Golf Tips & Quips

Well...I don't know about the best but he is certainly the hottest player on the tour right now. Justin Rose goes into the final round of the AT&T National with a four shot lead. Barring a meltdown like the one at the Travelers Championship, Rose could notch his second victory on the PGA Tour.

What has impressed me the most over this stretch of good play is the skill he has showed on the putting green. Rose has not had a three-putt in over 250 holes. I average three, three-putts a round. This is an unbelievable stat.

Three-putts are round killers. Hank Haney said of Ray Romano during filming for the Haney Project, "...the day Ray breaks 80, will be the day he looks at his scorecard and doesn't see any three-putts." Lowering your putts per round is one of the quickest ways to improve your handicap.

Tiger Woods, host and defending champion of the AT&T sits at three over par after shooting a second consecutive even par round. Woods has been struggling since his return but is showing glimpses of his old play. His ball striking has improved and he said that he "found something" during the third round.

With that being the case, Tiger still knows what it takes to win a tournament. He had this to say about his play. "I'm driving it on a string right now, and that's fun," Woods said. "But if you don't make putts, no matter how good you hit the golf ball, you're not going to shoot good scores."

Back to Rose. He is putting lights out. This may be due to the fact at how much work he has dedicated to his short game, both with the wedges and his putter. Rose was on the practice greens two hours before his third round today working on his chipping and putting. It was reported that he just hit chip after chip out of the tall rough in preparation for what he might encounter on the course. His hard work is definitely paying off.

Rose always gives himself a chance at par. If he misses his birdie putt, he lags it up to a comfortable position for a tap-in. Even when he is in trouble, his solid wedge play has bailed him out.

So, is Justin Rose the best player in the world? That remains to be seen. There are a lot of golfers who will be doing everything in their power to make that answer a resounding "no". All of the players are gearing up for the (British)Open Championship. Nick Faldo has already eluded to the fact that the players will be facing thirty foot birdie putts at St. Andrews. Good lag putting will be necessary to post a good score on this difficult links style course.

Say what you will, Rose has impressed me this season. The golf world has been waiting for him to fill the expectations that were placed on him as a youngster. His time has arrived and he is taking advantage of the moment. With a money list exemption looming for Rose, it looks like the hottest player in golf may get a chance to make a putt to win and have his name etched into the Claret Jug.

Have a good round and always hit your target.



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