The mental game
May 5th 2008 21:23
Well, didn't quite find a winner last week but came pretty close in Europe, with Jimenez, Lara and Fasth all high up on the leader board.
Similarly at Quail Hollow where Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson were amongst the leaders but nowhere near the winner Anthony Kim.
What a player Kim is. He's one of the youngest ever to win on the US Tour and has justified his decision to quit university early and make a go of it as a pro.
His laser beam putting stroke reminds me of Aaron Baddeley when he first started out. Like Badds, Kim just drives home those longish putts like they're on tracks. It's exhilirating to watch a guy drill 10-footer after 10-footer without so much as blinking.
Kim's been touted as a winner for a couple of years now - the experts around the PGA Tour have been watching him and they knew how good player he is. Until now though he's been held back by a mix of youthful recklessness and a bit of a temper/composure problem.
There are some players who just get down on themselves and can't get out of their funk - Lucas Glover is a bit like this - a fantastic player but with a head like a soft avocado.
Another guy who's making waves with his pronouncements on his mental state is Aussie Robert Allenby, who declared last week that golf was close to putting him in a mental institution.
The problem for Allenby is that tee to green he's as a good a ball-striker as any player going round but he only wins when his putting stroke is infallible - and usually it's not.
He's knows he's hitting the ball well enough to win a dozen tournaments but can't close it out.
Allenby's always been a highly-strung golfer but let's hope he soon gets a deserved win - before the guys in white coats arrive.
Tune in later this week for some tips for the Players Championship where Phil Mickelson is looking to defend his title. To win again he'll have to get rid of the raft of double bogeys that cost him any chance at Quail Hollow.
Similarly at Quail Hollow where Geoff Ogilvy and Phil Mickelson were amongst the leaders but nowhere near the winner Anthony Kim.
What a player Kim is. He's one of the youngest ever to win on the US Tour and has justified his decision to quit university early and make a go of it as a pro.
His laser beam putting stroke reminds me of Aaron Baddeley when he first started out. Like Badds, Kim just drives home those longish putts like they're on tracks. It's exhilirating to watch a guy drill 10-footer after 10-footer without so much as blinking.
Kim's been touted as a winner for a couple of years now - the experts around the PGA Tour have been watching him and they knew how good player he is. Until now though he's been held back by a mix of youthful recklessness and a bit of a temper/composure problem.
There are some players who just get down on themselves and can't get out of their funk - Lucas Glover is a bit like this - a fantastic player but with a head like a soft avocado.
Another guy who's making waves with his pronouncements on his mental state is Aussie Robert Allenby, who declared last week that golf was close to putting him in a mental institution.
The problem for Allenby is that tee to green he's as a good a ball-striker as any player going round but he only wins when his putting stroke is infallible - and usually it's not.
He's knows he's hitting the ball well enough to win a dozen tournaments but can't close it out.
Allenby's always been a highly-strung golfer but let's hope he soon gets a deserved win - before the guys in white coats arrive.
Tune in later this week for some tips for the Players Championship where Phil Mickelson is looking to defend his title. To win again he'll have to get rid of the raft of double bogeys that cost him any chance at Quail Hollow.
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