Better '09 for State's PGA Tour Pros?
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GEORGIAPGA.COM GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM «« FEBRUARY 2009 Better ’09 for state’s PGA Tour pros? Love, Howell off to quick early starts By Mike Blum nament in ’08, as did former Georgia sixth in regular season points for the ’09 opener, placing him within range of or most of Georgia’s contingent Bulldog Ryuji Imada . FedEdCup and ninth on the final money the top 50 in the World Rankings and a on the PGA Tour, the 2008 The rest of Georgia’s PGA Tour mem - list with almost $4 million. Masters berth. season was not a particularly bers had to wait another week or two to Cink’s ‘08 season was divided into two Imada scored his first PGA Tour win in F memorable one, although there start their ’09 campaigns, with a common disparate halves; before and after his win in four seasons in Atlanta, but will not get the were some exceptions. theme the hope that this year will be a Hartford. Other than his participation on opportunity to defend his title in the Duluth’s Stewart Cink more successful one than 2008. the Ryder Cup team, Cink’s post-victory defunct AT&T Classic. Imada had a pair and Sea Island’s Davis On the surface, Cink’s ‘08 season was an highlights were non-existent. And as well of runner-up finishes among three top- Love opened the extremely successful one. He scored his as he played the first six months of the fives early in ’08 and a near win in the Fall 2009 season in the first win in five years in Hartford, the site season, he let a win get away in Tampa and Series, ending the season 13th in earnings Mercedes-Benz of his first PGA Tour victory as a rookie in did not put up much of a fight in the with over $3 million. Imada’s success Championship in 1997. He was part of a victorious Ryder Match Play finals against Tiger Woods. stemmed largely from an outstanding year Hawaii, a reward Cup team for the first time in four starts, Statistically, it was a solid season for the with the putter, which produced a succes - for winning a tour - and enjoyed his best ever finish in the former Georgia Tech great. But he con - sion of strong final rounds and offset some Masters (solo third). Cink was fifth in the tinued to miss fairways at a surprisingly awful stats in the ball striking categories. PGA Tour’s all-around statistical category, high rate (181st in driving accuracy), while The 32-year-old Imada closed out 2008 by struggling with his short game (142nd in helping lead Japan to a third place finish in scrambling). the World Cup. Love was headed for his worst season in The list of Georgians who would just as 20-plus years on the PGA Tour before a soon forget 2008 begins with Augusta late surge in the Fall Finish revived his native Charles Howell . His earnings career at the age of 44. After a season-best ($1.45 million) were the lowest of his eight finish of T19 in his first 17 starts, Love seasons on the PGA Tour, with two of his placed sixth or better three times in his last four top-10 finishes coming in the Fall six starts, including a season-ending win at Series. As usual, Howell missed lots of fair - Disney, the 20th of his career. ways and putts, with his only redeeming After finishing 154th in regular season stat a first place finish in scoring average FedExCup points to miss the playoffs, on par 5s. Howell turns 30 in June, and Love ended ’08 with almost $1.7 million there are probably not a lot of PGA Tour in earnings (48th). But other than driving followers who would have predicted he G R distance, his stats were pretty dismal across would have just two victories in his 20s. E B N I D the board even with his strong finish, E Davis Love III V E T S which carried over to a tie for second in his [ See Georgians, page 6 ] P C I U S O S R G A L E C G A N M I O I Y Georgia Golf Business T A A L D N I N E F U E K O A F U L L A S N Georgia O I S G I E R S N S E Golf Course H I T Register for A H T Owners E $1500 Trip to D Association I S Fripp Island N I Resort at www.ggcoa.com Paul Claxton returns Larry Mize debuts www.golfforegeorgia.com to Nationwide Tour 12 on Champions Tour 14 770-235-0735 FOR LONGER DRIVES… 2009 Escalade Hybrid … between fill-ups. Introducing The 2009 Escalade Hybrid. Who knew you could have luxury, performance, space AND 20 MPG around town? The very best of all worlds is now