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August 02, 2004

Singh gets rid of belly putter & look what happens

Tiger Woods and several other pros have criticized golfers, like Vijay Singh, that use the belly putter. I'll bet Vijay Singh's performance at the Buick Open using a standard length putter might silence these critics. Heck, they may even wish Vijay was still using his long belly putter after finishing 23 under par yesterday. What No Three Putts has said before about putting is it's all about what you feel comfortable over that's important. Vijay had a streak of poor putting with the belly putter, got rid of it and got himself in the right mindset for the Buick Open and look at how he putted. Although the putt he missed on 18 might have sent him back to the belly putter if John Daly had made his putt.

Speaking of John Daly, I think he used some fairly poor course management on the back nine, especially on 18. He saw Vijay hit his ball into the trees, why not play it safe with a long iron or a 3 wood? I know the driver and hitting the long ball are what John Daly are all about, but he should have played the 18th hole a little smarter to try and win the tournament or at least force a playoff. All he needed was a par to force a playoff. And is it me or is John Daly getting fatter or what? Perhaps the piece I wrote about John being pregnant is true.

Overall, the Buick Open was a fun golf tournament to watch. It would have been really interesting had Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els been there. Also, was the shirt Tiger wore on Sunday ugly or what?

There was an interesting statistic given during the telecast yesterday: Pro golfers make 6% of putts that are over 25 feet. That's odd, when I watch golf highlights it seems like all I see are 50 footers being dropped. This is one of the few stats that everyday golfers actually come close to matching. I'd say the average golfer drops at least one long putt per round, two if you're lucky. Dropping one long putt per round, taking 36 putts in a round, puts you at 2.77%. If you happen to drop a 2nd long putt, you are right up there with the pros. So to all of you out there, drop a long putt or two and you can brag that you drop them like the pros. We'll never be able to match their scores so we might as well gloat about the little things.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Excellent comments and observations No Three Putt. I was watching the Buick with friends Sunday and we all thought Daly is looking huge! Must be to many Marlboro's and Cokes....and maybe a beer or two. Tiger's shirt, I mean pajama top, gave us all a good laugh. Who's dressing this guy....his nanny? Keep up the good work!

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