Golf Digest India - June 2017

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2

RNI NO. HARENG/2016/66983 JUNE 2017 `150

THINK YOUNG | PLAY HARD

PUBLISHED BY

SHIV KAPUR THE COMEBACK MAN

US OPEN PREVIEW

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how to play. what to play. where to play.

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Contents 06/17

ArgentinA l AustrAliA l Chile l ChinA l CzeCh republiC l FinlAnd l FrAnCe l hong Kong l IndIa l indonesiA l irelAnd KoreA l MAlAysiA l MexiCo l Middle eAst l portugAl l russiA l south AFriCA l spAin l sweden l tAiwAn l thAilAnd l usA

US Open Preview

80

80

Exclusive Interview with Erin Hills course architect Dana Fry

74

by josh burAck

by AmAn misrA 86

Can This 22-Year-Old Win the US Open?

75

Malaysia to host first stage of Euro Tour Q-school

76

Shiv Kapur: The Comeback Man!

by jAime diAz

India Digest 18

62 HEALTH & FITNESS SPECIAL

by rohit bhArdwAj 24

Newsmakers Update on Indian golfers around the world

28

Junior Golf

32

Club Round-Up Updates from courses across India

34

Rehan Poncha: From The Pool To The Greens

47 Flex Time 50 Exercises to protect you from injury 52 Plan to improve your swing mobility 54 Give your driving distance a lift

Cover Story 12TH TIME LUCKY Shiv Kapur To Focus More On Asia After Yeangder Heritage Win

by rohit bhArdwAj

55 Are bad habits = unplayed rounds?

36

57 The King of Cardio

38

59 The Silent Treatment 60 Testing sleepenhancing gadgets

47

Business Of Golf Industry updates Corporate Digest KKR Knight Golf

40

TATA HITACHI World Corporate Golf Challenge

44

Tête-à-Tête with Dominic Wall by rohit bhArdwAj & AmAn misrA

34

The good news keep coming!

by chuAh choo chiAng

Features 91

Butch Harmon Finding your rhythm with the driver

92

How to Smash It Tips to give it everything you’ve got. by justin thomAs

96

How to Copy Phil’s Wedge What you can learn from Lefty’s short game

98

New Looks The latest on single-length irons. by mike stAchurA

100 Jack Nicklaus

Playing double doglegs

101 Tom Watson

Master the downhill putt

102 David Leadbetter

Groove your short irons

103 Undercover Tour Pro 104 Off the Course

with Dustin Johnson A dozen questions for the world’s No. 1 golfer

106 The Digest 62

Kim makes history at TPC Sawgrass

65

John Daly scores first win in 13 years

Five tattoos we’d like to see on golfers

107 Decisions

What kind of golf hat should you wear?

114 The Pour

18 12 golf digest india | june 2017

71

The Referee’s View: Revised scorecard rule safeguards innocent pros

72

Fitness Tips Boosting spinal flexibility

A refreshing summer shandy. by keely levins

Cover Photograph: Asian Tour

Editor’s Letter

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Dear Readers,

A

nytime an Indian player wins on an international pro tour, the golf fraternity celebrates. Shiv Kapur’s latest win in Taiwan brings India’s international pro win tally to 77 which shows just how successful our players have been in golf – far more than most other sporting disciplines. Indians have the talent for golf – we just need to get many more youngsters learning the game and more champions are sure to emerge. Shiv’s win is more remarkable because he has achieved this after recovering from a serious medical issue.

Here’s to many more celebrations.

Jack Nicklaus

Write to me at rishi@teamgolfdigest.com or on Twitter @RishiNarain_

Health and fitness is becoming a larger concern for golfers as back, shoulder, knee and neck problems every year cause many golfers to take long layoffs and sometimes give up the game altogether. We suggest you keep this issue by your bedside and keep referring to the various stretches and strengthening exercises pictured in our 15 page special – this will enable you to avoid injuries and improve your game. I certainly will make sure this copy is always within my easy reach.

The US Open in June is always highly anticipated especially when the venue is brand new. GDI has a worldwide exclusive interview with course architect Dana Fry who provides insights into the makings of a US Open venue and what it takes to get selected when you are competing against 20,000 other golf courses in the country!!

Instruction tips by our legendary contributors Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Butch Harmon, David Leadbetter and others ensures you are always picking up timeless pointers from the very best minds in the global game.

We are sure you can knock off a few strokes off your game this summer with the help of Golf Digest.

Happy Golfing!

Rishi Narain

TEAM GOLF DIGEST INDIA Editor & Publisher Rishi Narain Managing Editor Rohit Bhardwaj Assistant Art Director Guneet Singh Oberoi Subscriptions Sakshi Naharia/ Monika Chhabra subscribe@teamgolfdigest.com Phone: +91-9999868051

Marketing & Advertising Nikhil Narain nikhil@teamgolfdigest.com +91-9999990364 Bharath Arvind bharath@teamgolfdigest.com Srijan Yadav srijan@teamgolfdigest.com +91-9416252880

Published and Printed by Rishi Narain on behalf of Rishi Narain Golf Management Private Limited and Printed at Thomson Press India Limited, 18-35 Mile Stone, Delhi-Mathura Road, Faridabad-121 007, Haryana and published from 501, Sushant Tower, Sector-56, Gurgaon-122 011, Haryana. Editor: Rishi Narain. Contains material reprinted by permission from Golf Digest® and Golf World®.

Golf Digest India is a monthly publication of Rishi Narain Golf Management Private Limited.

14 golf digest india | june 2017

GOLF DIGEST INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS AND EDITORS-IN-CHIEF GD ArGentinA Hernán SimÓ, Jorge R. Arias AustrAliAn GD Brad Clifton GD Chile Rodrigo Soto GD ChinA Echo Ma GD CzeCh republiC Robin Drahonovsky GD FinlAnD Sami Markkanen GD FrAnCe Henry Trouillet GD honG KonG Echo Ma GD inDonesiA Irwan Hermawan GD irelAnD Linton Walsh GD KoreA Eun Jeong “EJ” Sohn GD MAlAysiA Patrick Ho GD MexiCo Rafa Quiroz GD MiDDle eAst Robbie Greenfield GD portuGAl João Morais Leitão GD russiA Fedor Gogolev GD south AFriCA Stuart McLean GD spAin Óscar Maqueda GD sweDen Oskar Åsgård GD tAiwAn Jennifer Wei GD thAilAnD Chumphol Na Takuathung GD usA Jerry Tarde

Popularly known as The ‘Golden Bear’, Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time. He won a record 18 Majors during his playing career and is regarded as the ultimate thinker and strategist on the golf course. He lies third on the all-time winner list on the PGA Tour behind Sam Snead and Tiger Woods with 73 titles.

Tom Watson

Watson is an eighttime Major champion, with five British Open titles to his credit, who defied age by becoming the oldest professional golfer at 60 years to lead the second and third rounds of the 2009 British Open. He topped the World Rankings from 1978 to 1982.

Butch Harmon

Harmon is best known for having been Tiger Woods’ golf coach during the prime of his career from 1993 to 2004. He has also worked with other Major champions such as Ernie Els, Stewart Cink, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard. Has topped many lists as the No. 1 rated golf instructor in the world.

David Leadbetter

Leadbetter, is without doubt the most celebrated golf instructor in history. His books, videos and DVD’s have sold in the millions worldwide. He came to wide notice in the 1980s when he rebuilt the swing of Nick Faldo, who then went on to win six Major championships. Apart from Faldo his students included Greg Norman (1997) and Ernie Els (1990–2008). Leadbetter changed golf instruction for all future generations from guesswork to science.

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THINK YOUNG | PLAY HARD

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Cover Story

I have now decided to concentrate my energies upon Asia. Winning more there, getting on to the EurAsia Cup team and finishing atop the Order of Merit.

Indian Professional Shiv Kapur Ended His 12-Year Title Drought On Asian Tour With Yeangder Heritage Triumph

18 golf digest india | june 2017

Cover Story ROHIT BHARDWAJ rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

S

hiv Kapur’s excruciating wait for his second Asian Tour title got over with the Yeangder Heritage win in Chinese Taipei in May. The Delhi golfer had last won an Asian Tour title almost 12 years back with the 2005 Volvo Masters of Asia crown. The title had also helped him clinch the Rookie of the Year honour that year.

With his solid performances in the next couple of years he gained a full card on the European Tour, which became his home for most of his career with him playing selective events in Asia including the Hero Indian Open.

Kapur came tantalisingly close to winning a number of times. Unfortunately he couldn’t convert. He has 5 runner-up finishes and 4 third place results in his name.

He ended between 4th and 10th place 24 times from 359 starts. That speaks volumes about the golfer who also briefly led the first round of the British Open in 2013 and won the individual gold medal for the nation at the 2002 Busan Asian Games in South Korea.

The 35-year-old also encountered a liver abscess surgery last year besides a long slump in form and intermittent periods of self-doubts. Fortunately for Indian golf fans, the problems are a thing of the past and Shiv foresees a brighter future in Asia, where he wants to concentrate his energies as of now. The soon-to-be father is hopeful of a massive turnaround in fortunes with the help of yoga and meditation and a new partnership with Shane Gillespie, his coach. Shiv is expecting the birth of his first child with wife Maya Gupta in August. The Arjuna awardee spoke about a large number of issues in an exclusive chat with Golf Digest India. Excerpts from the interview:

FAST FACTS Date of Birth: February 12, 1982 Residence – New Delhi Turned Pro – 2004 Asian Tour wins – 2 (2005 Volvo Masters of Asia, 2017 Yeangder Heritage)

Career Earnings

`32.30 Cr

(including Asian Tour & European Tour)

Challenge Tour wins – 2 (2013 Gujarat Kensville Challenge, 2013 Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final) Best finish in a Major – Tied 23rd at 2014 US Open Best World Ranking – 137 Other achievements – Won individual gold medal in golf at the 2002 Busan Asian Games; Conferred the Arjuna Award in 2002; Awarded Asian Tour Rookie of the Year in 2005 june 2017 | golf digest india

19

Cover Story

“He (Late Vinod Khanna) was a great supporter of mine and always had great advice to offer on golf and life.”

Prize money won

US$ 54,000 (` 34.6 lakh approx.)

ALL SMILES: With the 2013 Gujarat Kensville Challenge trophy

GDI: Many congratulations on your win, it was long due…

SK: Yeah, I came close a number of times.

I always knew that I need to keep fighting and never give in. The preparation was the same, it was only that everything fell into the right places at the right time. The only thing I sensed was there was a change in my mindset playing the last few holes. Not being in the last group helped as the spotlight wasn’t on me. I didn’t even have a look at the leaderboard till the 9th hole. When I reached the 9th green I saw that I was 3 strokes behind.

I then thought if I could post 5-under on the back nine I have a chance to win. On the 17th I was 2 ahead (at 15-under-par) of the leading pack. But then I got to keep boxing along and I holed a birdie on the final hole to bolster my chances. And thankfully my strategy worked well. I am very happy to be back in the winner’s circle. Last year was very frustrating for me. Missing the cut at the Hero Indian Open due to one bad shot then my liver surgery and loss of form had created a lot of self-doubts and I am pretty satisfied to have got rid of it now.

GDI: Do you think you were guilty of returning to action sooner than expected after the liver surgery?

SK: As a competitor you want to be out of the hospital bed as soon as possible. I thought if I could walk, I could play as well.

As a player or competitor your goal is to

20 golf digest india | june 2017

END OF THE WAITING GAME: With the 2017 Yeangder Heritage crown

In trying to become the best I took a step back. I tried all sorts of stuff and then the lean spell kicked in. Doubts began to creep in and motivation levels dropped.

Thankfully, golfers have a longer shelf life. It paid off finally. win the tournament. But when I reached the course I felt really weak. I realized my rehab was not complete. It actually set me back rather than putting me in front.

GDI: Your last win came in 2013 on the European Challenge Tour at the Dubai Festival City Grand Final. You also hit the headlines that year for leading the British Open in Round 1. Where did you lose your way after that?

SK: I had lost my European Tour card in 2012 that was a big jolt for me to buck up, step up my game. So, I knew I had to put my 200% to work my way back. I won the Gujarat Kensville Challenge in Ahmedabad and then backed it up with a runner-up finish in China at the Foshan Open. I also won the Shubhkamna Tournament of

Champions (Jeev Milkha Singh’s event) before winning the Dubai Grand Final. I also qualified for the US Open next year and scripted my best finish (tied 23rd). At that time I felt I need to work a bit harder and become a more complete player. But that didn’t work. In trying to become the best I took a step back. I tried all sorts of stuff and then the lean spell kicked in. Doubts began to creep in and motivation levels dropped.

Thankfully, golfers have a longer shelf life.

So, I kept working hard and resolved not to give up soon. It paid off finally.

GDI: So, what did you do differently in the past 6-8 months that have fetched you the results?

SK: After the Hero Indian Open I told myself not to be complacent. I decided that 2017 should be a better year than 2016. I chalked out a plan and started working mentally and physically. I got a new coach Shane Gillespie 6 months back. He worked on the short game of Chiragh Kumar and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh in December. That’s how I got introduced to him. I liked the way he simplified complicated golfing concepts.

I worked with him for 2 weeks in Taiwan before going to Japan. I missed cut there and again worked with him for a few days before the Taipei event. So, in all it’s working fine for me till now. I also had the opportunity to meet my former swing coach Jamie Gough in Malaysia but as he is based out of the US it becomes difficult for me to get time with

Cover Story

FAST FACTS l Kapur birdied 5 out of the last 7 holes to clinch the title and US$54,000 in prize money. l Kapur is the third Indian player to win in Chinese Taipei since 2004. Gaurav Ghei won at the 2006 Mercuries Taiwan Masters and Gaganjeet Bhullar was victorious at the 2012 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship

4 5

no. of titles won by shiv

l His final round eightunder-par 64 was the lowest score of the week. l The victory was especially sweet for Kapur as his first Asian Tour title came in his rookie season in December, 2005 – 11 years and 4 months ago.

no. of runner-up finishes

l At the age of 35, Kapur was the oldest player in the final three groups. The eight other players in those groups were aged between 21 to 23.

4

no. of third place finishes

24

no. of times he ended between 4th & 10th

him. What I realized during my lean phase is that I need to strengthen the mental side of my game. I want to bottle up the mental state I was in Chinese Taipei. The way I sank 5 birdies in the last 7 holes there strengthened my confidence. I always had the game it was only the conversion part and that has to do with my mental zone. I need to be in a calm mental zone and that I think is key to performing consistently. I am planning to get into yoga and meditation heavily. Jeev has also recommended a meditation guru to me.

GDI: So which tour you want to focus more now – Europe or Asia?

I got a new coach Shane Gillespie 6 months back. He worked on the short game of Chiragh Kumar and Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh in December... So, in all it’s working fine for me till now.

SK: I have now decided to concentrate my energies upon Asia. Winning more there, getting on to the EurAsia Cup team and finishing atop the Order of Merit by the yearend. I was guilty of playing two tours. In the light of the recent alliance with European Tour, Asian Tour members will have more starts in Europe. They will get better ranking points and also more chances of getting invitations to premier tournaments.

GDI: Tell us about your initiative in Bulgaria and how did that come about?

Any particular reason for staging it there?

How do you want to grow the event? june 2017 | golf digest india

21

Cover Story

“Maya has been a pillar of strength for me. She has seen me through the lows, good amount of it (Laughs)” Shiv’s Favourites Golf course in India Delhi Golf Club Golf course around the world Sebonack Golf Club, Southampton, New York Golf Course on your wish list Augusta National during the Masters Movie Blow

LOVE ALL: Shiv and wife Maya Gupta expect a third member in their family this August

SK: It’s a fun tournament. It’s more of a friendly get-together. 40-50 of my friends play in it and I get to interact with them and spend time with them once in a year. I want to keep it as a Pro-Am only. I loved the hospitality and the topography of Bulgaria. They are very warm people and are extremely eager to help the guests. Plus they have a couple of very good properties like the Lighthouse Golf Resort and Thracian Cliffs Resort which give you spectacular views of the Black Sea. As a brand ambassador I will try to promote it as a golfing destination to everyone. I also have a bar in my name ‘Shiv’s Bar’, which lends me that ownership feeling.

THE ADVENTURER: In his spare time, Shiv likes to skydive and go for rounds of shooting

GDI: You have commentated during Hero Indian Open and other prominent Asian Tour events too. Any plans of taking up television as an alternate career?

SK: Obviously I will look at this avenue after I bid adieu to the sport. Commentary has always interested me.

GDI: Are you also into some sort of adventure sport?

SK: I have always been a multi-dimensional person. I like to try out different things. I have done skydiving with Jyoti (Randhawa).

I also practice trap & shot gun shooting, I did that in Bulgaria. In my spare time I love to play tennis and cricket. I am a huge Sachin Tendulkar fan. I also like fast cars and own BMW M3 as a prized possession.

GDI: You tied the knot with childhood friend Maya Gupta on April 3 last year.

How has life changed post marriage? Any GDI: What has been your relationship plans of starting a family?

SK: It’s been a pleasant change. with actor Vinod Khanna, who All my life I have been thinkpassed away recently? ing of myself. Maya has SK: He was my father’s been a pillar of strength childhood friend. He for me. She has seen me was a great supporter through the lows, good of mine and always amount of it (Laughs) had great advice to but someone who has offer on golf and life. seen that phase will We often spoke about Driver/Fairway Woods: TaylorMade M2 be the best person to spirituality and how it Hybrid: TaylorMade M1 (2017) Rescue celebrate the highs. would help me on the Irons: TaylorMade Psi (3-P) Life’s perspective has golf course. He also changed. We are expectcame for the launch Wedges: Cleveland ing a third member in of my maiden venture Putter: PING Anser 2 TR 1966 the family in August Golf Premier League in Ball: Titleist Pro V1 x 17 and so giving time to her 2013. More than being and my child is a priora great actor and politiShoe: Foot-Joy ity now. I am going to cian, he will forever be Glove: Titleist take entire August off remembered as a great Cap: Marriott for them. By God’s grace hu ma n being a nd this win has come at the that’s a great legacy to Bag: TaylorMade best time possible. leave behind.

What’s in the winner’s bag?

22 golf digest india | june 2017

Actor Leonardo di Caprio (He portrayed some fabulous roles in the Shawshank Redemption, Inception, The Great Gatsby and The Aviator) Actress Scarlett Johansson and closer to home Deepika Padukone & Dia Mirza Music I had a Rap phase, Electronica phase but now I am inclined towards classics like Frank Sinatra, Dire Straits. I also listen to Michael Jackson songs whenever I find time.