available at Capital Cadillac Hummer. CapitalCadillac.com CapitalBPG.com 770.952.2277 Cobb Parkway Marietta, GA 2 GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM FEBRUARY 2009 2009 FEBRUARY GOLFFOREGEORGIA.COM 3 Instruction Fore You 3021 Kalah Place, Marietta, GA 30067 770-933-04GA (Office) 770-953-6638 (Fax) golfforegeorgia.com [email protected] How does anyone choose a putter? PUBLISHER Golf Media, Inc. By Ted Fort straight through stroke with a square face. dition of the left wrist. Although it is impor - John Barrett PGA Golf Professional It’s similar to the action of a dog’s door, and tant to have a flat left wrist in the full Marietta Golf Center some equate the motion to that of a pen - stroke, it’s not as important in the putting dulum. The following things tend to be the stroke. But, it’s extremely important the EDITOR Mike Blum Have you ever played with case for this player: sees the wrist remain in the condition that it began. putter head move on a straight Maintaining a flat left wrist would be CONTRIBUTORS someone that couldn’t putt Ted Fort line, keeps the face square, placing a ruler under your watch and not the ball in an ocean with three Jackie Cannizzo, Women’s Golf Editor holds the grip in the middle of breaking it. A bent left wrist would be chances? Even more impor - Steve Dinberg the palm, holds the club very breaking the ruler. If your left wrist starts tantly, are you that person? Lake-Finlay Image Group upright, feels no release, and flat or bent, keep it in that condition during Anyone that has ever played Joseph Field aligns the face of the putter to the entire stroke. We will define releasing the game understands the Georgia Golf Course Owners Association the hole. as the closing of the face while main - whimsical nature of putting. Cindy Acree, Executive Director Even some of the greatest Player B: Others allow taining the left wrist condition, and the the face to open and close, word we use for this is roll. golfers in history, like Hogan MARKETING & ADVERTISING and Watson, became frustrated with it. It’s which would be similar to the action of a To keep this article shorter than“War and J.R. Ross, Sales Representative a part of the game that allows all players, saloon door. This player sees the putter Peace”, we are going to end with two addi - Rick Holt, Corporate Sales amateurs or pros, males or females, begin - head making a blurred arc on the ground. tional points. Firstly, the feel of roll exists for For this player, these characteristics tend to those using heel shafted putters. And, the ners or veterans, to empathize with the ART DIRECTOR Tour player that misses a four footer. exist: sees the putter head move in an arc, feel of no roll exists for those using a face Lori Montgomery One thing to understand is that there’s allows the face to open and close, holds balanced putter. The shaft will rotate [email protected] no“one way” to accomplish the task of get - the putter closer to the fingers than the around a club’s center of gravity. Therefore, palm, holds the club flatter, feels a release, if the club is face balanced, the shaft runs ting the ball in the hole. But, with this in GEORGIA SECTION , PGA OF AMERICA mind, it’s important to understand that and aligns the face of the putter slightly to through the club’s center of gravity. And, it PRESIDENT some characteristics go together. Without the right of the hole. results in the feeling of no roll. Jim Arendt, Chicopee Woods Golf Course going into infinite detail, I will explain what For those that like to keep things Secondly, because the ball compresses some strokes have in common. In order to uncomplicated, player “A” should play with against the face, there is a small interval of VICE -PRESIDENT choose a putter that matches your style, a face balanced putter. And, player “B” time in which the ball is stuck to the face. Patrick Richardson, Wilmington Island Club you must understand how to qualify your should play with a heel shafted putter. If For the player that uses a closing face, it style. you’re a“feel player” and that’s all you need should be open at address, open at impact, SECRETARY Player A: There are players that attempt to know, stop reading. and square at separation (when the ball Brian Stubbs, Country Club of Columbus to keep the face of the putter square The two putters in the top of the picture leaves).