Big Play

WHO: José MaríaOlaàbal

WHAT: Missedfour-foot putt

WHERE: Par-3 16thhole at Torrey Pines South

WHEN: Secondplayoff hole at the Buick Invitational

WHY
Olaàbal used to be the king of the short game, but is he still? In the last 12months he's had two chances to win Tour events, and he's lost both by missingshort putts in playoffs. Is age catching up with Ollie, who just turned 40?Does he have the yips? Perhaps he was simply intimidated by Phil Mickelson atthe 2005 BellSouth and by Tiger Woods last week, but the next time Ollie is inthe hunt, we'll all wonder whether his short-game magic is a thing of thepast.

JOHN'S TIP
Eyes, Ball, Feet = Every Ball Falls

To putt wellfollow this routine, especially under pressure:

1) Eyes Set youreyes directly over the target line.
2) Ball Holding the putter with your dominant hand, aim the club at thetarget.
3) Feet Place your feet on a line two putter heads from the ball with yourweight evenly distributed and the ball under the eye closest to the hole.
John Elliott, a Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, works at Golden Ocala Golf andEquestrian Club.

 

...AND ANOTHER THING
"Talk about a no-brainer ... CBS should hire Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo toreplace Lanny Wadkins in the tower at 18."

TWO PHOTOS

COURTESY OF CBS (OLAZABAL, WOODS)

FOUR PHOTOS

ERICK W. RASCO (ELLIOTT, 4)

PHOTO

JIM GUND (BACKGROUND)