I used to have his posters in my room ever since my school days.

Drink Any smooth beer Food I like all sorts of cuisines but Japanese food is my favourite especially Sushi. Back home I love butter chicken and naan.

Superstitions Not any more. Earlier I used to have a list of lucky T-shirts, caps and shoes Essentials in your travel bag Laptop, pajamas, head phones and my favourite chips Mid-round power snack Soy Joy Bar Mentors/Idols Sachin Tendulkar and Jeev Milkha Singh Sport apart from golf Cricket & Tennis Holiday destination Cape Town, South Africa

Newsmakers

PLAYERS IN THE NEWS Aditi, SSP recommended for Arjuna award T he Indian Golf Union (IGU) has recommended the reigning men’s and women’s Indian Open champions, SSP Chawrasia and Aditi Ashok, for the country’s prestigious Arjuna Award. The award carries a cash prize of `5 lakh a bronze statue of Arjuna and a scroll.

The IGU has also put forward leading coach Vijay Divecha’s name for Dronacharya Award and Mukesh Kumar for ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award.

Mukesh, who has more than 100 domestic titles, had won the Panasonic Open India on the Asian Tour recently at the age of 51.

IGU president Satish Aparajit said both Chawrasia and Aditi had a splendid season and they did “wonders for Indian golf”.

“SSP won the prestigious Indian Open twice in succession apart from another win in the Philippines. He won three times in a space of 13 months in 2015-16 and has been among the leading Asian golfers for last three years. He is easily the most deserving for the award,” said Aparajit.

“Aditi, in her first year as a pro, won two titles on the Ladies European Tour (LET), including Hero Women’s Indian Open and Qatar Open crowns. She was also second on the LET Order of Merit,” he added.

Both Chawrasia and Aditi had represented India at the Rio Olympic Games last year.

Divecha, the coach of India’s highest-ranked professional Anirban Lahiri, also trains many other leading Indian golfers including Chikkarangappa S and Udayan Mane.

SSP Chawrasia Aditi Ashok

Professional Golf Tour of India

Sri Lankan Anura clinches first title after two years Sri Lankan Anura Rohana sprung a surprise on the final day of the Pune Open by, setting the Poona Club Golf Course on fire with a scorching six-under 65. The fabulous effort by the seasoned campaigner fetched him his first title since October 2014 as he closed the Rs 30 lakh tournament with a total of 10-under-274.

The second place was shared between Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi (66) and Panchkula’s Angad Cheema (69) at eight-under-276. Rookies Viraj Madappa (68) of Kolkata and South Africa’s Damian Naicker (70) finished joint fourth. Madappa now leads the Emerging Player of the Year race with earnings of Rs 1, 92, 085.

Anura Rohana (71-68-70-65) was lying tied seventh and three off the lead after the penultimate round. The 43-year-old Colombo resident bagged the winning cheque worth Rs. 4.50 lakh and moved up from eighth to fourth on the PGTI Order of Merit.

An excited Anura later said, “I had been playing well of late with top-5 finishes in my last two events on the PGTI. I had my chance in Kochi recently but was unfortunate to finish second. The new putter that I started using from the Indian Open onwards last month has had a huge impact on my game. “Incidentally, I qualified for the Indian tour for the first time in 2002 after playing the Q-School at the Poona Club golf course. So it’s special to win an event here.”

24 golf digest india | june 2017

PGTI Order of Merit Rank

Player

Prize Money (`)

Played

1.

Shamim Khan

16,01,850

7

2.

Khalin H Joshi

12,79,331

7

3.

Ajeetesh Sandhu

11,45,050

6

4.

Anura Rohana

11,44,601

6

5.

Mukesh Kumar

10,60,607

4

6.

Harendra Gupta

9,24,902

7

7.

Udayan Mane

9,04,311

6

8.

Honey Baisoya

7,78,305

6

9.

Sanjeev Kumar

6,52,655

6

10.

Shankar Das

6,50,970

6

l Updated till Pune Open

Newsmakers

Uphill task for Anirban to make Presidents Cup cut

I

ndia’s highest-ranked professional Anirban Lahiri has an uphill task at hand to qualify for this year’s Presidents Cup to be played at the Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey from September 26 to October 1.

The current World No. 84 is 20th on the Presidents Cup rankings and requires some brilliant finishes in the next 15-odd tournaments before the September cut-off date to push his case for inclusion before International team captain Nick Price.

In 2015, Lahiri had made history by becoming the first-ever Indian to qualify for the Presidents Cup. However, despite some good display he could not win any of his matches including Foursomes (with Thongchai Jaidee vs Rickie Fowler/Jimmy Walker 5&4), Fourballs (with Adam Scott vs Phil Mickelson/Zach Johnson 3&2) and Singles (vs Chris Kirk 1up).

The 29-year-old’s best finish in the 2016-17 PGA Tour season came at the $7 million CIMB Classic, where he finished tied third despite having a four-shot lead entering the final round. The Bengaluru lad’s other good finishes came at the $6.4 million Honda Classic (tied 11th) and $6 million RSM Classic (tied 13th).

Early exit for Team India from GolfSixes event The Indian team comprising of SSP Chawrasia and Chikkarangappa S made an early exit from the European Tour’s GolfSixes event staged at the Centurion Club in St. Albans, United Kingdom.

The competition featured 16 teams of two batlling it out over six holes in a greensomes format. The teams were split into groups of four in a round robin format on Saturday with two from each group progressing to the knockout stages on Sunday.

The Indian team drew their first match against England at 2-2 before losing their next two matches to The Netherlands by 2-1 and Denmark by 1-0 margin.

India thus finished at the bottom of their group with just one point from their drawn match.

The two teams from India’s group (Group A) that progressed to the next stage were England and Denmark with five points each. The Netherlands finished third in the group with four points.

Women’s Golf

Sharmila wins fan poll for spot in LPGA event Indian golfer Sharmila Nicollet clinched a spot in an LPGA event – the ShopRite LPGA Classic – via a Twitter fan poll.

The ShopRite LPGA Classic will take place from June 2-4 at Stockton Seaview Hotel & Golf Club in Galloway, New Jersey.

Over 25,000 votes were cast, and Nicollet earned 39 percent of the tallies. Her closest pursuer, Golf Channel TV presenter Blair O’Neal, came in at 30 percent. The other two players fighting for that spot via this poll were Scotland’s Carly Booth (25 percent) and Susana Benavides of Bolivia (6 percent).

The poll was announced on May 1 and ran until May 8.

Nicollet posted several times on social media about her candidacy for the spot. The most notable was a video where she expounded on what this opportunity would mean.

The 26-year-old Bengaluru lass has previously competed in

two LPGA co-sanctioned events via her Ladies European Tour card, missing the cut at the 2011 and 2012 Evian Masters (now the Evian Championship, a Major since 2013).

Sharmila topped the d o m e s t i c H e r o Wo m e n’s Professional Golf Tour twice in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons.

She’s won on the WGAI circuit 14 times overall between 2009-10 and 2016. Her best finish on the LET is 17th at the 2013 Turkish Airlines Ladies Open.

26 golf digest india | june 2017

ShopRiteLPGAClassic @ShopRiteLPGA . May 8 Congrats to @MIssNicollet and our sincere thx to @BLAIRONEAL, @mumita_b, @CarlyBooth92 and our fans!

6% 25% 39% 30%

Susana Benavides Carly Booth Sharmila Nicollet Blair O'Neal

27,652 votes . Final Results

Sharmila Nicollet is all set to compete in her first proper LPGA event — the ShopRite LPGA Classic — this month

Junior Golf

“You are competing against future PGA Tour players” Each month, Golf Digest India in partnership with the International Junior Golf Association (IJGA) and Albatross Junior Golf Tour India, brings you advice to help groom future champions.

BY AMAN MISRA aman@teamgolfdigest.com IJGA is one of the premier academies for junior golfers that aspire to play college golf and later professionally. Based out of Hilton Head, South Carolina - their objective is to not only develop golfers, but also focuses on academics and all-round development.

While at the academy, students compete in more than 60 tournaments on weekends in nationally ranked events on the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) With the aim of playing golf competitively, Delhi’s Arjun Puri moved to America - intending to hone his game at the IJGA. As he graduates and moves to the next phase of his career which is playing college golf as an amateur, he looks back at an experience which included playing courses that host PGA Tour events and competing against world’s best juniors.

GDI: Where will you be attending college and what will you major in?

Arjun: Columbia University (Division I), Economics GDI: How has attending the IJGA benefited you?

Arjun: As a person, I am much more independent. Being away from my parents has made me self-sufficient and self-reliant.

As a golfer it meant being able to compete against not only the best golfers in the US, but the world as well. Competing against top players in the biggest tournaments helped me improve my game significantly.

Arjun: The courses are hard, the professionals make it look easy. It shows how high their skill level is. Yes, It allows me to see the condition the tour pros compete on and what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

GDI: For our readers in India, could you describe the level of competition in the US? Arjun: While there are many good juniors in India, the level of competition is much higher in the US. The golf courses you play are much harder. You have an opportunity to play many tournaments on courses which host PGA Tour events. You are competing against players who will be on the PGA Tour in the next 5-10 years.

GDI: What advice would you give aspiring junior golfers from India who are considering coming to the US? Arjun: Coming to the US you will become independent, however you must maintain your discipline. You can never forget to work hard, especially in golf as this is the only way for a player to improve.

GDI: What is the biggest difference you see while training in the US versus India?

Arjun: Training in the US has been more continuous as I have not had any interruptions due to studies. There is less pressure as I can balance my golf and academics. In India there were periods of time where I had to stop playing golf in order to focus on my exams.

GDI: How many times a year do you visit home? Tell us about your family’s involvement and support.

Arjun: Once or twice a year. My family has made tremendous sacrifices to send me to IJGA so

Arjun Puri

Date of Birth - 3/27/99 Height - 6’ Weight - 77 kgs Handicap - 2 Coach - Arick Ziegel Scoring Average - 74 Lowest Tournament Score - 68 Wins - 1 (Bluffton Junior Shootout) Top-10 finishes - 15 Favorite golfer on tour - Rory McIlroy that I could purse my dreams.

They provide encouragement to me on a daily basis regardless if I play good or bad.

GDI: What was it like to play courses that PGA Tour pros play on such as TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town Links, and Innisbrook?

JAYPEE GREENS HOSTED LITTLE MASTER JR TOUR Jaypee Greens Wishtown in Greater Noida hosted the 2nd edition of the Little Master Junior Golf Tour Pro-Am on May 15th.

This year the format was different from the 1st year, a total of 30 players were selected to play 9 holes with the professionals in two batches (15 juniors in the morning & 15 juniors in the afternoon). The tournament was conducted in Stableford format, where the score of the pro and 2 best junior scores were counted per hole.

28 golf digest india | june 2017

The professionals who graced the event - Digvijay Singh, Vani Kapoor, Vaishavi Sinha, Manav Jaini and Naman Dawar - were delighted to play 18 holes with the juniors, shared their experiences and also gave them a few tips. The enthusiasm of the parents was quite evident as there were more parents than players who had come to see the pros play with their young champs. The best professional score of the day went to Digvijay Singh who got 42 points.

GDI: You made it to the second round of the United States Junior Amateur (a tournament won three times consecutively

by Tiger Woods 1991-93) last year and have come close to winning an American Junior Golf Association tournament recently at the Rome Junior Classic. What did you take away from these close calls?

Arjun: The US Junior was really big for me as there have only been a few Indians who have competed. It felt really good to qualify. To make it through stroke play and win my first match and go on to the round of 32 gave me a lot of confidence. It showed if I play to my potential, I can compete and have success against the best juniors in the world.

Morning Results: 1st Position - Team Digvijay Singh (Udai A Middha, Ivan Jolly & Parth R. Sood) 50 Points 2nd Position - Team Vaishavi Sinha (Serena Khanna, Asara Sawhney & Jai Bahl) 40 Points 3rd Position - Team Vani Kapoor (Palakshi Sehrawat, Serena Sabharwal, Vihaan Malhotra) 34 Points

Afternoon Results: 1st Position - Team Vani Kapoor (Manya Katyal, Riya, Ragini Navet) 47 Points 2nd Position - Team Digvijay Singh (Aprameya Sirothia, Surya Yadav, Rachit Poddar) 47 Points 3rd Position - Team Manav Jaini (Aarush Marwaha, Dhairya Jain) 35 Points

Junior Golf

JUNIOR GOLF GETS A BOOST AS SSP, DIGVIJAY LEND A HAND Digvijay Singh Junior Golf Challenge (Classic Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon, 3rd May 2017)

Asian Tour winner Digvijay Singh (2L) with the Junior Golf Challenge participants in Gurgaon

Two big names in Indian golf extended their support to junior golf last month.

Former winner of the Panasonic Open, Digvijay Singh, did his bit to give back to the game as he helped initiate the Junior Golf Challenge in his name at the Classic Golf and Country Club. The event had 19 categories - 10 for boys and 9 for girls - with participation from over 100 kids. Amongst the winners two juniors get a chance to represent the country at the Ciputra World Junior Golf Championship, Jakarta from June 6-9, 2017.

According to Digvijay, “The junior golfers are the future of the game and the Ultimate Golf Junior Tour is a great platform for the nourishment of young talent across India. Golf is no more only for the rich and is more accessible for youngsters starting out early.”

Current Indian Open Champion SSP Chawrasia too organised a similar tournament at his home club, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) with the intent to grow the game and inspire juniors to showcase their talent on a competitive

platform.

Similar to the categories at Digvijay’s tournament - boys and girls teed it up at the RCGC. Winners of each category get to play the season-ending finale “The Milkha” Junior Golf Championship 2017 scheduled at Chandigarh Golf Club on May 22-23, 2017. Chawrasia has generously offered to sponsor air tickets to USA for 4 winners of the season-ending finale.

SSP said, “This is my first step in trying to grow the game and create future Olympians and champions. The junior golfers are the future of the game.”

Both tournaments are a part of the Ultimate Junior Golf tour. The 19 winners of the final tournament in the 2016-17 tour get an opportunity to represent India in the US Kids World & Teen World Championship at Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA. A c c o rdi n g to S u n d e e p Ve r m a , Director, Ultimate Golf “ the idea of such tournaments and collective association is to grow the game at grassroot level and give young talent opportunities to showcase their talent at international platforms.”

BOYS 6 YEARS & BELOW BOYS 7 YEARS BOYS 8 YEARS BOYS 9 YEARS BOYS 10 YEARS BOYS 11 YEARS BOYS 12 YEARS BOYS 13 YEARS BOYS 14 YEARS BOYS 15-18 YEARS

Devvrat S. Rajawat Kartik Singh Ranveer Mitroo Parth R. Sood Aarav D. Shah Aayan Gupta Jai Bahl Vedant Sirohi Saurav Rathi Yuvraajbir Singh

GIRLS 7 YEARS & BELOW GIRLS 8 YEARS GIRLS 9 YEARS GIRLS 10 YEARS GIRLS 11 YEARS GIRLS 12 YEARS GIRLS 13 YEARS GIRLS 14 YEARS GIRLS 15-18 YEARS

Rashi Mishra Prarthana Khanna Zara Anand Pehu Gupta Ragini Navet Harbin Kaur Rakshita Singh Jahanvi Bakshi Khushi Khanijau

SSP Chawrasia Junior Golf Challenge (Royal Calcutta Golf Club, 12th May 2017)

BOYS 6 YEARS & BELOW BOYS 7 YEARS BOYS 8 YEARS BOYS 9 YEARS BOYS 10 YEARS BOYS 11 YEARS BOYS 12 YEARS BOYS 13 YEARS BOYS 14 YEARS BOYS 15-18 YEARS

Aarav Kajaria Deeyon S. Pao Anshul Mishra Somprit Das Abesh Maitra Manahar Bajoria Rakshik Basu Pinku Das Manav Bansal Sandeep Yadav

GIRLS 7 YEARS & BELOW GIRLS 8 YEARS GIRLS 9 YEARS GIRLS 10 YEARS GIRLS 11 YEARS GIRLS 12 YEARS GIRLS 13 YEARS GIRLS 14 YEARS GIRLS 15-18 YEARS

Dishika Bansal Teesta Rawat Debosmita Das Sinjini Mukarjee Gourabi Bhowmick Fizza Ali Kayra Pao Chitrangada Singh Aashera Sethi

This is my first step in trying to grow the game and create future Olympians & champions. Junior golfers are the future of the game and the future of golf is in bright hands.

2017 Indian Open champion SSP Chawrasia (C) with talented juniors at RCGC in Kolkata

– SSP Chawrasia june 2017 | golf digest india

29

HOLE-INONE CLUB

GOLF DIGEST HELPS YOU COMMEMORATE THIS MEMORABLE ACHIEVEMENT Share details of your Hole-In-One and get inducted into the Golf Digest India Hole-in-One Club

It’s Free!

PLEASE VISIT GDIACERS.COM TO REGISTER YOUR HOLE-IN-ONE

CONGRATULATIONS ACERS Hole-in-One’s Devesh Daga Tollygunge Club, Kolkata 10th May 2017 Manish Prasad Shillong Golf Course, Shillong 6th May 2017 Col Rajeev Saksena Army Environmental Park and Training Area, Delhi 22nd April 2017 Pratik Lakhotia Tollygunge Club, Kolkata 13th April 2017 Siddharth Bansal Tollygunge Club, Kolkata 8th April 2017 Sumant Poddar Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata 2nd April 2017 Nitin Kalra DLF Golf and Country Club (Gary Player Course), Gurgaon 1st April 2017 Aayaan Sardana Jaypee Greens Golf Resort Mini Course, Greater Noida 25th December 2016 Aravvir Bachal Tarudhan Valley Golf Resort, Gurgaon 16th October 2016

Across The Country

CLUB ROUND-UP To share news on your club or updates from across the country, please email vineet@teamgolfdigest.com

The Trivandrum GC was built by Maharaja of Travancore in 1837

Preserving Heritage

IGU, SAI join hands to restore Trivandrum GC The Trivandrum Golf Club in Kerala is reputed to be the second oldest golf course outside the British Isles after the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. It is a small property located in the heart of Trivandrum.

Originally built by the Maharaja of Travancore in 1837, over a period of time as the city become densely populated, a dispute arose over the holding of the land once ownership passed to the government post-Independence.

