The Golf Guru Show

Aside from the four major championships, the Memorial Tournament is one of my favorite

P.G.A. Tour events to watch. One reason is the host (Mr. Jack Nicklaus) is the greatest golfer to ever play the game. I even named my son after him (Nicklaus Palmer Sutton)…..I know, I am a golf freak. Two, it is a great golf course that always attracts a strong field. Whoever wins it has a lot to be proud of and it is a great accomplishment as it is for any tour event but the players seem to really get geared up for this one. This year didn’t disappoint as there were many great stories that unfolded. My new favorite young gun, Ricky Fowler (rickyfowler.com), leads for three days but can’t get it done. Phil Mickelson makes a late run and plays some unusual shots down the stretch and Justin Rose plays a fabulous final round to outlast the field and shake Jack’s hand for the win. For those of you who follow my blog know that I predicted that Ricky Fowler would win rookie of the year and win at least once. I still think it will happen but I think course management got the best of him as he hit it in the water on 13 to the right. A red light flag at best and one that he shouldn’t even look at much less hit a

ball at…. but that is what makes Ricky, Ricky. He is very aggressive.  I was very impressed with how he handled it with no emotion and making two more birdies coming in to make it interesting. You can learn alot from his attitude. I try to get my students to act this way as I see golfers show negative emotion on every questionable shot much less when they are having a career round and hit a bad shot. On the other hand, Justin Rose showed the fortitude of a champion. He looked as if he had won 20 tournaments and you couldn’t tell from his pre-shot routine, which never changed, to his smile and attitude until the finish when he approached Mr. Nicklaus with class and respect. He gets it. So what can we learn from the changes that Justin Rose has made in his swing. His swing coach, Sean Foley, should be commended for the excellent work that they have done together. Lets have a look at Justin’s swing in slow motion. Here are my observations and what I like about it.

1. I like his new set up: Added a little more knee flex which I like for a taller player. He used to be more bent over which didn’t match his swing plane.

2. I like his lower left arm which makes it easier to find the plane on the downswing. He used to be a little higher at the tip when he was younger.

3. He does a great job of keeping his head steady and maintaining his spine angle. Both are critical for great ball striking.

4 I was very impressed with his tempo under pressure. It never changed the entire day on Sunday. Congrats to Justin Rose and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win another one very soon. Hang in there Ricky, you will win this year and a lot more in the future. You are still my son Nicklaus’ favorite player on tour which is pretty cool in my book…….Future.

See you on the lesson tee,

Guru………………..704-542-7635