BIG PLAY with MIKE HEBRON

WHO: Morgan Pressel

WHAT: Drive that set up a birdie

WHERE: Par-5 4th hole at Settindown Creek

WHEN: Fourth hole of the U.S. Women's Amateur final

WHY
Morgan reminds me of Arnold Palmer. She's aggressive and self-reliant and knows a killer short game and hitting great shots are what make a champion, not a textbook swing. So Morgan hasn't changed her unorthodox action--she has an odd right-leg flinch and overaccelerates in transition--which nevertheless is rhythmic and balanced, and she delivers the club square and on plane to the ball.

MIKE'S TIP
The Plane Truth About Ball Striking

Don't focus on how you move your body during the swing, because the ball reacts to the club, not to the body. One way to see if you've swung correctly is to stop in the follow-through and see if the club is on plane. At its highest point (left) the shaft should be parallel to where it was at address. If the shaft is high and right (top inset), you've probably hit a slice. If it's low and left (bottom inset), you've hit a pull.

Mike Hebron teaches at Smithtown (N.Y.) Landing Golf Course and is a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher.

... AND ANOTHER THING

"Tiger Woods has changed Hank Haney as much as Haney has changed Woods. Hank used to be a private guy who thought teaching at Tour events was unproductive."

 

TOP 100 TEACHERS POLL

Would you take Tiger Woods or the field to win the PGA Championship?

Tiger ...55%

The Field ...45%

" I like the field but only because the odds are in my favor. Slightly!" --KEVIN WALKER Nantucket Golf Club

 

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DAVID WALBERG (PRESSEL)

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ERICK W. RASCO (HEBRON, 4)

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ERICK W. RASCO (HEBRON, 4)

JIM GUND (BACKGROUND)

*Right

TWO COLOR PHOTOS

ERICK W. RASCO (HEBRON, 4)

JIM GUND (BACKGROUND)

*Wrong

COLOR PHOTO

ROBERT BECK

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WILLIAM R. SALLAZ

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FRED VUICH