Entering into an agreement with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the state agreed to lease the golf course for a period of 30 years.

With the reintroduction of golf in the 2016 Olympics, there was a need to identify future Indian

teams for various International competitions. The SAI National Golf Academy, Trivandrum will be one such venue to prepare teams.

Alongside this, with a view to preserve the heritage status of the course, the Ministry of Tourism has allotted funds for the restoration which the IGU also has a role to play in according to Director-General Arun Singh who adds that the golf course will be revamped.

This adds to the efforts taking place at the Kashmir Golf Club, Srinagar and Qutab Golf Course in Delhi where similar restorations are underway to improve playing conditions with the larger view to attract more golfers.

Golf Digest View The IGU and SAI deserve applause for helping Trivandrum GC survive the test of time. Green spaces like Trivandrum GC provide lungs to the city and such steps are required in other cities also to make corporations aware of the importance of golf clubs in the life of the citizens.

Club Election

Ravibir extends Chandigarh GC term Ravibir Singh Grewal, the acting president of the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) won the election held in April to continue as president for a one year term (2017-18).

Following the untimely demise of president IPS Mann last year, Grewal took over the club management. In the election contested against Ravinder Singh Virk, he won by a margin of 94 votes.

Ravibir owns an infotech firm and a horticulture business. His campaign was based on lines of his outgoing team’s ‘exemplary performance’.

32 golf digest india | june 2017

The 11-member committee was also declared for the 2017-18 team and comprises of Rohit S Dagar, KS Brar, Capt Mohanbir Singh(Retd), Alamgir S Grewal, Dr Jaspreet S Batth, Amarinder S. Aulakh, Lt Col.H S Chahal, Arvind Bajaj, Sanjay Verma, SPS Matharoo, and Shona A Singh.

As the club begins a new term, two of the key issues it will have to contend with is the pending lease as well as the Union Territory administration’s proposal to give veto power to their three selected nominees to the elected club management committee.

Across The Country Friendship Series

India-SA return Test to be staged at Leopard Creek Last year marked the inception of a partnership between the Indian Golf Union (IGU) and South Africa Golf Association (SAGA) when the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) played host to the visitors for a golf Test series.

The event was a resounding success, and has led to the way for a reverse fixture slated this year in South Africa.

Leopard Creek Country Club located in Malalane, Mpumalanga will play host to the team event, tentatively from August 14 to 18, which saw the South Africans clinch the

first edition, putting up 11.5 points against the home team’s 4.5.

While e arlier e ditions s aw the participation of senior (over-50 years) and mid-amateur (over-30) players such as Amit Luthra and Simarjeet Singh, the next series will be expanded to include amateur(18 and above) and junior (under-18) teams. This means each country will be represented by 16 players in this format.

Selection of Amateurs and Juniors will be based on IGU Order of Merit,while for the Seniors and Mid-Ams a qualifying

tournament will be held in the first week of July, according to IGU director general Arun Singh. The date and venue of qualifying is yet to be confirmed.

Singh also said that the tournament is being sponsored on the South African side

by Johann Rupert, chairman of Golf RSA and

by Dilip Thomas, council member of the IGU on the Indian side.

“This is a wonderful exchange that has been developed by the IGU and the SAGA, and will be great for Indian golf,” says Lakshman Singh.

The team of Sanjay Kolkhatkar (L-R), Vijay Bhadana, Anil Jule, Amit Luthra, Lakshman Singh (captain) H S Kang, Simarjeet Singh, Aditya Khaitan and Kailash Dhiwar represented India in the first Test against South Africa at the RCGC last year

The Riverside Golf Club is located at Niphad, 40 kms away from Nashik

Golf Digest View This is a great way to grow the game. We need more individuals like Pradeep Bagmar to invest in the grassroot development of the sport as only a larger base will ensure it’s sustenance in the future.

Development

Nashik gets a new nine-hole course Retired Air Force serviceman Pradeep Bagmar has developed a nine-hole golf facility out of his own land in Niphad, 40 kms away from Nashik.

The brainchild of Bagmar, Riverside Golf Club has a unique story. After retiring from the Air Force in 2001, Bagmar worked with Jain Irrigation where his job description was to help market products for golf course irrigation.

In seven years of work, he covered over 25 courses in the country including private and public properties. The experience made him realise that he could make use

of 100 acres of his own land in Niphad.

He quit his job and began work on his land with the help of his brothers. Initially the focus was agriculture, before they decided to build a golf course. Entirely self-funded, six holes are ready at the newly opened course. The next three holes are under construction.

According to Indian Golf Union (IGU) director general Arun Singh, Bagmar’s vision was to give children an opportunity to learn the game and enjoy it. Some he hoped, would become very good at it eventually. The IGU has pledged it’s

support to help Bagmar run kids’ training programmes, assisting with equipment and coaching.

The course is built on the banks of a river, has access to the highway, and railway. The proposed opening of the Nashik airport later this year will only add to its already good connectivity.

According to Bagmar, currently there are 5-10 golfers on the weekdays and 2025 who play on the weekends. Eventually, his desire is to make this into an 18-hole property.

june 2017 | golf digest india

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Snap Chat

FROM THE POOL

TO THE GREENS Swimming Olympian & 3-time National Champion Rehan Poncha Wants To Excel In Golf ROHIT BHARDWAJ rohit@teamgolfdigest.com GDI: When did you start playing golf?

What prompted you to take up golf so seriously after you left swimming?

RP: At the end of 2012, I was on an extended swim break as my mind and body needed the rest. But I was getting really restless! I began golf just to pass time at my father’s suggestion, but instead I fell in love with the game. Competition is in my blood after so many years and before I knew it, I found myself training to compete and wanting to excel here too!

GDI: How often do you play and practice nowadays? Who are the good players you practice with?

RP: I enjoy trying out new courses and play at courses across the world – wherever work and leisure take me. I practice mainly at the Poona Golf Club and the Willingdon Sports Club, sometimes at BPGC course in Mumbai and the Oxford course in Pune. Training through a week consists of 5 to 6 days of golf (6 to 8 hours a day) and three sessions in the gym as well.

GDI: Have you played in any tournaments? What’s your best-ever score?

RP: I’ve played a few corporate and club tournaments. I hope to play the amateur qualifiers next year. My best score at a tournament has been a 6-over-par.

GDI: You are already a swimming Olympian. What do you think of golf’s return as an Olympic sport?

RP: The Olympics are any professional athlete’s ultimate arena. I love the idea of golf being an Olympic Sport! On a personal level, it encourages a dream of someday being a double Olympian! On a broader level, I think this will inspire many, many, more young players to learn this sport and want to compete at that level someday. I also think it’s a sport that is suited for Indian bodies, we’re seeing Indian golfers do so well internationally, so as a country this is good news for us.

34 golf digest india | june 2017

Exclusive

Snap Chat

GDI: Many cricketers worldwide have embraced golf – from our batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar to South Africans Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers. What is it about golf that appeals to former champions from other sport?

RP: It’s not just cricketers – so many athletes across sport turn to golf. I think the longevity in golf is a big factor – people continue playing well into your 30s and 40s even professionally. So it’s something you could learn, and enjoy for several years even after retirement. And it’s a great sport for the mind, awesome for business and a great leisure activity, it’s great to get in a game of golf whilst on holiday and the golf rounds end up being a huge networking opportunity as well.

I do many corporate motivational speaking assignments and so many things emerge from rounds at the course!

GDI: You have enrolled at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in Dubai. How satisfied are you with your progress under Justin Parsons, your coach? How often have you been there?

RP: I train in Dubai 4 times a year. I’ve been visiting this school for the last three years.

It’s not a permanent training center for me as my work is in India and I can’t move there for good. So what I do is, book classes with my coach Justin, put in a month or so of very concentrated golf instruction and training, some fitness with coach Alistair, and then come back to India and follow up on my training. The coaching has helped, I visited the school first as a 16-handicapper, and now I play to a 6!

IT’S NOT JUST CRICKETERS – SO MANY ATHLETES ACROSS SPORT TURN TO GOLF. I THINK THE LONGEVITY IN GOLF IS A BIG FACTOR FAST FACTS Date of Birth: August 3, 1986 Residence: Pune Medals: Multiple gold medals in Malaysia & Singapore Open; National record holder in 5 events (2009); 2 Time Best Athlete at the National Games in 2002 and 2007 Best time in the pool: 200m butterfly 2:00: 27 (2009) 200m individual medley - 2:05 (2009) 400m individual medley - 4:29 (2009) Other achievements – Arjuna Award (2010). Eklavya Award , Sports Writers Association Award, Young Achiever Award .

Course: Poona Golf Club Handicap: 6

At the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai

GDI: You made your TV debut as a presenter alongside Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Did you ever think of picking up TV as an alternate career?

RP: I enjoy TV and would certainly be open to exploring more of it. I enjoyed presenting the Olympics especially as I relate to the event in such a huge and personal way, and really cheering for the country which is most important to me. We are now looking at doing a mini-series on swimming technique online which may also be broadcast on TV that I think should be very interesting as well.

GDI: You also happen to be a motivational speaker. How busy does that keep you and which are the notable gatherings you have addressed?

RP: I generally do one to two speaking engagements a month. I have done the TEDX talks, spoken at corporate forums like the CII and CLO, addressed bankers and management consultants, corporate houses such as Reliance brands, Kamani Oils leading educational institutes such as Symbiosis, NMIMS, Thapars and a host of schools across the country as well.

With 5-time Olympic gold medallist Ian Thorpe of Australia during the official Indian broadcast of Rio Olympic Games in Mumbai last year

I TRAIN IN DUBAI 4 TIMES A YEAR... VISITING BUTCH’S SCHOOL SINCE 3 YEARS

Rehan’s claim to fame was his qualification for the 2008 Beijing Games 200m butterfly swimming event

june 2017 | golf digest india

35

Business of Golf

Rory McIlroy signs $100m 10-year TaylorMade deal Deal comes on top of his $200m agreement to wear Nike clothes

IN RORY’S BAG Driver: TaylorMade M2 driver (9.5°) with Mitsubishi Kuro Kage 70 XTS shaft Fairway woods: TaylorMade M2 Tour (13.5°) with Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue 90TX shaft, 2017 M2 Tour (19°) with Fujikura Pro P95X shaft Irons: TaylorMade P750 Proto Irons (3-4) with Project X 7.0 shafts, "Rors Proto" (5-9) with Project X 7.0 shafts Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48°, 54°, 60°) with Project X 6.5 shafts Ball: TaylorMade TP5x Putter: Using Odyssey prototype. Still testing a TaylorMade Spider Tour and TP Mullen

TaylorMade Golf sold for $425 million to KPS Capital Partners

After months of shopping its golf brands, Adidas has sold TaylorMade, Adams Golf and Ashworth Golf to KPS Capital Partners LP for $425 million, reported Golf.com.

The sports apparel and equipment brand announced the sale in May; the deal is expected to be completed in late 2017. KPS Capital is a private equity firm based in New York City. It manages approximately $5.3 billion in assets across a variety of industries.

“TaylorMade is a leading global golf brand with an exceptionally strong market position,” Kasper Rorstead, CEO of adidas AG, said in a press release. “We would like to thank all TaylorMade employees for their many contributions to our company and wish them all the best for a successful future under their new ownership. At the same time, we welcome all adidas Golf employees who will be integrated into our adidas Heartbeat Sports Business Unit.”

According to sources, Adidas’ golf division (including TaylorMade, Adams & Ashworth brands) was losing anything between $75 to $100 million every year. Adidas last year was asking for more than $500 million for the business.

36 golf digest india | june 2017

Rory McIlroy has signed a $100m (£77m) deal with TaylorMade to use the firm’s clubs, ball and golf bag for the next decade, The Guardian reported. He had been without an equipment contract since the end of last year, when Nike announced it was to withdraw from that market.

Confirmation of McIlroy’s new branding – he recently signed a 10-year extension to a Nike apparel agreement worth $200m alone – arrived at the Players Championship. The figures involved endorse the Northern Irishman’s status as one of the most marketable individuals in global sport with TaylorMade’s deal believed to be their biggest fiscal commitment to any golfer.

With this development, six of the top-15 ranked players are using TaylorMade clubs including the likes of World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Australia’s Jason Day, Spaniards Sergio Garcia & Jon Rahm and Englishman Justin Rose.

“I tested different combinations, a lot of different stuff, and I came to the conclusion that this was the best way forward for me to try and improve, try and win more, try to get back to World No. 1, try to win more Majors,” McIlroy said.

“So I’m really excited about that. I tested quite a few balls and the one that I landed on was really it; the ball was what led me to this point because this is the best ball I’ve ever hit. Then it was just about trying to match everything up to that.”

McIlroy had spent the early part of this year alternating between TaylorMade and Callaway clubs. He also played with a Titleist ball but that was never a long-term solution after the four-time Major champion bemoaned its performance during the Masters in April. An all-in equipment deal was always likely but McIlroy had been adamant he would have to be fully comfortable with the tools at his disposal before putting pen to paper. McIlroy will use TaylorMade M2 woods, prototype blade irons and the TP5x ball.

Business of Golf

Garcia and Lahiri practice 600m golf drives at Skydive Dubai Dubai unveiled a new website to enhance awareness of the worldleading, premium golf destination that convenes – for the first time in one place – everything visitors and tour operators need to know about experiencing golf in the city.

Launched at the Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) in Danang, Vietnam, golfindubai.com provides information on the first-class courses designed by legends including Ernie Els, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman, as well as details on leisure and practice facilities and wider hospitality offers.

A video of the reigning Masters and Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion Sergio Garcia facing India’s Anirban Lahiri in a battle of the big hitters – filmed at Skydive Dubai with the backdrop of the city’s iconic skyline – gives a sample of the compelling content on the website.

Visitors to the site can also enter a

competition and win a VIP trip that includes a playing spot in the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am, reports Sports360.com. golfindubai.com was launched by Falcon Golf, an entity announced in February this year to optimise the benefits golf brings to Dubai working closely with key local stakeholders such as its golf clubs and tournament sponsors, as well as Dubai Sports Council, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Emirates Golf Federation.

Commenting on the new website, Peter Dawson, Chairman of Falcon Golf, said: “Driving greater golf tourism is one of the key goals we set ourselves on our establishment, and I’m delighted that just a few months into our operations, we have launched a website which for the first time provides one place where Dubai’s fantastic golf offering is showcased in full.

Sergio Garcia (L) and Anirban Lahiri in the promotional video

CASEY PLEDGES $100 PER BIRDIE TO SUPPORT UNICEF As new parents PGA TOUR player Paul Casey and his wife, Pollyanna, and are experiencing all the joys of a growing family. This incredible experience has made Paul even more passionate about ensuring that children around the world have the basics they need to survive and have healthy lives.

Casey recently announced the launch of his crowdfunding campaign to support UNICEF, an organization that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children and mothers in developing countries.

Starting now through the end of the PGA TOUR season, fans and supporters can join Casey by visiting his campaign page and make a pledge for each birdie he hits this season. The current No. 14 player in the world will personally be donating $100 for every birdie he hits to combat the ongoing famines in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen.

$21,062

(Raised till PLAYERS Championship by Paul Casey)

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan

FedEx extends PGA Tour partnership till 2027 FedEx will continue to sponsor the PGA Tour’s season-long points race with a 10-year extension of the current agreement, announced commissioner Jay Monahan.

The deal was set to expire at the end of this season but will now run through 2026-27, ESPN. in reported. However, the deal includes a category exclusivity clause.

According to sources, the clause will keep players from participating in the season-long race if they have endorsement deals with one of FedEx’s competitors. Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen both have endorsement deals with UPS, FedEx’s competitor, but have been allowed to participate.

“I couldn’t be happier for our players,” Monahan said. “It’s a great day for the PGA Tour and our players. To know that you’re in business with one of the greatest companies on the planet on a long-term basis is something that I think is a great testament to our players.”

Called the FedEx Cup, the points race concludes at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, with the winner awarded a $10 million bonus on top of prize money earned. The total compensation awarded

by FedEx under the bonus structure is $35 million annually, with payouts made through the 150th finisher in the standings.

Tiger Woods (2007, 2009) is a two-time winner of the FedEx Cup, and others to win the top prize have been Vijay Singh (2008), Jim Furyk (2010), Bill Haas (2011), Brandt Snedeker (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013), Billy Horschel (2014), Jordan Spieth (2015) and Rory McIlroy (2016).

“As we go forward, we expect the Cup and the payout to increase significantly,” Monahan said, although specifics and a timeline were not offered.

To be determined is whether the playoffs will be reduced from four events to three, as the event held at TPC-Boston has just a one-year sponsorship agreement with Dell Technologies.

Also to be determined is whether the FedEx Cup playoffs will conclude before Labour Day in future years including moving the Players Championship to March and having the PGA Championship take its place in May. june 2017 | golf digest india

37

Corporate Digest

Star cricketers converge for KKR Knight Golf charity I

ndian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) successfully conducted the third edition of Knight Golf at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. The charity event saw KKR’s head coach Jacques Kallis, assistant coach Simon Katich and New Zealanders Colin De Grandhomme & Trent Boult play full 18 holes with RCGC club members and senior corporates of Kolkata. Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Sunil Narine, Surya Kumar Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot, Ishank Jaggi, Sheldon Jackson, Chris Woakes, Chris Lynn, Darren Bravo, Sanjay Yadav, Sayan Ghosh and Rovman Powell participated in the longest drive and putting championship.

“Knight Golf is KKR’s way of giving back to the community and staying relevant to our home city. Kolkata has given our team lot of support over the years and it is our pleasure to work for people of this city. Even the players love contributing to the cause by playing a round of golf,” said Venky Mysore, CEO & MD, KKR. The tournament played in the Texas Scramble format was won by the team of Mayauk Ray, Navneet Ganapathi, Bipin Shah and Venky Mysore. Colin De Grandhomme bagged two prizes by winning the longest drive award (330 yards), and also the runner-up trophy in the overall event.

In the non-golfer longest drive championship for the players who didn’t play the full round, Chris Lynn bagged the trophy by hitting a 275 yard drive. Rovman Powell and Yusuf Pathan bagged the second and third runner-up prizes by hitting 260 and 255 yards respectively.

Sunil Narine won the putting championship. Chris Woakes and Darren Bravo finished first runner-up and second runner-up.

