Big Play with Mitchell Spearman
WHO: JoeDurant
WHAT: Tee shot tothe right of the green
WHERE: 203-yardpar-3 15th hole at Disney World's Magnolia course
WHEN: Final roundof the Funai Classic
WHY
Durant--not TigerWoods--is the best ball striker on Tour, according to the stats. Since 1999,Durant has been fourth, on average, in greens hit in regulation and sixth indriving accuracy, while Woods has been 11th in GIR and 126th in driving. Howdoes Durant achieve golf's best strike? He keeps his hands neutral in thebackswing, then bows or bends his left wrist at the start of the downswing andkeeps it that way through impact, assuring crisp contact with a forward leaningshaft and a descending blow.
MITCHELL'STIP
Bow the LeftWrist To Hit It Crisp
Great ballstrikers like Hogan and Trevino all bowed their left wrist through impact. Tolearn the feel of a bowed left wrist, hit shots by starting in the impactposition. At address, push the shaft forward and put your hands ahead of theball. Then swing. If you can get a crisp hit and a low ball flight you're doingthe drill correctly.
Mitchell Spearmanteaches at Manhattan Woods Golf Club in West Nyack, N.Y.
... AND ANOTHERTHING
"Justin Rosewon't win until he learns to keep his good play going on the weekend andimprove his fourth-round scoring average rank of 140th."
[This articlecontains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
The Long Goodbye
On Oct.13--Friday the 13th, no less--Arnold Palmer hit two straight balls into thewater on the 4th hole during the first round of the Administaff Small BusinessClassic in Spring, Texas, withdrew from the tournament and announced hisretirement from competitive golf. "To stand out there and not be able tomake something happen is very traumatic in my mind," said Palmer, whoplayed out the round without keeping score. "When the people all want tosee a good shot and you can't give them that good shot, that's when it'stime." The announcement put a cap (we think) on 12 years of farewells fromthe King. Herewith is a rundown of the send-offs, ranked by their emotionalimpact.
Event | Final-Round Score | MoneyQuote | Sentimentality Rating |
1994 U.S. Open | 81 | "That's about all. Thank you very much." | Ol' Yeller in Old Latrobe |
1995 British | 75 | "I guess it's over." | Brian's Song from the Swilcan Bridge |
2002 Masters | 89 | "This is it. The writing is kind of on the wall." | 20th high school reunion |
1990 British | 71 | "It's appropriate." | A Mitch Albom novel |
2004 Masters | 84 | "I'm through. I'm done. Cooked. Washed up." | 22nd high school reunion |
1994 PGA | 74 | "My intentions are not to play in any more PGAs." | A birthday card from your grandmother |
2005 Senior Open | 81 | "I'm done." | Sunset over Key West |
2004 Bay Hill | 79 | "I'll miss playing. There's no doubt in my mind about that, but we allmove on." | Leafing through an old photo album |
2006 Administaff | WD | "To know it's over is tough." | Beef of the Month Club for Valentine's Day |
>>>ANSWERS <<<
Who Am I? ... C)Mark McNulty (left)
Trivia JohnHuston is the only American to win the Chrysler Championship. He won theinaugural event in 2000 with a 13-under-par 271.
GOLF MAGAZINE TOP 100
TEACHERS POLL
Are you bullish on the FedEx Cup format?
Yes ... 53%
No ... 47%
"Yawn, yawn, yawn. It's too contrived. The majorsare what pique fan interest. "
--T.J. TOMASI, NANTUCKET GOLF CLUB
FOUR PHOTOS
CHARLIE NEIBERGALL/AP (MCNULTY); SAM GREENWOOD/WIREIMAGE.COM (DURANT); PGA TOUR (FEDEX CUP LOGO); ERICK W. RASCO
PHOTO
ERICK W. RASCO (BACKGROUND; SPEARMAN, 4)
Address
PHOTO
ERICK W. RASCO (BACKGROUND; SPEARMAN, 4)
Right
PHOTO
ERICK W. RASCO (BACKGROUND; SPEARMAN, 4)
Wrong