These Guys Are Good - Part Two

Although possibly not as impressive as their long games, the short games of tour pros are every bit as good.

When it come to putting, three putts are incredibly rare. The reasons for this are good distance control and solid short putting. These guys hardly ever miss from inside three feet so a two putt is pretty much guaranteed if the first putt is within that range. The importance of distance control is obvious when given some thought. It is far easier to hit a putt four feet too far than it is to misread a putt by four feet. When on the practice green before the round most players tried to stay to the flatter parts of the green. I believe that this is to help them get a better sense of the speed of the greens. The short putts are generally hit firmly and the players look confident over these putts. Rolling short putts in with some pace is advantageous because it reduces the amount of break the player needs to allow for. It also has few downsides because in the worst case scenario where the putt is missed, the return putt is still only around two feet.

While difficult to observe without following a group, course management is also worth a mention. The twelfth hole on the Marquess' course at Woburn is a classic risk and reward short par four. It is drive-able for many players but water short and on the right means many golfers elected to play the lay up with a shorter club. Watching on the Friday, I noticed that the majority of the players taking a shot a driving the green needed to make some birdies to make the cut. This shows just how many golfers felt it was not worth the risk, particularly with their fantastic wedge games. Of those who elected to lay there were many different distances of shots left to the green. Very few left themselves under sixty yards to the green while some left more than one hundred yards to the pin. This comes down to what shot they are most comfortable playing where as most amateurs would be tempted to get as close to the green as possible.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat taught me the lesson of taking your medicine. On the par three seventeenth he was left with a chip shot that was almost impossible to stop near the hole. I feel that in this situation many amateurs would get too greedy and leave the shot in the rough just in front of them trying to get as close as possible. Aphibarnrat on the other hand made sure of getting onto the green. While his shot ran some thirty feet past the hole he almost eliminated the chance of making a five by leaving the ball in the rough. This demonstrates how confidence in putting can affect your decision making around the green because without the belief he would two putt he may have tried the more risky shot.

While this is the last post exclusively about my trip to the British Masters I learnt so much from the experience I am sure I will refer to it many more times. Finally, I will leave a link to the results of the tournament where you can also view the stats for the week.

British Masters Leaderboard