Kolkata Knight Riders’ head coach Jacques Kallis showcases his swinging skills

KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir

KKR CEO & MD, Venky Mysore, enjoyed a round with cricketers at the RCGC

"Knight Golf is KKR’s way of giving back to the community and staying relevant to our home city. Kolkata has given our team lot of support over the years and it is our pleasure to work for people of this city."

KKR assistant coach Simon Katich

38 golf digest india | june 2017

Venky Mysore, CEO & MD, KKR

Chris Lynn of Australia

New Zealand pacer Trent Boult

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Corporate Digest

Kota, Mittal qualify for World Final

O

ne of India’s most sought-after corporate events, TATA HITACHI World Corporate Golf Challenge concluded with Team Hyderabad qualifying to compete under the Tricolour at the WCGC World Final to be held in Cascais, Portugal from June 21 to 25. Pradeep Mittal and his teammate Madhav Kota defeated 7 other teams at a well contested final held at Prestige Golfshire, Bengaluru. Over 500 corporate executives competed for the coveted trophy in four qualifiers held in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi NCR and Bengaluru where 16 players (8 teams) battled it out to represent corporate India at the World Finals.

“WCGC is the biggest international corporate golf team event worldwide involving more than 7500 corporate executives in 40 countries. India has had an illustrious history at the WCGC and emerged world champions in 2015 courtesy the pair of Shashidhar Reddy and Sonam Chugh from Hyderabad. India made its competitive debut in WCGC in 1999,” said Rishi Narain, MD, Rishi Narain Sports Marketing.

Tata Hitachi MD Sandeep Singh (2R) and Tata Hitachi Director Shin Nakajima (R) present the World Corporate Golf Challenge National Final trophy to the winning team of Pradeep Mittal (2L) & Madhav Kota (L)

Speaking at the felicitation ceremony, Sandeep Singh, Managing Director – Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Pvt. Ltd., stated: “Many congratulations to the winning team. This has been an exhilarating final and we are glad to have associated with this prestigious tournament.

This event saw some of the best corporate czars vying to be triumphant at the national level, celebrating sportsmanship and healthy competition. Wishing the team of Pradeep Mittal and Madhav Kota the best and hope they are able to bring the trophy back to India to hold once again.”

NATIONAL FINAL Winner Madhav Kota & Pradeep Mittal Runner-up Shrenik Kumar & Arjun Malik

National Finalists gather for a group picture with the Tata Hitachi management team

40 golf digest india | june 2017

Corporate Digest

L-R: Sanjay Nadgouda (Captain of Karnataka Golf Association), T. Sukumar (Vice-President of Epson India), HC Kishore Chandra (Director General of Police, Karnataka govt.) and MR Kamble (Principal Secretary, PWD)

Dhananjay Naidu, Director, RR Institute of Technology

BENGALURU LEG Best Gross – David D’Souza

Category 0-16 Winner – Arjun Malik Runner-up – Nathan Sundaram

L-R: Ishwar Kapsi, Rajesh Joshi (MD, GB Builders), Priya Alex (Director, Wagner Trident Pvt Ltd.) and Dr. Krathish Bopanna (President & CEO, Semler Research Centre)

Amitabh Suri (L) of Indian Terrain and David D'Souza, MD, Garden City Fashions

L-R: Krishna Prasad (Director, Pin High) and former India cricketer Sujith Somasundar

Category 17-24 Winner – Shrenik Kumar Runner-up – Kanwaljit Singh

L-R: Shin Nakajima, Shrenik Kumar (Winner Category B), Arjun Malik (Winner Category A), Nathan Sundaram (Runner-Up Category A) and Suresh Sud (collecting the prize on behalf of Gurjit Singh) and Sandeep Singh

L-R: Gurjit Singh (MD, Elite Automobiles), Sandeep Singh, Kanwaljit Singh (MD, Fireside Ventures) & Suresh Sud (MD, Swagelok)

june 2017 | golf digest india

41

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Tête-à-Tête with Dominic Wall

CHANGING THE RULES Five years ago the Royal & Ancient (R&A) Golf Club of St. Andrews and the United States Golf Association (USGA) set out to revise the sport’s guidelines that many believed were undesireable, unwieldy and complicated. In an exclusive chat with Golf Digest India, Dominic Wall, Director – Asia Pacific (R&A), elaborates the proposed changes to the rules and how it will affect the professionals when it comes into effect in January 2019. Excerpts from the interview…

BY ROHIT BHARDWAJ & AMAN MISRA GDI: Talk about the R&A and USGA’s sensitivity towards the players in view of these rules changes.

DW: I think we have realised for many years that the rules are becoming more complicated harder to understand and harder to interpret. The R&A set up a small working committee with the USGA 5 years ago. We also invited representatives from the tours as well to look at how we could bring the rules into the modern day - to make them more accessible, not intimidating and easier to understand. We have been looking at a number of changes for five years trying things out and have come up with a list of proposed changes which have been circulated on the 1st of March 2017 for a six month period - and we are still taking feedback, comments and information on that. This is because some of these changes might be wrong, some of them might require further revision - so we want to be very open and transparent by this process.

Giving people around the world the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes because this is the biggest changes ever to the rules of golf.

GDI: How has the R&A recognised the need for change in the game’s formats given the changes in other sport in the 21st century such as T20 in cricket?

DW: The week before The Open championship last year, we ran a 9-hole competition. The R&A invited all the clubs in the UK that host qualifying for The Open to send in a team. We

Dominic Wall, Director - Asia Pacific (R&A), enjoys reading Golf Digest India during the 6th India Golf Expo in Gurgaon

We have been looking at a number of changes for five years trying things out, we have come up with a list of proposed changes on the 1st of March 2017 - and we are still taking feedback and comments” encouraged the club in this competition to set up the course in an easy way. Forward tees, easy hole locations - so you can go out and play a proper competition.

Here we’re trying to say (From an R&A point of view) that this is one of our events now. You play quickly, you don’t setup the course hard, you don’t play from

44 golf digest india | june 2017

the back tees. You encourage people to play faster - and that was successful. We are doing it again this year, widening the base of clubs that come into this competition. Countries like New Zealand, Japan and Australia are saying that they want to run 9-hole competitions, have a national final and have the

winner come over here to our final at The Open every year. So that has been positive initiative from our point of view.

GDI: Jack Nicklaus has always spoken about scaling back on the equipment and golf ball.

What are your views on that?

DW: We monitor this very

Tête-à-Tête with Dominic Wall closely and are in the process of opening a 5 million pound equipment testing centre in Kingsbarns here in St Andrews.

We have monitored the progress and the distance of the ball for the last 20 years and it hasn’t changed over the last 12-15 years.

No more than 1 or 2 metres - its been consistent. I think what you are seeing now is fitter and more well-conditioned athletes playing the game. They are hitting the ball much further and some of them can generate much more club speed than in the past. There’s a lot of emotive comments about the ball going further - but the stats don’t back that up.

GDI: What are the challenges in growing the game in the South-eastern region of the world particularly in a countries like India?

DW: I think the challenge here is to get everyone to work together.

You have some very good associations at the national level, but they tend to do things in isolation to the others. The PGTI is doing a good job with their tour events, and the National Academy in Chandigarh as well as the IGU - what needs to happen in terms of development of the game is that these organisations need to embrace each other more - work closer together.

GDI: How important is it for somebody in the game’s administration to be playing golf regularly? (Dominic is currently a six-handicap) DW: Unfortunately most people who come into the game’s administration, don’t get to play as much as they think. The perception out there is people who are in golf, must play golf all the time - because of the travel and work you don’t get to play as much as you would like to (also family commitments).

Having said that, I do think it is important to find time and

Dominic Wall, Director - Asia Pacific (R&A), flanked by WGAI secretary general Champika Sayal (L) and WGAI president Kavita Singh (R)

The R&A have actively supported a number of women’s programmes around the regions particularly in Asia... We’ve become responsible for the Ricoh Women’s British Open and all the women’s events held in the UK.” play golf - not only play but also see what’s happening on golf courses, you meet other people, and ultimately I started working in golf because my passion was golf, and you don’t want to give up your passion.

GDI: The R&A had introduced ‘subsistence allowance’ in 2012 to assist needy amateurs.

Have you witnessed any progress it has made in Asia?

DW: I haven’t seen any practical examples, but I think providing the opportunity certainly can help. This is a relatively new change, probably I haven’t seen the impact - I think the potential is very good.

GDI: Experts have highlighted that to grow the game, we need more women participation. What has the R&A done in this regard?

DW: The R&A have actively supported a number of women’s programmes around the regions particularly in Asia. We also support the LET (Ladies European Tour), we used to support the Asian Ladies Tour which has almost dissolved but we continue to support individual events like Hero Women’s Indian Open. We also have a number of grassroots programmes which we support.

We recently amalgamated with the Ladies Golf Union in

I think the challenge in South East Asia is to get everyone to work together. You have some very good associations at the national level, but they tend to do things in isolation to the others... These organisations need to embrace each other & work closer together.”

the UK, so we’ve become responsible for the Ricoh Women’s British Open and all the women’s events held in the UK. With this, we also have taken on a greater responsibility to make sure that we promote development and oversee a number of development programmes in women’s golf.

GDI: 3 of the 4 Majors are held in America. To grow the game in Asia, do you think of staging a parallel tournament?

DW: I think it will naturally happen here given that golf is growing exponentially here as compared to the other parts of the world. You just have to look at women’s golf at the moment to see what’s happening - the Koreans, the Japanese, the Thais and the Chinese - all the top golfers are from this part of the world and I think the evolution will get to that at some stage. I would be very confident that this would happen at some point.

june 2017 | golf digest india

45

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HEALTH & FITNESS SPECIAL Flex Time

Stretch your muscles–and your drives by jessica korda

INSIDE

50 Exercises to protect you from injury 51 5 moves to save your spine 52 Plan to improve your swing mobility 53 Workout Wonders 54 Give your driving distance a lift 55 Are bad habits = unplayed rounds?

56 Coffee can raise your game 57 The King of Cardio 58 25 easy ways to speed up play 59 The Silent Treatment 60 Testing sleep-enhancing gadgets 61 Smart Watches Images: J.D. Cuban; Edited by Peter Morrice

june 2017 | golf digest india

47

Health & Fitness Special IF YOU STA RT TA LK ING sw ing positions to me, I’m probably going to zone out, because that’s not how I play golf. I respect the technical approach to driving the ball a long way, but my swing is about flexibility and rhythm— and letting good things happen from there. This simpler mind-set is working for me. At my win in Malaysia last fall, I reached every par 5 in two (if you count landing in a few greenside bunkers as “reaching”), and I hit a ton of wedges into the par 4s. Over the weekend, I deliberately avoided getting mechanical, because I knew that would get me uptight and make my swing worse. I relied on a handful of nontechnical swing keys. It’s like placing a plane on auto-pilot: You still have to push a few buttons but then you can sit back and enjoy the flight. Even if you’re a feel player, it pays to know how your swing works. That way you can bomb your driver knowing you’re going to keep it in play. Here are a few tips.

—WITH GUY YOCOM

drill

LIGHT IS RIGHT Stay loose by swinging back with three fingers of your right hand. The club should feel almost weightless at the top.

If it feels heavy, keep trying until you get the balance figured out.

48 golf digest india | june 2017

FEEL LIKE YOU’RE LOADING A SPRING Don’t make special allowances or tense up just because you’re hitting driver. Your feet should be slightly more than shoulder-width apart, to maximize your range of motion and help you get through the ball more easily.

Swinging back, keep the weight on the balls of your feet at all times.

Feel the stretching of your core muscles in your torso. I call it “the wind,” which is like loading a giant spring as you go to the top (left).

I make my backswing to a slow count of “1.”

Health & Fitness Special ARE YOU SMARTER THAN AN LPGA TOUR PRO? Watch jessica korda take on paula creamer and anna nordqvist in Golf Digest’s first episode of “Are You Smarter Than an LPGA Tour Pro?” You’ll find it on our video channel at video.golfdigest.com.

drill

THE BIG SQUEEZE To feel a good weight shift, place a ball against your rear instep and imagine squeezing the ball against the ground on the downswing.

LET THE CLUBHEAD PICK UP SPEED Every move I make is designed to give me maximum clubhead speed just before and after impact. I start down to a slow count of “2,” making sure I don’t pounce too quickly. Keep your arms loose and envision hitting slightly up at impact, really turning on the speed.

Don’t just throw the clubhead at the ball.

Remember, a key part of the distance equation is making center–face contact. Stay in balance, and you’ll nail it on the sweet spot—and feel it through your body.

+ ADIDAS shirt, $70, skort, $65, shoes, $120, hat, june $27 + TAYLORMADE glove, $22 + TAGindia HEUER watch 2017 | golf digest 49

Health & Fitness Special

Skip the chiropractor and try these moves instead.

1 Three exercises to protect you from injury ith peak golf season approaching, we thought this would be a good time to ask an important question: Is your back ready? Thought so. If you don’t want to end up spending your summer horizontal, follow the advice of Golf Digest Fitness Advisor Ben Shear. He teamed with our social-media correspondent, Paige Spiranac, to bring you exercises to protect your back from the aches and injuries golfers too commonly deal with. Do these routinely to stay healthy. —Ron kaspRiske

W

Lie on your back with one foot flat on the floor, shin vertical to the ground, and the other foot pointed upward as you hold that leg’s knee close to your chest. Contract your glute (butt) muscles and raise your pelvis as high as you can. Hold for a second and then lower it. Do as many reps as you can.

Switch legs and repeat.

Want more exercise help? Check out our new series: Total Golf Workout with Instagram Star Paige Spiranac at video.golfdigest.com.

2 Start on your hands and knees holding a resistance band with one hand and anchoring it to the opposite foot. Extend the hand and foot while maintaining balance and stretching the body in a relatively straight line.

Do as many reps as you can. Repeat with the other arm and leg.

3 Lie on your side with your feet stacked on a bench, head on a cushion, and your weight supported by the torso. Lift your pelvis and extend the top leg upward as if opening a pair of scissors. Don’t let your hips sag. Hold for a second. Lower the leg.

Do as many as you can, then switch legs.

50 golf digest india | june 2017

Images: Dom Furore

Health & Fitness Special

Mid-section muscles stabilize your body as you swing.

We’ve Got Your Back 5 moves to save your spine ven the most technically sound swings cause stress on the spine, but golf doesn’t have to sentence you to future back pain. To avoid discomfort, says Golf Digest Fitness Advisor Ben Shear, “strengthen the muscles at the bottom of the spine, and improve flexibility in the mid and upper back.” All you need is a stability ball ($10), and you can put together a back workout with these five moves. — R o n k a s p R i s k e

E

reach-through ▶ Start on all fours. Reach under and across your body to rest the back of your hand on the ball. Push the ball away from you as you rotate your trunk and head in that direction.

Return to start and repeat (10 reps, each direction). The goal: Improve mid- and upper-back rotational mobility to lessen stress on the lumbar vertebrae.

reverse pattern

back extension ▶ Lie face down, folded over the ball with your hands behind your head, elbows flared. Rise up until your spine feels straight. Rotate your torso to the left and to the right as far as you can. Return to start and repeat (10 reps). The goal: Strengthen the erector spinae and other low-back muscles that protect the spine from torsion forces.

walk-out prone plank ▶ Get in a push-up position with the ball resting under your upper thighs. Keeping your spine flat, walk forward with your hands until the ball is under your feet. Return to start and repeat (10 reps). The goal: The core muscles around your mid-section need to be strong to stabilize the body as you swing.

Illustrations by Todd Detwiler

▶ Lie on the ball so your back and spine flex toward the ground with your arms extended up.

Lean back and extend your arms as far as you can. Hold the position for five seconds, return to start and repeat (10 reps). The goal: Negate the effects that prolonged sitting can have on the anterior trunk muscles. This exercise strengthens the muscles, allowing you to swing on plane.

side stretch and crunch ▶ Lie on your side on the ball and flex toward the ground, extending your top arm over your head as far as you can. Hold for five seconds and then put that hand behind your head and contract that side into a crunch (10 reps, each side). The goal: The muscles on the side of your trunk (obliques) improve lateral and rotational movement of your upper body, reducing stress on the lower back.

june 2017 | golf digest india

51

Health & Fitness Special

TEST NO. 1 Stand with your upper body against a wall and your feet angled about 12 inches from it. Make sure your pelvis is tucked under your torso. Extend one arm so it’s perpendicular to the wall, and raise it over your head without bending it. The goal is to touch the wall while maintaining the body’s other contact points. Repeat the test with the other arm.

f you’re off to a bad start this golf season, struggling to hit the ball the way you want, it’s natural to think the cause is a fault in your swing. “But sometimes the fault isn’t the cause, it’s a symptom,” says Golf Digest fitness advisor Ben Shear.

Sometimes poor shots are the result of a physical dysfunction that causes poor swing mechanics. The symptoms: poor contact with the ball even when you’re consciously trying to hit it solid; struggling to swing the club through the impact zone without straightening up; and routinely pulling shots left of your target or slicing them right of it—or both. If any of these describe the state of your game, stand with your back to a wall and take these three physical screening tests to see if you lack the muscle function necessary to hit great shots. —Ron KaspRisKe

I

TEST NO. 2 Stand against the wall just like you did in Test No. 1 and extend both arms at the same time, pressing the palms together. Raise both arms over your head.

The goal is to touch the wall with your two thumbs without arching your lower back or losing any of the contact points created when you began the test.

if you failed The muscles around the thoracic spine (mid-back) aren’t functioning properly. This causes a loss of posture and limits your ability to rotate when you swing. Lie on a foam roller, and move it up and down your back. Stop in the middle and let your shoulders gently sink toward the floor while keeping your butt on the ground. Also, strengthen your oblique muscles with exercises like side planks and seated torso rotations.

52 golf digest india | may june2017 2017

TEST NO. 3 Stand with the majority of your body—from heels to head—against the wall. Bend one arm 90 degrees, and place the upper portion of the arm against the wall at shoulder height. Now raise the lower portion of the arm, maintaining the 90-degree angle. Your goal is to touch the wall with the back of your hand while keeping the bottom part of your back from arching or pressing into the wall.

if you failed Shoulder mobility is an issue for you, and this likely causes you to hit shots fat, thin or your path into the ball is noticeably out-to-in (slices/pulls). Work on stretching the pectoral muscles (chest) and exercises that improve the external rotation of the shoulder joint. Even repeating this test can improve mobility.

Illustrations by Brown Bird Design

top illustration: zohar l azar

What’s Holding You Back?

