greens, which enables him to scramble like a magician. So far this season, he’s saved par 72.6% of the time - and is even better out of the bunkers, leading the tour with a sand save average of 77.5%! As Frank Sinatra once sang, “I did it my way.” And so does Pavin.

Kudos to Christie Kerr
On this post U.S. Open Sunday, further viewing joy was provided by Christie Kerr, who dismantled the field at the LPGA Championship with her 12 shot victory. Her final round 66 was bogey free, and it featured six birdies on the last 12 holes as she accelerated away from the field.
In the past Kerr had had trouble closing out majors, having won only won one despite recording 17 top tens (including six top threes) dating back to 1999. But that could be a thing of the past as she has been working with Dr. Joseph Parent, one of the leading mental game gurus and the author of Zen Golf. She’s now taken possession of the #1 ranking, and is poised to show the world that an American golfer can compete with the world’s best.