Our three-step plan to test and improve your swing mobility

if you failed The inverted triangularshaped muscle of your upper back, known as the latissimus dorsi or “lat,” is too tight.

This causes your swing to be short and narrow, resulting in thin and fat shots and/ or slices. To improve mobility, lie on your side, leaning back slightly on a foam roller.

Roll from hips to armpits for three minutes a few times a week. Also, stretch your upper-back muscles before you play.

Health & Fitness Special

Are your shoulders flexible enough for the wall slide?

Workout Wonders

mobilit y

Best moves to prepare for remainder of 2017 1 ew Year’s resolutions rarely stick, but maybe this one has some staying power: We asked Golf Digest Fitness Advisor Ben Shear to come up with the best golf exercises for an off-season program. No problem.

He selected a dazzling dozen. First there are three to improve mobility and three to improve stability.

You’re looking at those here. The other six come next month, once you’ve had a chance to work on this starter kit. In the March issue, Shear will give you three exercises for strength and three for power.

In other words, once you’ve improved your stability and flexibility, you’ll be able to add the gas for more explosive shots.

N

—Ron KaspRisKe

Illustration by Brown Bird Design

90-90 knee drop Start with both legs bent to 90 degrees and the knees touching the ground (left). Keeping one knee down, rotate the other until it’s touching the ground on the opposite side. Then repeat with the other knee (right).

Keep alternating the knee rotations back and forth.

Do six reps in each direction to help improve the mobility necessary to coil and initiate the downswing.

stabilit y

1

medicine-ball lift Kneel on one leg with the foot of the other leg directly in line with it. Hold a medicine ball down by the hip of the kneeling leg (left). Bring the ball to your chest and lift it across your body above the opposite shoulder (right). Do 10 reps. Switch leg positions and repeat in the opposite direction. Improves balance, core strength and cross-body coordination needed for the golf swing.

2

2

3

3

bretzel Lie on your side with your top leg bent at 90 degrees, waist high, lower arm holding it down. Rotate the other leg thigh down (top). Lift that foot up, grab it with your other arm and pull it toward your butt. Finally, rotate your torso away from the top leg (bottom). Hold for a few seconds, then return to start. Do five reps, each direction, to improve trunk, thigh and hip mobility.

shoulder wall slide Keep your back, shoulders, head and arms against a wall (left). With your eyes straight forward and your feet a foot from the wall, slide your arms up as high as you can, maintaining all points of contact with the surface (right). Don’t arch your back. Do 10 reps. Improves shoulder mobility needed to swing on the proper plane.

no-arm side plank Lie on your side, supported by your shoulder and upper arm with your feet stacked and resting on a bench (top).

Raise your pelvis as high as you can (bottom). Hold for a few seconds and then lower it to the ground. Do 10 reps, and repeat on the opposite side. This strengthens the oblique muscles necessary for proper side-bending and torso rotation in the golf swing.

dead bug Hold a physio ball with your arms and legs (top). Lower one arm behind your head while straightening and lowering the opposite leg (bottom). The other leg and arm should push into the ball. Keep your back from arching. Return to start. Do 10 reps, alternating arms and legs. Improves core stability to control faster swings.

june 2017 | golf digest india

53

Health & Fitness Special

POWER UP Give your driving distance a lift with jumping exercises hen creating a workout program to improve your golf swing, focus on exercises that make your body more stable and flexible, then build strength and power, says Golf Digest Fitness Advisor Ben Shear. In our February 2017 issue, he offered six moves for better stability and flexibility. Assuming you’ve been working on those, it’s time to add three strengthtraining exercises and three more to power up your swing. “Combine all 12 exercises for a balanced workout,” Shear says. “You can do it all in less than 30 minutes if you keep moving.

Just do 10 reps, two sets per exercise.”

W

—Ron KaspRisKe

strength

p ower

1

bulgarian split-squat

1

Hold two dumbbells and prop one foot (toes down) on a bench behind you. Lower the propped leg nearly to the ground, then back up. Keep your shin and back straight as you squat. Switch legs after each set. This improves lower-body strength (legs, hips, glutes, etc.), a key to swinging with a stable base.

Keeping your hands on your hips, squat and then jump as high as you can while rotating your body as much as you can (180 degrees is a good goal). Repeat in the other direction as quickly as possible, and keep alternating.

This trains your body to use ground force in multiple planes of motion—just like the golf swing.

rotational jump

2

vertical leap

While seated with your back resting on a physio ball, extend one leg off the ground and push upward with the other. Contract your butt muscles, raising your pelvis as high as you can. Hold for a second, then return to the start position, switch legs and repeat. This strengthens the glutes, which are prime power generators in golf.

Keeping your hands on your hips, squat and thrust straight up as high as you can. Do these reps fairly quickly and with all the energy you can muster. This will improve the thrust you create with your legs to generate more clubhead speed.

3

3

Hold one dumbbell and bend your torso forward, balancing on the opposite leg with the other extended behind you. Pull the dumbbell toward your torso, lower it and return to an upright position. After one set, switch and repeat. This improves hamstrings, hips, back and shoulders, important to safe deceleration of the club.

Wind your torso counterclockwise, and then thrust off one leg laterally while rotating so you land with your body facing in the opposite direction. Repeat in the other direction. Simulates and improves the winding/ loading and unwinding/unloading of the body to create explosive power as the club moves through impact.

2

one-legged glute bridge

one-legged row

54 golf digest india | june 2017

one-legged lateral jump

Illustrations by Brown Bird Design

Health & Fitness Special

An admittedly unscientific look at the golf you’re missing.

We all know golfers whose habits are, shall we say, less than 100 percent healthy.

You might even be one. To that we say, it’s a free country. But have you ever thought about how many rounds these vices might be costing you? — K e e ly l ev i n s

bad habit

number of rounds lost

1. smoking

340

2. never walking

61.2

3. drinking

6.4/YEAR

4. not wearing sunscreen

612-680 238

5. unhealthy eating

▶ how we arrived at these numbers: The National Golf Foundation says core golfers

play an average of 34 rounds a year. 1. Nonsmokers live 10 years longer than smokers, says the Centers for Disease Control. 2. A 2012 Harvard study found 75 minutes of “brisk” walking a week adds 1.8 years to your life. 3. A 2012 University of Cambridge study shows every drink after the first drink takes 15 minutes off your life. If you drink four beers per round, that’s 136 beers a year, or 102 beers after the first one. That works out to 25.5 hours, or 6.4 four-hour rounds, every year. 4. The Journal of Clinical Oncology found that sunscreen prevented melanoma at a rate of 50 to 73 percent. Melanoma has been shown to cut 18 to 20 years off life expectancy. 5. A 2010 University of Washington study found healthy eaters in one Texas community lived seven years longer than unhealthy eaters.

t-lorien / Getty imaGes

Rounds Unplayed Are bad habits cutting your golf life short?

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Health & Fitness Special

A shot of caffeine has been shown to boost driving distance.

one test to check your iron play

f you’re worried coffee will give you the jitters over those three-footers, research suggests the opposite.

One of the most recent studies, led by Petey Mumford of Auburn University, showed noticeable improvement in golfers who consumed caffeine supplements before the round and after they made the turn. The amount of caffeine was equivalent to about a 12-ounce cup of coffee. The study found that a shot of caffeine led to an increase in driving distance (six yards) and greens in regulation (10 percent) and a decrease in scores (2.5 shots per round) when data was compared to a group taking placebos.

“Science has shown that caffeine blocks

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the actions of adenosine, which promotes feelings of tiredness and lethargy,” says sports nutritionist Matt Jones, who works with golfers on the European Tour. “From a performance perspective, caffeine is known to increase endurance by as much as 10 percent, significantly reduce perceived exertion, and improve measures of mental skill.”

If you’re wondering if you can get your caffeine elsewhere, such as from soft drinks (Mountain Dew, Rockstar, etc.) or from supplemental pills, you can, but you’re missing out on coffee’s other benefits, Jones says. It contains antioxidants and flavonoids, which are thought to promote good health. Routine coffee consumption is also associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s and liver diseases and was recently cited as helping reduce the recurrence of prostate cancer.

Drink eight to 12 ounces (ideally without sweeteners) before the round and another at the turn, Jones says. Remember that it takes nearly an hour before the caffeine takes effect, but the benefits can last as long as six hours. And if you’re worried about coffee’s reputation as a diuretic, keep in mind that the water content in a cup of coffee counters the dehydrating effects of the caffeine, Jones says. —Ron KaspRisKe

▶ To see if you can rotate your torso while maintaining your address position, sit with your torso upright. Hold a club across your chest so it’s parallel to the ground, and squeeze a pad between your knees. Flex forward, then side bend and try to rotate your torso in either direction. You want a 45-degree turn (the shaft pointing between parallel and perpendicular to the ground) while maintaining a bent-over posture.

Struggling? Time to work on your oblique muscles. —RK

Illustration by Dan Bejar

fitness illustrations by brown bird design

A Cup of Joe and You’re Good to Go Coffee can raise your game

▶ Most golfers can get into a decent address posture over the ball, says Golf Digest Fitness Advisor Ben Shear. And most people can rotate their torsos back and forth while standing upright. “But can you rotate and maintain your address posture?” he asks. “If you can’t, this might be the main reason you hit a lot of fat and thin shots.”

Health & Fitness Special ▶ At the gym, which cardio

9%

ROWER

STATIONARY BIKE

21%

36%

ELIPTICAL

Illustration by Brian Stauffer

because of their joint-friendly design and ability for users to interval train or focus on endurance. “It’s the best option for the money,” says strength coach Mike Boyle. “Mostly because it’s hard to get injured using one.”

Says Mike Voight, a clinical physical therapist from Belmont University: “Low compression

on the joints is key. I like the stationary bike because most golfers will tolerate it as a warm-up versus other cardio equipment.”

As for cons, Shear says that riding a stationary bike is probably not the best thing for people with desk jobs or those who suffer from kyphotic posture, which is a rounding of the spine.

Ellipticals and arc trainers finished third in the ranking, mostly because of their ability to train posterior muscles like the glutes (butt) and hamstrings (back of the thighs). These muscles are often ignored, says Trevor Anderson of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. “You

can propel them with a forward or backward motion of the legs to create a balanced workout.”

Next on the list were climbing machines, though Boyle says VersaClimbers or laddermills are too strenuous to use regularly for most golfers. But climbing machines are probably the best in combining strength and cardio training, says fitness consultant Karen Palacios-Jansen. They also can move joints through a range of motion—especially key areas for golfers like the hips and shoulders, says Cody Carter, a fitness advisor for the SKLZ sportsequipment company.

What equipment should golfers ignore? Stair-climbing simulators and rowers did poorly in the poll. Most experts pointed out that users often operate these machines with compensatory movements instead of the intended muscle groups.

Jordan Spieth’s trainer, Damon Goddard, said most of the experts polled would probably prefer golfers get cardio training the old-fashioned way: jogging, sprinting, swimming, etc.

“Our top guys rarely, if ever, use cardio machines,” he says.

—Ron KaspRisKe polled: Trevor Anderson, Mike Boyle, Cody Carter, Michael Cummings, Damon Goddard, Dave Herman, Randy Myers, Karen Palacios-Jansen, Dave Phillips, Ben Shear, Ralph Simpson, Mike Voight.

t h e o n e - e x e rc i s e wo r ko u t Short on time in the gym? Golf Digest fitness advisor Ben Shear created an exercise that trains the lower and upper body in one compound movement.

“It trains the hips, knees, glutes, back and shoulders in one shot,” he says. The only thing you need is a dumbbell and something to sit on for the squat portion of the exercise. A plyo box or bench will work. “The box can be as tall as you need it to be to do the squat portion of the movement,” Shear says. Do three sets of 10 reps of this exercise, and you’re done for the day. —RK 1

2

3

4

5

6

1/Start by doing a single-leg deadlift holding a dumbbell on the same side as the trail leg. 2/While bent over, pull the dumbbell up until it’s chest high and then return it to the hanging position.

3/Swing the trail leg forward for balance and then 4/do a single-leg squat until your butt touches the box/bench. 5/Stand up on one leg and 6/push the dumbbell straight up to the sky.

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exercises: brown bird design

ost commercial gyms offer a variety of equipment designed to make your body leaner and your heart stronger. But which cardiovascular-training machine is the best for golfers? We asked a dozen golf-fitness experts, and nine out of 12 ranked the treadmill first or second.

“The best piece depends on the individual,” says Golf Digest fitness advisor Ben Shear. “But the treadmill is great for golfers because walking is such a huge part of the game. It can simulate hill walking and be used for steady-state cardio training or high-intensity interval training.”

Adds Golf Digest fitness advisor Ralph Simpson: “It also gets the nod for versatility and specificity. You can increase speed, elevation, train laterally or backward. Its only knock would be that golfers with lower-limb issues should use something with less impact on the joints, such as a stationary bike.”

Not surprisingly, stationary bikes finished second in the poll

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SOURCE: GOLF DIGEST READERS

34%

TREADMILL

The King of Cardio Our panel of experts picked the best sweat-inducing machine in the gym for golfers

machine do you spend the most time on?

Health & Fitness Special

his certainly doesn’t apply to you.

You’re the fastest golfer you know, right? Right. Anyway, maybe you can still review this list of helpful tips for how to shave time off a round and, perhaps, pass it on to golfers who could really use it.

Just a thought. —Ron KaspRisKe

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1. Play like you have only three hours to finish the round before the sun sets.

2. Ditch your headcovers. Taking them on and off all day is a serious time suck.

3. Play it forward at least one tee box.

4. Check the time when you tee off and check again every three holes.

For some reason, it helps make you play faster.

5. Mixed foursome?

Forward-tee players should ride with other forward-tee players. Back tees with back tees.

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6. Agreeing to play “ready golf” is essential for a casual round. But you’ll play even faster if you keep putting until your ball is conceded or holed.

12. Approximate yardages instead of walking them off.

7. Only mark a short putt to clean it.

14. Always be moving forward. If you have to double back for anything— bag, cart, clubs— you’re losing time.

8. Don’t wait for dawdlers. They’ll start playing faster as a result.

9. First golfer on a par 3 gets the yardage and announces it to everyone.

10. First to hit on a par 3 stands at the ready to fill divot holes.

11. Glean as much knowledge as you can about your next shot while approaching it.

13. Waiting? Take as many practice swings/strokes as you want. Your turn? You get one.

15. Hit your ball first, then help others search.

They’ll typically find the ball without your help.

16. Always have a spare ball handy.

17. Two players in the same bunker?

The last one to hit rakes. The first one to escape marks and reads the putt during the raking.

you’re interrupting another player’s preparation.

18. Unless the cart is going to or from a tee box, there should never be more than one person in it.

19. A little radical for some, but leaving the flagstick in the hole saves a lot of time.

23. Beverage cart approaching? Wave it over to where your ball is located, if possible. Play your shot, and then order. And keep the conversation brief.

24. Playing on the tail of the people in front of you will subconsciously push them to play faster, even if they try not to.

20. Refuse to leave the flagstick in?

First to putt out grabs the flagstick and waits to put it back. Always.

21. Have an exit strategy. Know where the next tee box is and be prepared to make a direct exit toward that box as soon as the hole is finished.

22. Jokes and stories are best told after teeing off, not before. Otherwise

25. Nothing else working? In the age of smartphones and social media, it’s easy to document slow play. Single out the slow players on Snapchat, Instagram, et al.

If it does nothing else, it will serve as cheap therapy.

Illustration by Matt Chase

top illustration: zohar l azar

While We’re Young!

25 easy ways to speed up play

Health & Fitness Special

Negative thoughts might not vanish, but their power should.

The Silent Treatment Why meditation could be just what your game needs by bob carney

five payoffs for golfers 1. notice negative thoughts without being run by them. I gag over bunker shots might be a thought that never leaves you, but its power over you should. 2. delay reaction to stress. “Think of road rage,” says tour pro Luke Donald, who has worked with psychologist Michael Gervais and George Mumford, author of The Mindful Athlete. “Something happens. You react. There are moments like that in golf. The idea is to extend the gap between feeling and reaction.

Give the urge to react time to dissipate.” 3. stop fighting what you feel. “It’s not about feeling good. It’s about feeling what you feel, and not running from it,” says Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier.

4. be. here. now. “You hit a shot and take a few moments to evaluate—not judge—it,” Gervais says. “You say, ‘OK, this happened and this happened and that happened.’ After that, the idea is to simply be where your feet are. Enjoy the walk.” 5. rehearse success.

Some psychologists go as far as encouraging players to imagine a whole round in a kind of meditative state. See success. Invite success.

Illustration by Brian Cronin

indfulness meditation—staying quietly in the present—has been shown to increase creativity, the ability to manage pain and the power to relieve anxiety. For golfers, the last one might be most important.

There are as many kinds of meditation as there are coffees at Starbucks. Some meditators focus on numbers, phrases or mantras. They even meditate as they walk, counting footfalls.

Some sit quietly and concentrate on the sounds around them. To start, keep it simple: Sit upright, close your eyes and

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focus on your breath—the flow of air, the expansion of your chest in and out. When your mind wanders, notice that, and bring it back to your breath.

“It’ll take about two breaths before the thoughts start,” laughs tour pro Luke Donald, who says returning to meditation in 2014 helped him recover control over his mind-set and mood at a time when he was in a freefall from his No. 1 ranking.

You don’t need shrines, special rooms or lotus pillows.

“The easier, the more portable, the more practical, the better,” says Dan Harris, whose on-air panic attack on “Good Morning America” more than a decade ago led to 10% Happier, a book about his experience.

Wherever you do it, try to do it regularly, say, 10 minutes a day. Donald says his new strategy is three little sessions of five minutes each day.

Psychologist Michael Gervais, whose clients include Donald and the Seattle Seahawks, says the point isn’t just awareness. It’s insight. “For some golfers, the ultimate insight might be: It’s just a game. But you start by becoming aware of your emotions, body sensations and the unfolding environment.” Harris talks about “investigating” what you notice and feel. “Practicing mindfulness helps you lean into feelings, accept them rather than fight them,” he says. “That’s when the magic happens.”

Naturally there are apps for this. Some “game” the process, allowing you to measure how long you focus before your mind wanders. Check out Headspace, Muse, Harris’ 10% Happier and Opti-Brain, an app built on the Muse software by Arizona State sport psychology consultant Debbie Crews. She put brainwave-measuring headbands on teachers at last year’s PGA show, demonstrating how much better they putted when they got their brainwaves to a resting state.

So now . . . sit up straight.

Close your eyes. Take a deeeeeep breath . . . and let the birdies come.

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Health & Fitness Special

Great American #146 we’d like to see win the U.S. Open.

You Snooze, You Win Testing three sleep-enhancing gadgets

olf and sleep aren’t a great twosome.

Between the anticipation of playing and the game’s early morning start times, it’s often tough to get enough shut-eye. We tested three modern gadgets that promise to help.

•••

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sense sleep system

A quarter-size sensor goes on the side of your pillow to monitor your movement. Another object that looks like an oversize golf ball (pictured) sits next to your bed and tracks the environment. They send information to an app that suggests what can be changed—like room temperature, noise, air quality and light—to achieve optimal sleeping conditions.

The Sense ($149) also produces calming, ambient sounds to help you doze off. Sadly, those soothing fake bird chirps in golf telecasts are not among them.

•••

About the size of a small bedside lamp, this device emits colors that its manufacturer says encourage secretion of sleep hormones. Skeptical? We were, too, but we found it oddly calming—and the most effective of these three products.

While you sleep, a sensor tracks temperature, light and sound levels. The device ($299) also generates a bright wake-up glow in the morning, or you can add music. We programmed Dave Loggins’ “Augusta” Masters theme as our alarm.

••• neuroon mask Neuroon calls itself a “smart” sleep mask.

Collecting info about your brain waves, sleep patterns, breathing cycles and heart rate, it can tell you a lot about why you’re not sleeping. And it offers advice on combating the problems, unlike some products. In the morning, the mask ($269 at Neuroon.com) re-creates the light of a slowly breaking dawn. It sounds cheesy, but we found this wakeup call soothing and effective.

—joel Beall

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Images: Victor Prado

trophy: hans Knopf / Getty imaGes • homer simpson: foX / Getty imaGes

withings aura-connected alarm clock + sleep sensor

Health & Fitness Special

TAG HEUER CONNECTED/ GOLFSHOT This Android-Wearpowered smartwatch gives subtle notifications that won’t take away from the classic Tag luxury design or disrupt your round. For $30 the GolfShot app provides yardages, shot tracking and club recommendations. It also can score foursome, skins, nassaus and match play. $1,500

f you’re like a lot of us, you don’t run your fitness life through a trainer—you use a device on your wrist instead.

Counting steps, logging running miles, calculating calories burned: You can track it all in one place. So why not do the same with your golf game? The following products allow you to get your yardages and see how many steps you took for the day, all in one place.

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—Keely levins and Brittany romano

HUAWEI WATCH/ TRACKMYGOLF

APPLE WATCH The Apple Watch isn’t golf-centric, but download an app like the Ping Golf Workout and fuse your fitness with your golf. It tracks your steps, heart rate and golf stats, plus monitors your swing tempo and gives you yardages. $269

The analog face displays when the watch is not in use, adding to the traditional look.

A stainless-steel body and crystal sapphire face make it harder to scratch. With Android Wear functionality and the TrackMyGolf App, you can analyze your swing in 3-D and review speed, grip position, impact angle and swing path. $349

Four smart apps Most smartwatches have fitness functions built in, but you can make any smartwatch golf-specific by adding an app.

Here are four worth checking out:

the grint Track stats, find yardages and keep a handicap. The $20 Pro version updates your data when you snap a photo of your scorecard.

golflogix Get your yardages and stat-tracking with the free version, but spring for premium ($30 a year) and you can preview courses in 3-D.

GARMIN APPROACH X40

CALLAWAY ALLSPORT GOLF WATCH

It couples fitness-band benefits—like reading your heart rate, counting steps and calories burned—with yardages and automatic shot detection. When you have an incoming call or text, it vibrates to alert you. $250

This watch takes care of your every golf-stattracking and distancemeasuring need. Plus, you can use it to track off-course activities like bike-riding and hiking. Download the app on your phone to store your data, and measure your improvement in all disciplines. $230

hole19 View flyovers and detailed images with distances on 40,000 courses for free.

Premium ($50 a year) allows more analysis of your stats.

golfnow Book tee times, get accurate distances, keep scores and analyze your game through detailed datakeeping. (Free)

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Courtesy of the Companies • illustration by zohar l azar

What a Match These watches combine fitness, golf

On the PGA Tour

Kim makes history at TPC SAWGRASS 21-Year-Old South Korean Becomes Youngest Pro To Lift PLAYERS Championship

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida: South Korea’s Si Woo Kim played the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship like the veteran that he is.

Yet in only his second PLAYERS Championship, Kim, who began the final round trailing the leaders by two shots, took the lead late on the front nine at TPC Sawgrass and then methodically worked his way around the back nine on one of the most-famous golf courses in the world,

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making par after par after par. Nobody could catch Kim, and the fourth-year PGA TOUR pro cruised to his second career win, a threeshot triumph over England’s Ian Poulter and 54-hole co-leader Louis Oosthuizen.

Oh, and Kim is only 21-years-old—making him the youngest PLAYERS champion in history.

With the victory comes a payday of US$1,890,000, a career-high payday, as well as a five-year PGA TOUR exemption. He

joins K.J. Choi (2011) as the only Koreans to have won the PGA TOUR’s flagship tournament.

Kim, a native of Seoul, qualified for the PGA TOUR in 2013 as a 17-year-old and had to defer his membership until he turned 18 in June. Once the calendar turned, Kim missed six consecutive cuts and had to go to the Web.com Tour, where he made 44 starts between 2014 and 2015. After winning once and finishing 10th on the money list in 2015,

image: getty images/ryan young

South Korea’s Si Woo Kim with the 2017 PLAYERS Championship trophy

On the PGA Tour

Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello’s scintillating finish in the PLAYERS Championship helped him pocket $462,000 in prize money. He ended the final round with an albatross-birdie-par, jumping to joint fourth position on the tournament leaderboard from 12th place. His 72hole total read 6-under 282. The albatross on the 16th hole followed by a birdie on the 17th helped him earn an additional $249,375 .

A YEAR AGO, KIM BROKE THROUGH, WINNING THE WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP, BECOMING THE EIGHTH KOREAN-BORN PLAYER TO WIN ON THE PGA TOUR. KIM FINISHED 17TH ON THE FEDEX CUP A SEASON AGO...

FAST FACTS At the age of 21 years, 10 months, 16 days, Si Woo Kim became the youngest winner of The Players Championship.

Adam Scott was 23 years, 8 months, 12 days when he won in 2008.

image: european tour/getty images

The four youngest players to win twice on the PGA TOUR in the last 25 years.

1996

Tiger Woods (20 years, 9 months, 6 days)

2001

Sergio Garcia (21 years, 5 months, 15 days)

2015

Jordan Spieth (21 years, 7 months, 16 days)

2017

Si Woo Kim (21 years, 10 months, 16 days)

Kim moved to the PGA TOUR, and he’s been at home ever since.

A year ago, Kim broke through, winning the Wyndham Championship, becoming the eighth Korean-born player to win on the PGA TOUR. Kim finished 17th on the FedEx Cup a season ago, pocketing US $3,086,369.

This season has been a different story for Kim, but not in a positive way. In 18 starts before his visit to North Florida this week, Kim’s best finish was a tie for 10th in Malaysia at the CIMB Classic in October 2016. He’s also missed seven cuts and showed no indication what would come as he played his four rounds at TPC Sawgrass.

In his previous four TOUR appearances prior to THE PLAYERS, Kim withdrew from the Shell Houston Open, missed the cut at the Masters Tournament, tied for 22nd at the Valero Texas Open and then missed the cut in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event.

“I still cannot believe I’m the champion, and as the youngest champion for this championship, I’m very honored to win,” said Kim, who began the tournament No. 74 in the Official World Golf Ranking. He also improved from 111th in the FedExCup standings to No. 21. “Usually, I’m very nervous, but last year I won a tournament, and that gave me the two-year exemption. Because of that, I could hit aggressively and wasn’t that nervous.”

And if he was nervous, it sure didn’t

appear like it. He made a birdie on his opening hole, serving notice that the leaders would have to contend with him. He also birdied No. 7 and No. 9. While Kim didn’t do anything spectacular on his final nine holes of the tournament, he minimized his mistakes and kept his closest pursuers at arm’s length.

Standing on the 18th tee, Kim held a three-shot advantage over Oosthuizen.

Logically, all he had to do was keep his drive on the fairway and out of the water on the left and the trees on the right and he would win the tournament. Kim piped his drive down the middle of the fairway on the par4 closing hole and then left his approach in front of the green. He deftly chipped to tap-in range and calmly made his ninth consecutive par followed by an understated celebration.

“I didn’t expect this because I hadn’t played that well from the beginning of the year,” said Kim. “To become the champion of this tournament, I still feel like I’m dreaming.”

It was another close call for Oosthuizen.

Besides his PLAYERS Championship second-place showing, the South African has runner-up finishes in the 2012 Masters Tournament (lost in a playoff ) and at the 2015 Open Championship, six secondplace TOUR showings overall. Sunday, Oosthuizen shot his second consecutive 1-over 73, a double bogey at No. 4 and a june 2017 | golf digest india

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On the PGA Tour

FAST FACTS Three of the last four winners of The Players Championship were international players. Si Woo Kim became the 14th different international winner of The Players and joins K.J. Choi (2011) as players from South Korea to win.

Si Woo Kim is one of eight Koreanborn players to win on the PGA TOUR and becomes the fifth with multiple victories: K.J. Choi (eight), Y.E. Yang, Sangmoon Bae and James Hahn (two each) and Kevin Na, Seung Yul Noh and Danny Lee (one each). Kim is also the first player from Asia to win twice on the PGA TOUR before the age of 22.

A player of Korean-descent in their 20s has won on the PGA TOUR each of the last six seasons: Anthony Kim (2010 Shell Houston Open at 24 years, 9 months, 16 days) Kevin Na (2011 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at 28 years, 17 days) John Huh (2012 OHL Classic at Mayakoba at 21 years, 9 months, 5 days)

bogey on No. 9 ultimately proving to be his undoing. Even when Oosthuizen eagled the par-5 11th hole, giving him momentary hope, he couldn’t capture any momentum, bogeying Nos. 13 and 14, ending any ideas he still harbored of winning for the first time in the United States.

“All in all, a good week. I would have liked to have pushed a little bit more at the end there,” assessed Oosthuizen after his round.

“Being four behind with four holes to go is probably not ideal. Stupid bogeys on 13 and 14. But I had a good week, I played nicely, I wasn’t spot-on today but happy with a second.

“Si Woo did great today. Whenever he was in trouble, he got up and down with great play, both ball striking and he just outplayed everyone today,” Oosthuizen continued.

“He didn’t really have to do a lot at the end there, just needed to stay in play and make pars. That’s what this golf course can do to you. You can get ahead a few shots and the way the weather was today, the way it was

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so windy, it’s tough to make birdies at the end there.”

Kim joins Spain’s Sergio Garcia as the second international player to win two PGA TOUR titles before age 22. Kim is also in select company, becoming only the second player in the modern PGA TOUR era (after 1916) to win two tournaments by three or more shots before the age of 22. Tiger Woods is the other.

Tying for fourth was Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello and 54-hole co-leader Kyle Stanley.

Bello thrilled the crowd with the first double eagle at No. 16 in tournament history, and he followed that with a birdie at No. 17, allowing him to make a big jump up the leaderboard.

Meanwhile Stanley had a bit of magic of his own—making his fourth consecutive birdie at the par-3 17th. The only other player to do that is Paul Azinger, in 1987.

Defending champion Jason Day tied for 60th with 2015 PLAYERS Champion Rickie Fowler.

Sangmoon Bae (2013 AT&T Byron Nelson at 26 years, 10 months, 29 days) Seung Yul Noh (2014 Zurich Classic of New Orleans at 22 years, 10 months, 29 days) Sangmoon Bae (2014 Safeway Open at 28 years, 3 months, 21 days) Danny Lee (2015 The Greenbrier Classic at 24 years, 11 months, 11 days) Si Woo Kim (2016 Wyndham Championship at 21 years, 1 month, 24 days) Si Woo Kim (2017 PLAYERS Championship at 21 years, 10 months, 16 days)

By winning the 2015 Stonebrae Classic on the Web.com Tour and capturing The Players Championship, Si Woo Kim became the seventh former Web. com Tour player to win The Players. The others are David Duval (1999), Craig Perks (2002), Stephen Ames (2006), Tim Clark (2010), Matt Kuchar (2012) and Jason Day (2016)

image: getty images/DaviD Cannon

England’s Ian Poulter tied for second for his second runner-up at TPC Sawgrass in 14 starts. Poulter was in search of his third career victory on TOUR and first stroke-play win in the United States. His last win on TOUR, the 2012 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, came 77 starts ago.

Poulter played 30 consecutive holes without a bogey before a bogey at the par-4 12th in the final round ended the streak.

On the PGA Tour

John Daly is showered with champagne after his PGA Champions Tour’s Insperity Invitational triumph as partner Anna Cladakis looks on

John Daly scores 1st win in 13 years

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ould John Daly fold? Would the pressure down the stretch be too much? Would the twotime Major championship winner be able to win a tournament for the first time since 2004?

Yes, yes and—emphatically—yes.

Daly, the mercurial, long-hitting folk hero with PGA Championship and Open Championship titles to his credit, hung on in early May, shooting a final-round, 3-under 69 at the PGA Tour Champions’ Insperity Invitational in The Woodlands, Texas, to hold off Kenny Perry by a stroke.

It had been exactly 13 years, two months and 22 days since Daly won the PGA Tour’s Buick Invitational outside San Diego. While that victory wasn’t unexpected, coming less than a year after he won The Open Championship, this one outside Houston in May most certainly was.

When Daly’s final putt dropped, and he had locked up the win, he received a champagne shower on the 18th green.

His golf during the week, and especially in Sunday’s final round, was typical Daly, moments of brilliance mixed with baffling bouts of mediocrity. With the tournament

on the line, Daly seemed fully in control after he made his third birdie in four holes, at No. 15. Three holes remained, and Daly looked to be in cruise control. But three bogeys to finish allowed Kenny Perry to creep close enough to give everybody thought of a playoff, especially Daly. For the round, Daly, in true up-and-down fashion, eagled his first hole of the day, hitting an 8-iron second shot to seven feet, the eagle putt falling dead center. He added five additional birdies and four bogeys—three of them coming at the end of the day.

Poulter retains card after points discrepancy

images: getty images

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ust when it appeared Englishman Ian Poulter would lose his PGA Tour card, a little math adjustment kept Poulter on the Tour.

Blame requirements for Major Medical Extensions. After an adjustment to how players gathered points, Poulter, officials determined, had enough FedEx Cup points to maintain his playing privileges for the duration of the 2016-17 season.

Previously, Poulter thought he needed to earn a certain amount of points following the Valero Texas Open. That all changed when Poulter and American Brian Gay, also apparently on the outside looking in, weren’t after all. Tour officials notified both Poulter and Gay were in late-April of accounting discrepancy after they made compensatory modifications to the FedEx Cup Points Curve.

Poulter only played in 13 Tour events during the 2015-16 season after a foot injury sidelined him. In 2016, that gave Poulter 10 starts to earn 218 FedEx Cup points (or

POULTER ONLY PLAYED 13 EVENTS DURING THE 2015-16 SEASON AFTER A FOOT INJURY. THAT GAVE HIM 10 STARTS TO EARN 218 FEDEX POINTS

$347,634) to remain exempt for the remainder of the season. Following the Valero Texas Open, where he missed the cut, Poulter had not qualified through either list (he had 155 FedEx Cup points and $317,010 in earnings.

Poulter who still maintained some Tour status because of previous success despite thinking he wasn’t going to be a full member, was obviously pleased when he received the news.

“Obviously quite a relief to know that I can play my schedule and plan my schedule for the rest of 2017,” said Poulter at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he competed with teammate Geoff Ogilvy. “Obviously I’ve got work to do to maintain my status for a regular season, but I’m in a very different situation today than what I was yesterday.

“Being in kind of no-man's-land,” Poulter continued, “not knowing whether you’re going to play golf, is very tough and very hard to book anything.”

Now he can. june 2017 | golf digest india

65

On the PGA Tour The Royal Melbourne Golf Club will host the Presidents Cup for the third time

Presidents Cup returns to Royal Melbourne in 2019

66 golf digest india | june 2017

Golf Club. “It is a prestigious international tournament featuring many of the very best golfers in the world. Past encounters have invariably included many fine matches, with players from both teams displaying finely honed golfing skills and exhibiting outstanding sportsmanship in a team environment. Our Club looks forward to some excellent golf being played by both teams on our renowned Composite Course.”

As the event visits the coastal capital of the Southeast Australian state of Victoria, those visiting can expect to find its sporting culture prominently on display. The city of Melbourne has had a strong history of hosting major international sporting events including the 1956 Summer Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games, Formula One and the Grand Slam of tennis’ Australian Open.

“We look forward to the Presidents Cup returning to the prestigious Royal Melbourne Golf Club in 2019,” said State of Victoria Minister of Tourism and Major Events, John Eren. “No other city outside the United States has hosted it more than once – it’s a badge we’ll wear with honor. This is a flagship date on the sports calendar, and there’s no better place for it than the city that does the big events best.”

Past Results 1994

U.S.

International

20

12

Prince William County, Virginia

1996

16.5

15.5

Prince William County, Virginia

1998

11.5

20.5

Melbourne, Australia

2000

21.5

10.5

2003

17

17

Prince William County, Virginia George, South Africa

2005

18.5

15.5

Prince William County, Virginia

2007

19.5

14.5

Montreal, Canada

2009

19.5

14.5

2011

19

15

San Francisco, California Melbourne, Australia

2013

18.5

15.5

Dublin, Ohio

2015

15.5

14.5

Incheon, South Korea

image: getty images/DaviD cannon

The 12th playing of the Presidents Cup is only four months away.

The biennial event is set for Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. Following that tournament, it will then be Royal Melbourne Golf Club to step into the spotlight—again.

Tournament officials announced the Presidents Cup will once again return to the prestigious golf course in Melbourne when the event takes center stage in 2019. The return to the State of Victoria, Australia, will mark the third time in the biennial event’s 25-year history.

The Presidents Cup was previously held in Melbourne in 1998 and 2011, also at The Royal Melbourne. No other international venue has hosted a Presidents Cup more than once. Melbourne also holds the distinction as the site of the lone International team’s victory in 1998, which saw Peter Thomson’s Internationals defeat Jack Nicklaus’ U.S. team, 20.5 to 11.5. In 2011, Fred Couples led the U.S. team to a 19-15 win over Greg Norman and the Internationals.

“We’re thrilled to once again be returning to the prestigious and storied Royal Melbourne Golf Club,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Our history there speaks volumes about not only the course and its ability to host world-class competitions but also the surrounding area in Melbourne as a destination for our fans and players. With so many great courses in the Sandbelt, we were not short on choice when it came to selecting a championship-tested venue. Returning to such a storied course for this event, especially as both teams have been victorious there, is a special privilege and sets both teams up for an even playing field to break the tie.”

The oldest golf club in Australia, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club was founded in 1891 and moved to its current location in 1926, becoming the anchor of what is now known as the Sandbelt.

The gem of Australian golf, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club has two courses, both ranked in the world’s top 100, and designed by the legendary Alister MacKenzie. In 1959, in order to host the first of many international tournaments, 12 holes of the West Course and six from the East Course were combined to create what is known as the Composite Course, which also hosted the 2013 World Cup of Golf, won by Jason Day and Adam Scott.

“Royal Melbourne is delighted to be chosen to host the 2019 Presidents Cup,” said David Thomas, Captain of Royal Melbourne

© 2017 PGATOUR, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PLAYER APPEARANCE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

FOR PRIDE. FOR TEAM. FOR THE CUP. TICKETS AT PRESIDENTSCUP.COM LIMITED AVAILABILITY. SEPT 26 - OCT 1 | JERSEY CITY, NJ

On the European Tour

Denmark win first innovative GolfSixes

Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard (L) and Thorbjørn Olesen rejoice after their GolfSixes victory

D

enmark were crowned the inaugural GolfSixes champions after a 3-1 victory over Australia in the final at the Centurion Club.

The European Tour was breaking new ground in St Albans with 16 teams of two starting the weekend and battling it out first in a group stage and then a knockout over six holes in greensomes.

By Sunday evening only two teams remained and it was Thorbjørn Olesen and Lucas Bjerregaard who took home the trophy after a hard fought win over Scott Hend and Sam Brazel in front of an excitable and large crowd.

Entrance music, pyrotechnics and a sprinkling of celebrity gave the event a whole new feel but it was world class golf that proved to be the highlight, with Olesen claiming his second team win for Denmark in six months after his victory at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf alongside Søren Kjeldsen.

Denmark had finished second in Group A on Saturday and 2-1 victories over France and Italy got them to the final against Australia, who finished second in Group C before overcoming Thailand and Scotland on Sunday.

A birdie on the third gave Australia a 1-0 lead in the final but Denmark then won the final three holes to make golfing history.

68 golf digest india | june 2017

ENTRANCE MUSIC, PYROTECHNICS AND A SPRINKLING OF CELEBRITY GAVE THE EVENT A WHOLE NEW FEEL BUT IT WAS WORLD CLASS GOLF THAT PROVED TO BE THE HIGHLIGHT, WITH OLESEN CLAIMING HIS SECOND TEAM WIN FOR DENMARK IN SIX MONTHS...

“It’s been an amazing week,” said Bjerregaard. “The fans have been great, it’s been great to see how many kids have been out here and hopefully some of them will want to get into golf after this.

“It’s been a fun couple of days. I would love to see more of this.

“Today got a little more serious, a little more down to business, but it’s been so much fun, I think the crowds enjoyed it as well.”

“It’s gone pretty well for me in team events recently,” added Olseen. “I don’t know if I’m a lucky charm. I feel like I’ve had good partners, as well.

“I was hoping for a win but Lucas played great, especially these last six holes. I was struggling a little bit.

“It’s been fantastic. Team Denmark has got a lot of support so we’re really happy with that.

“It’s been a very intense couple of days.

On the European Tour

Australian Sam Brazel put up a valiant effort before finishing runner-up with fellow Scott Hend

GOLFSIXES – WHAT THEY SAID Scotland’s Marc Warren

Feels like you’ve played 72 holes or even more. Six holes, it’s very intense match play, playing only six holes and every shot really counts.”

The fans created a cauldron of noise around the first tee and after Brazel’s tee-shot found the fringe, Hend had the chance to give Australia the lead but saw his putt brush the low side.

Both teams hit impressive approaches into the second but Hend and Bjerregaard failed to make their birdie putts and the score remained 0-0 heading to the par five third.

Hend and Bjerregaard hit huge drives down the third but Olesen went long with the Danes’ second while Hend was left with 18 feet for an eagle. The two-time European Tour winner got down in two and with Denmark failing to get up and down, Australia led 1-0.

The scores were soon level again, though, as both Hend and Brazel put their tee-shots in the water on the fourth to record a bogey, with Denmark winning the hole in par.

A swift turnaround in fortunes was completed on the fifth as Bjerregaard put his tee-shot to four feet and Olesen finished the job to send Denmark up the last with a 2-1 lead.

Olesen was inches from putting Denmark’s second shot in the water on the sixth

but an excellent recovery from Bjerregaard meant the Danes would have two putts for the win and Australia offered handshakes on the final green.

“A tad disappointing but Denmark played well and putted the last few holes a little better than us and they deserved the win,” said Hend.

“It’s a great week for everybody. The kids are fantastic.

It’s great to see so many kids kicking around, sliding down the hills and having fun on the golf course. That’s what it’s all about.”

Brazel added: “It was awesome to be part of it. Centurion put a great event on. To the members, the guests, the fans, it’s been fantastic.”

There was drama in the third/fourth place play-off as Scotland won a nearest the pin contest on the play-off hole to beat Italy 2-1.

A birdie on the second edged Matteo Manassero and Renato Paratore ahead but it was 1-1 when Marc Warren and Richie Ramsay birdied the fifth and the teams could not be separated with pars on the sixth and the play-off hole.

That set up the dramatic finish and Warren put his tee-shot to seven feet and three inches, with Manassero finishing just four inches further away.

SCOTLAND - THIRD Marc Warren: "I think we had a good match with Italy. Both of us are good players and we had to kind of grind it out and take it out towards the end. Richie hit a great shot to number five and made birdie to take it down the last and eventually sneak through on the second play-off hole."

Richie Ramsay: "Basically I did nothing. He did everything. No, I mean, it was really tough because the wind is moving around all the time and we weren't sure if it was down, in or across. I wasn't really doing too much. Great way to finish and a good match for the Italian boys. It's been a really good week."

ITALY - FOURTH Matteo Manassero: "You don't even have time to be in momentum or kill momentum. It's just about making everything count, really.

We got down to the sixth hole every single time and we were hanging in there all the time. We played the sixth really well. Today, we couldn't perform - this round (semi-final), we couldn't perform as we did the other rounds. It was a good GolfSixes for us."

Italy’s Matteo Manassero (L) & Renato Paratore

ENGLAND - QUARTER-FINALS Chris Wood: "It's been great fun. It's a great format and there's definitely something in it so hopefully people can see it as a success despite the fact that we have not gone through this morning. It's been great. Going into today, I thought we could go on and win it after yesterday but it's good. We're disappointed, I think that says a lot. We wanted to go on and try and win it. But in front of home crowds and stuff, it's a great feeling to play golf like that for us. You want to go back out and play in front of crowds like that again. It's a shame but I think it's a great format." june 2017 | golf digest india

69

On the European Tour

TOUR SNIPPETS MOLINARI MAKES CHALLENGE TOUR MILESTONE WITH MOROCCAN VICTORY As well as being a notable milestone for the player himself after seven years out of the winner’s circle, Edoardo Molinari’s victory at the Trophée Hassan II was also significant for being the 400th win on the European Tour by a former Challenge Tour player.

That it was Molinari who took the Challenge Tour to that milestone is entirely fitting given his own illustrious history on Europe’s top developmental tour – five wins, including three in 2009 when he ultimately topped the Rankings; within nine months he was then a Ryder Cup winner.

Reaching the landmark of 400 European Tour wins shows how the Challenge Tour, now in its 29th season, continues to produce the highest calibre of player, from Major Champions to Ryder Cup legends. Here are a few of the interesting statistics surrounding those 400:

LANDMARK WINS 1. Per-Ulrik Johansson (Renault Belgian Open, 1991) 50. Mathias Gronberg (Mercedes Benz SA Open Championship, 2000) 100. Ian Poulter (Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open, 2003) 150. Thomas Bjørn (Nissan Irish Open, 2006) 200. Richard Finch (Irish Open, 2008) 250. Louis Oosthuizen (The Open Championship, 2010) 300. Jamie Donaldson (Irish Open, 2012) 350. Joost Luiten (ISPS Handa Wales Open, 2014) 400. Edoardo Molinari (Trophée Hassan II, 2017)

EUROPEAN TOUR SIGNS STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH KOREA PGA

Jeff Kimble appointed joint Commercial Director for European Tour and Asian Tour

The European Tour and the Asian Tour have jointly appointed Jeff Kimble as Commercial Director. Kimble will assume his role from May 15, 2017 and work from the Tours’ office in Sentosa, Singapore.

A senior business professional with over 25 years of marketing, commercial and management experience in consumer and luxury goods across Asia, Kimble will be tasked to lead the Tours’ joint commercial and business development programmes.

Kimble will drive new business opportunities for properties including The Ryder Cup, EurAsia Cup and joint-sanctioned Asian Tour-European Tour tournaments.

His vast work experience includes stints for leading FMCG brands, luxury hotels and the banking sector.

70 golf digest india | june 2017

The European Tour announced a Strategic Alliance with the KPGA (Korea Professional Golfers’ Association) which will see the two organisations cooperate closely on the development of the professional game in Korea.

The Alliance formalises the growing relationship between the two Associations following the opening of a Korean office last year, and is expected to help create new opportunities for young professional players in a country which has experienced a rapid rise in golfing success in the last two decades.

Earlier this year, the European Tour announced a Strategic Alliance with the PGA Tour of Australasia, following the success of the Alliance with the Asian Tour, which was announced in 2016 and will see the two tours jointly-sanction six events in the 2017 season.

Much like those Alliances, the European Tour and the KPGA will now work towards combining marketing and commercial resources to help grow the game in the region through the development of players, potential new tournaments and the reach of the game of golf at grassroots level.

Keith Pelley, the Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome the KPGA as partners of the European Tour through this Strategic Alliance. We have seen through our Alliances with the Asian Tour and the PGA of Australasia that this is a model of growth and development which is hugely positive and mutually beneficial for all parties.

“Korean players have been very successful on the European Tour down the years and that is evident by the fact that two of the past three Sir Henry Cotton Rookies of the Year have been Korean.”

L-R: KPGA Vice Chairman Kim Tae Ho, KPGA Chairman Yang Hwee Boo, European Tour CEO Keith Pelley, and Ben Cowen, Director of International Policy European Tour at the official signing of the agreement

On the European Tour

Revised scorecard rule safeguards innocent pros

F

or many years, the tours have lobbied the rules-making bodies for a change to Rule 6-6d, which relates to a wrong score on the scorecard.

If a player incurred a breach of the rule that would have resulted in a penalty in a previous round, he or she was disqualified from the competition for returning a scorecard that didn’t contain that penalty - even if he had no clue he had breached the Rule!

Quite a harsh result in my view.

So you can imagine how pleased the professional game was when that Rule was changed and an exception added so that the current rule provides committees the chance to add the penalty breach to the previous scorecard together with an additional penalty for the scorecard error.

It is felt that this additional scorecard penalty provided some sort of additional incentive to try and make sure the player returns a correct scorecard. But it is still much better than being disqualified for what can sometimes be an innocent error.

Most people would be aware in recent weeks that some high profile cases have brought a spotlight to this change and it is pleasing that the player can now continue to play. But, possibly not as high-profile was an incident involving our European Tour Tournament Committee Chairman David Howell, who called for a ruling on the ninth hole of the final round of the Shenzhen

THE REFEREE’S VIEW John Paramor

IT IS FELT THAT ADDITIONAL SCORECARD PENALTY PROVIDED SOME SORT OF ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE TO MAKE SURE THE PLAYER RETURNS A CORRECT SCORECARD. BUT IT IS STILL MUCH BETTER THAN BEING DISQUALIFIED FOR AN INNOCENT ERROR.

International.

He had taken a preferred lie just short of the putting surface but had not played it when his fellow competitor reminded David that the permitted distance was the length of a scorecard and not one club-length.

I was able to assure David that as he had not played, he could place his ball in a correct position without penalty. He felt that he must have done this at some other stage during the preceding three days but couldn’t remember exactly where. I advised David that we had not been given any reports of any incorrectly placed golf balls and he continued to complete his round.

When he was about to hand over his completed scorecard in the recording area, he stated that he must have preferred his lie incorrectly on hole 15 of the second round. He couldn’t say 100% that he had done this but felt it was the right thing to do.

I advised David of his penalties - two strokes for playing from a wrong place (the original breach) and an additional penalty of two strokes for the incorrect scorecard. This gave him a revised total that was three more than the 36 hole cut and therefore he would not have been able to win any Race to Dubai ranking points or collect any prize money despite playing 72 holes.

David still doesn’t know if he had actually incorrectly replaced his ball at all!

MONTGOMERIE RENEWS QUEST FOR ELUSIVE SENIOR OPEN TITLE

Colin Montgomerie has confirmed that the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex will be his “number one target” in 2017 after making a successful return from a serious ankle injury earlier this month.

The 53-year-old Scot suffered torn ligaments in his left ankle after slipping on a flight of stairs in February, and didn’t make another competitive appearance until the first week of May. However, three months of frustrating inactivity have only served to sharpen Montgomerie’s appetite for his fifth appearance in the Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales from July 27-30.

Top of the agenda is the Senior Claret Jug which has so far eluded him. In 2014, when the Championship was hosted by Royal Porthcawl for the first time, Montgomerie shot 5-under par – but finished runner-up, an astonishing 13 strokes behind record-breaking champion, Bernhard Langer.

He joked: “I won the ‘other’ championship by three shots. I thought I had done extremely well to shoot five-under and was waiting to receive the trophy. Unfortunately they handed it to Bernhard, not me. “Seriously, I honestly don’t think we will see the like of those four rounds by Bernhard again. That was one of the great performances. The only shame is that the world’s top 50 golfers weren’t in attendance because I reckon he’d have beaten them all.” june 2017 | golf digest india

71

On the European Tour

FITNESS

BOOSTING SPINAL FLEXIBILITY What is the thoracic spine?

An often overlooked but crucial part of the body involved in the golf swing is an area in the middle of the back called the ‘thoracic spine’.

The spine is made up of four main regions called the cervical (neck), thoracic (mid), lumbar (lower) spine and sacrum (base of the spine).

The thoracic spine is different to the other 3 regions in that it has all the connections for the ribs at each level of the spine as well as the joints above and below each vertebrae (bone of the spine). This makes this region very stable but at the same time can make it less mobile if not used and stretched properly. This area of your back is actually designed to move a lot though, particularly in rotational movements compared to the lumbar spine. As you may well be aware, the golf swing is an athletic movement that uses a lot of rotation. If we lose range of movement at the thoracic spine it can have consequences for golf performance. This includes affecting our ability to swing the golf club properly, consistently and putting us at risk of certain types of injury patterns.

Position 1

How it benefits your golf game

Often, we see that when golfers have a reduction in the available movement in the thoracic spine (particularly extension and rotation), there can be many consequences on the golf swing and injury risk. The body needs rotation in the golf swing. If it isn’t able to get enough from a key area such as the thoracic spine it will try to find it somewhere else or lose the ability to rotate fully. This can mean being unable to make a full backswing or follow through. The other very common problem is that golfers start to try to force rotation at the lumbar spine and hips and often they don’t have the range of movement required.

Position 2

HOW TO DO THE “OPEN THE BOOK” EXERCISE

1

Use a soft mat or comfortable floor with a small pillow or yoga block to support the head and a foam roller/rolled up pillow or towel to put under the top leg. It is very easy for the body to cheat in this exercise so make sure you follow the instructions carefully and concentrate on the starting position especially for the legs and keep that position for the whole exercise/stretch.

2

Start on one side with the bottom leg straight. Bring the top leg up so that the hip

72 golf digest india | june 2017

and knee are at 90/90 degrees. Place a foam roller or rolled pillow under the knee/leg of that top leg. While doing the stretch make sure you keep that knee pressing slightly against the roller/pillow. This will ensure that you don’t cheat and help to develop a good stretch and separation between the hips/pelvis and the thoracic spine/upper body.

3

Keep the head resting on the pillow and, as shown in the photo, your arms out straight.

Slowly take your hands apart (open the book),

remembering to breath out, so you open the chest and aim to touch the back of the upper hand against the floor behind you. Go as far as you feel comfortable and then bring the arm back to the starting position whilst breathing back in. Repeat this 5-10 times gradually increasing the stretch (without cheating!).

Remember to repeat this exercise lying on both sides. Try to do this stretch every day if you can.

Text: Nigel Tilley European Tour Performance Institute & Physio Unit

images: european tour/getty images

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On the Asian Tour

The good news keep coming!

BY JOSH BURACK

A

nother month has gone by but the good news keep pouring in! It gives me great pride to welcome Panasonic as a new sponsor of the Asian Tour. Panasonic becomes our Official Consumer Electronics Tour Partner, which reinforces its support for professional golf across the region. The deal with Panasonic also sees the launch of the “Panasonic Swing”.

It will feature five tournaments - 2017 Thailand Open, 2017 Panasonic Open India (November 2-5), one Asian Tour sanctioned event in Malaysia and Indonesia in 2017 and 2018 Panasonic Open Japan. In a nutshell, the Panasonic Swing ranking will be based on an aggregate points system earned by players at the five tournaments.

The top-three finishers in the Panasonic Swing final ranking, which culminates with the 2018 Panasonic Open Japan, will earn US$70,000, US$50,000 and US$30,000 respectively via a bonus pool reward scheme.

The winner also gains an exemption into one designated European Tour tournament in 2018. In addition to that, the local finishers at the designated legs in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and India will qualify for the Panasonic Swing finale in Japan next year.

This is great news for the Asian Tour and we are looking forward to this extended partnership with Panasonic.

We have worked together for many years and have enjoyed a great relationship staging the Panasonic Open India and Panasonic Open Japan.

By the time you read this, the Thailand Open would have concluded adding this prestigious tournament onto our 2017 Schedule. This marks the return of the Thailand Open

Asian Tour CEO Josh Burack (L) with Panasonic Corporation Advertising Department GM Tetsurou Maruyama during the launch of the Panasonic Swing series to the Asian Tour schedule after an eight-year hiatus. This accomplishment shows the appeal of the Tour and our talented members.

The Asian Tour also recently successfully staged the inaugural Yeangder Heritage in Chinese Taipei. This was the first tournament to be promoted from an Asian Development Tour (ADT) event to the Asian Tour. The National Golf Country Club was a superb venue. Shiv Kapur topped it all off by winning his second Asian Tour title, made more impressive that this victory was 11 years and four months after his first win!

Outside of Asia, our reigning

“THE ASIAN TOUR ALSO RECENTLY SUCCESSFULLY STAGED THE INAUGURAL YEANGDER HERITAGE IN CHINESE TAIPEI. THIS WAS THE FIRST TOURNAMENT TO BE PROMOTED FROM AN ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR (ADT) EVENT TO THE ASIAN TOUR.” 74 golf digest india | june 2017

Asian Tour number one Scott Hend and Sam Brazel represented Australia on the European Tour’s GolfSixes, an exciting new team format in golf. They settled for second place behind eventual winners Denmark, but Hend and Brazel put up a brave fight in the tournament.

On the corporate front, I’m pleased to announce that the Asian Tour and European Tour have jointly appointed Jeff Kimble as our new Commercial Director. Jeff brings with him 25 years of marketing, commercial and management experience in consumer and luxury goods across Asia. Following the signing of our Strategic Alliance established between the Asian Tour and European Tour last year, Kimble will lead the newly formed commercial team. He will spearhead new business opportunities for properties including the Ryder Cup, EurAsia

“THE TOP-THREE FINISHERS IN THE PANASONIC SWING FINAL RANKING, WHICH CULMINATES WITH THE 2018 PANASONIC OPEN JAPAN, WILL EARN US$70,000, US$50,000 AND US$30,000 RESPECTIVELY...”

Cup, joint-sanctioned Asian Tour-European Tour tournaments, Asian Tour full-field tournaments and Tour-wide partnerships for both Tours.

Things are shaping up very nicely on the Asian Tour. In the coming months, we aim to announce more tournaments for our 2017 and 2018 schedules.

Stay tuned for more exciting news!

(The writer is Asian Tour CEO)

On the Asian Tour

The Saujana Golf & Country Club in Malaysia is also a premium European Tour destination

MALAYSIA TO HOST FIRST STAGE OF EURO TOUR Q-SCHOOL The European Tour Qualifying School will venture to Asia for the first time this year, with Malaysia’s Saujana Golf & Country Club hosting a First Stage Qualifier from September 5 to 8, 2017.

The Kuala Lumpur venue, which held this year’s Maybank Championship, has a long affiliation with the European Tour, having first played host to the Malaysian Open in 1999 – which entered the record books as the first event to be co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours.

It will make history again this year, becoming the first venue outside of Europe to host a Qualifying School event in the competition’s 41-year history, underlining the close links between the European Tour and Asian Tour as part of the Strategic Alliance which was signed in July 2016.

Also a European Tour Destination, Saujana played host to the Malaysian Open five times between 2001 and 2009, with Vijay Singh and Thongchai Jaidee among the winners, and is widely regarded as one of Asia’s leading courses.

Built on the site of a former palm and rubber plantation, the picturesque venue was the brainchild of former Prime Minister

YAB Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who in 1982 ordered a government task force to set up a golf club in his nation’s capital to attract investors to the area.

More than three decades later and the first event on the 2017 Qualifying School calendar will take place on the renowned Palm Course – which played host to the 2017 Maybank Championship –where a maximum of 78 hopefuls will begin their quest for a place on the European Tour.

ing of the Strategic Alliance last year, and we felt this was a natural next step to add more opportunities for players outside of Europe to qualify for our Tour.”

Ken Kudo, Club Manager of Saujana Golf & Country Club, said: “We at Saujana Golf & Country Club are honoured to host the first ever European Tour Qualifying School event held outside of Europe.

“Assisting the development of golf in our country and region has been a key objective for us. To be able to continue to do this, after hosting such events as International Final Qualifying for The Open Championship in previous years, is exciting to us moving forward.”

Cho Minn Thant, Chief Operating Officer of the Asian Tour, said: “One of the objectives of the Strategic Alliance was for us to create an easier pathway for our members to try and earn playing privileges on the European Tour.

With the First Stage Qualifier being held in Malaysia, Asian-based golfers do not need to travel all the way to Europe in their initial quest to earn a Tour card. I am optimistic we will see a strong turnout of players at Saujana.”

THE FIRST EVENT ON THE 2017 QUALIFYING SCHOOL CALENDAR WILL TAKE PLACE FROM SEPTEMBER 5 TO 8 ON THE RENOWNED PALM COURSE – WHICH PLAYED HOST TO THE 2017 MAYBANK CHAMPIONSHIP – WHERE A MAXIMUM OF 78 HOPEFULS WILL BEGIN THEIR QUEST FOR A PLACE ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR. “We are absolutely delighted to announce that for the first time in Qualifying School’s 41-year history we will have an event in Asia,” said Mike Stewart, Qualifying School Director.

“Over the years we have seen a greater integration between the Asian and European Tours, which was formalised with the sign-

june 2017 | golf digest india

75

On the Asian Tour

Shiv Kapur: The Comeback Man

BY CHUAH CHOO CHIANG

E

very now and then, we are privileged and fortunate to witness great comeback stories in sports.

Wa t c h i n g a n a t h l e t e overcome adversity through determination, guts, skill and perseverance is often a thrill for those who follow sports and

serves also as an inspiration to others who aspire to excel in the game.

Losing form or confidence is all part and parcel of sports as many will attest. In our generation, the greatest tennis player of all time, Roger Federer, recently endured and overcome his inner demons with such

76 golf digest india | june 2017

INDIA’S SHIV KAPUR MAY NOT QUITE BE THE ROGER FEDERER OF GOLF BUT THE 35-YEAR-OLD CERTAINLY CELEBRATED A GREAT COMEBACK STORY. TWELVE YEARS AGO, IT SEEMED DESTINED THAT KAPUR WOULD BECOME A GOLFER VERY MUCH IN THE MOULD OF JEEV MILKHA SINGH, JYOTI RANDHAWA AND ARJUN ATWAL, WHO HOLD A COMBINED 22 ASIAN TOUR TITLES...

Images: Asian Tour

On the Asian Tour

grace and grit that it served only to further illuminate his illustrious and trophy-laden career.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, many of us are rooting for Tiger Woods, who was once the all mighty golfer who swept all before him but is now struggling to tee up following yet another surgery to ease pain in his now fragile back.

India’s Shiv Kapur may not quite be the Roger Federer of golf but the 35-year-old certainly celebrated a great comeback story.

Twelve years ago, it seemed destined that Kapur would become a golfer very much in the mould of Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal, who hold a combined 22 Asian Tour titles and five Order of Merit crowns.

As a 23-year-old, Kapur won the 2005 Volvo Masters of Asia, then the season-ending tournament on the Asian Tour in Bangkok and was subsequently named Rookie of the Year. With what looked like a technically sound golf game and a level head on his shoulders, many expected him to reel in multiple wins in Asia and beyond.

He did play his way onto the European Tour and attained some measure of success but the second big career victory always eluded him despite some close shaves. Two triumphs on the European Challenge Tour were scant consolation to a man who seemed to have it all at his feet.

Throughout the barren years, Kapur went down the route which most golfers are accustomed to do – he tinkered with his game in search of something better.

Being slightly built, he tried to add more distance in his drives to keep up with the long-hitters but in doing so, he sacrificed his trademark left-to-right shape shots which was often his go-to shot when under pressure.

With his form not striking hot, worse was to come for him as Kapur was stricken with sickness in 2016. Originally thought to be a viral fever, the Indian was eventually diagnosed

with abscess in his liver, which required surgery last September.

It laid him off for three months.

Lying in his hospital bed, he often fought with his demons and wondered if he had already missed the bus towards stardom.

“It took a lot of time to heal,” he said at the start of 2017.

“After wards, the rehab process followed and as you spend a month on the bed, the body doesn’t feel the same.

When you make a comeback after such a period, there is a lot of frustration and a lot of anxiety.”

His results in the first few months of the 2017 season was topsy-turvy to say the least, with a best of tied 12th in Malaysia followed by three consecutive missed cuts. But like all good comeback stories, Kapur finally enjoyed his day in the sun once again, some 11 years and four months to be exact after his maiden Asian Tour victory.

At the inaugural Yeangder Heritage in Chinese Taipei – an event which he initially did not enter – Kapur charged through the pack with a final round of eight-under 64 to lift his longawaited second career title in Asia.

The relief and joy was there for all to see.

“This win means a lot to me.

It has been a frustrating last couple of years so it is nice to be back where I belong. There are so many good talents on the Asian Tour and it is getting harder to win each year. To win the way I did is just very satisfying,” he said.

“It has been such a long wait but you tend to appreciate it more. You will have questions and doubts from yourself and other people but I answered those questions more to myself than anybody else with this win.

After you haven’t won for so long, you might think that the best is behind you.”

Shiv Kapur, take a bow and enjoy your return into the exclusive Asian Tour’s winner’s club. It’s been far too long but truly and well deserved.

(The writer is Director, Communications at Asian Tour)

Asian Tour Order of Merit After Yeangder Heritage POS

PLAYER

EARNINGS (US$)

1.

David Lipsky (USA)

333,330

2.

S.S.P Chawrasia (IND)

304,500

3.

Phachara Khongwatmai (THA)

251,722

4.

Gavin Green (MAS)

239,777

5.

Prayad Marksaeng (THA)

226,464

6.

Carlos Pigem (ESP)

166,450

7.

Todd Sinnott (AUS)

151,600

8.

Anirban Lahiri (IND)

145,150

9.

Juvic Pagunsan (PHI)

115,512

10.

Shubhankar Sharma (IND)

113,781

11.

Panuphol Pittayarat (THA)

113,494

12.

K.T. Kim (KOR)

111,257

13.

Shiv Kapur (IND)

106,320

14.

Siddikur Rahman (BAN)

86,832

15.

Jazz Janewattananond (THA)

85,338

16.

Younghan Song (KOR)

74,548

17.

Johannes Veerman (USA)

72,368

18.

Jbe Kruger (RSA)

71,130

19.

Gaganjeet Bhullar (IND)

68,919

20.

Miguel Tabuena (PHI)

61,545

FITZPATRICK THE LATEST STAR TO SIGN UP FOR OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS

English golf star Matthew Fitzpatrick has confirmed he will headline the $2.9 million Omega European Masters in September, organisers announced. The 22-year-old enjoyed a whirlwind finish to his 2016 season, winning the DP World Tour Championship last November which led to his sixth place finish in the Race to Dubai.

Since turning professional in 2014, the talented Fitzpatrick has already notched three titles to his name, the first being the British Masters in 2015 followed by the Nordea Masters in 2016.

He has also secured several other honorable performances, including a fourth place at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in 2015 and a magnificent seventh place at the 2016 Masters in Augusta and played for Team Europe in the Ryder Cup. Fitzpatrick will be confident of challenging for a first Omega European Masters victory from September 7 to 10 at the Crans-Montana golf course. june 2017 | golf digest india

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On the Asian Tour

On The Web

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This section showcases the social media initiatives undertaken by the Asian Tour to connect with the young and urban golf aficionados

Images: Asian Tour

AC TIO N

.

AT TITU D E

TE NACIT Y .

TR I U M P H

#whereitsAT

asiantour.com

Tour partners

Official sponsor

Web partner

BIG US Open Preview

‘LONGER HITTERS WILL HAVE A

ADVANTAGE’ —DANA FRY, ERIN HILLS ARCHITECT

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US Open Preview A panoramic view of the US Open venue Erin Hills in Wisconsin showing the 9th green in the background

“IF IT’S SOFT AND THERE IS LITTLE WIND 10-UNDER-PAR COULD WIN. IF ITS DRY, IT WILL PLAY TOUGH AND EVEN PAR COULD WIN.” june 2017 | golf digest india

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US Open Preview

BY AMAN MISRA aman@teamgolfdigest.com

une is United States Open Championship month. Every year, future US Open sites are announced by the United States Golf Association (USGA) with much fanfare.

In 2010, it was announced that Erin Hills would play host to the 117th US Open slated from June 15-18. USGA estimates a $130 million economic impact for Southern Wisconsin - including direct, indirect and induced spending leading to and during the championship.

Golf Digest India spoke exclusively to Dana Fry, one of the three architects who were entrusted with the design and layout. Fry speaks on a variety of subjects related to golf architecture, including how the Erin Hills was built, and later selected to host the second Major of the year. Excerpts from the interview...

The 18th tee overlooks the clubhouse and ‘Holy Hill’ National Shrine of Mary

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GDI: How was the experience of working in a team of three along with Ron Whitten and Dr Michael Hurdzan on the design and construction at Erin Hills?

DF: I went to work with Dr. Hurdzan on April 1, 1988 and became his partner in 1996. We worked on over 100 projects together over a 24 year period and produced many great courses during that timeframe.

Ron Whitten was a good friend of ours for many years and got involved in the Erin Hills project when we were interviewing for the project.

The three of us were all very involved in the project from its beginning. All of us are very different personalities with different strengths and weaknesses. Obviously we didn’t agree on everything but we all had a great amount of respect for each other and through discussions we always arrived at a consensus. But we all had one common goal which was to build the best course possible on this great piece of land. I would say that the process of building Erin Hills became

gutter credit tk

Exclusive

US Open Preview the highlight of our business careers.

GDI: What is the process for a golf course to get selected for the US Open Championship?

DF: In the case of Erin Hills a few years before construction started, Ron Whitten wrote an e-mail to Mike Davis (then tournament director of the USGA) describing this great site that we hoped to build a course on and the enormous potential it had. It peaked Mike’s interest and later that year he made his first trip to Erin Hills. Like everyone who toured it, even though no golf holes had even been built he saw it’s potential. From that day forward the USGA had an interest in Erin Hills.

Finally in 2004, construction started and even before it was finished, the USGA offered Erin Hills the chance to host the 2008 US Women’s Public Links Championship which it accepted. The course opened for play in 2006 and in 2008, Erin Hills was awarded the 2011 US Amateur and finally in June 2010, the 2017 US Open.

The course sits on 652 acres of land and people who toured the site were mesmerised

by its sheer beauty, dramatic landforms and endless potential. With the belief of David Fay (executive director of the USGA between 1989-2010) and Mike Davis behind it, eventually we had all of the USGA’s support.

GDI: Once a course is selected, what are the stages in the preparation process?

DF: At Erin Hills many improvements were made to the course in advance of the US Amateur and US Open. Some were to create a better golfing experience, some to create better agronomic conditions and others were to challenge the best players in the world. Many people were involved in this process including the owner (Andy Ziegler of Artisan Partners LLC), his team, the architects and the USGA. Potential improvements were discussed among all parties and the improvements were agreed upon by all involved and then implemented.

We worked very closely with the USGA in fine tuning the course to create a fair but challenging course for the best players in the world. Some additional tees were added, bunkers were brought more into play or additional bunkers added. Greens were softened, and in a couple of cases relocated.

We also increased the size of the practice putting green, and created a state of the art practice facility.

GDI: Minimal earth was said to be moved while building Erin Hills. In your opinion should this “naturalness” be the case with all golf course design?

DF: Erin Hills by modern course standards involved moving minimal amounts of earth but that doesn’t mean all courses could or should be built that way. To create a truly naturally course you need a site that allows that type of course to be built. It will not work on sites in steep topography, on dead flat sites or sites with very poor or rocky soils. So my answer to this question is to build a natural looking course you need the right type of site.

GDI: Describe the nature and setup of this golf course…

DF: I think the greatest asset Erin Hills has is the amount of options that are available for the USGA to set the course up. The course is built on 652 acres and from the back of every tee could play over 8200 yards.

The USGA would never do that but combine all those tees, the multiple different angles they can play from, and the variety and changes they can make from day to day are almost limitless. It has a Par 3 that is a pitching wedge and Par 5s that stretch over 680 yards. The scale of Erin Hills is enormous and in all probability larger than any course to ever host a Major championship.

GDI: Six public courses including Erin Hills have been chosen to host the US Open. In this context, how important is it that public courses hold a tournament of such magnitude?

DF: Back in 2002 - Bethpage Black GC a municipal golf course on Long Island, New York hosted the US Open. The USGA felt it was important to grow the game, and for that purpose - the US Open at times be played on public courses that anyone could play. Before that the only public venues to host the US Open were Pebble Beach & Pinehurst #2. The USGA felt they needed to add more. So now we have the three mentioned above, Torrey Pines, Chamber’s Bay and Erin Hills. I completely agree with what the USGA has done and hope the trend will continue to host future US Open’s at public access venues.

GDI: Speaking to the press at Augusta, Mike Davis said scoring will be lower at Erin Hills as compared to other US Open sites. What do you think will be a good score at this Open?

DF: The winning score will be completely dependent on weather conditions. If it’s soft and there is little wind 10-under-par could win. If its dry conditions, playing fast and firm and windy watch out because it will play tough and even par could win.

GDI: Do you have any pre-tournament favourites?

DF: Mid-June in Wisconsin typically will still have softer conditions and because of this I think longer hitters such as Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy and Jason Day have a big advantage. The USGA expects to play Erin Hills GC at Par of 72 around 7700 yards. All this can be adjusted depending on weather conditions but I do believe flying the ball in the air for long distances and with wider than normal fairways, length will be a huge advantage.

“I THINK THE GREATEST ASSET ERIN HILLS HAS IS THE AMOUNT OF OPTIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE USGA TO SET THE COURSE UP.” june 2017 | golf digest india

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US Open Preview GDI: What is your opinion on building a course for the retail golfer versus the professional?

DF: Almost all courses being built today should be built for the average golfer to enjoy the game, have fun, and be a source of relaxation and to enjoy the company of the people they are playing with. If you build a course that will only test the professionals the average golfer will not enjoy it and eventually quit coming to that course or playing all together which ultimately hurts everyone in the golf business.

GDI: Keeping in mind changes to the equipment and pace of play, how has golf course architecture evolved from the 1800s to now?

DF: Obviously much has changed to include better equipment, better turf conditions, better athletes, etc. The game has changed from more of a finesse and feel game to a game of power. Players are hitting it longer and longer so golf courses have had to adjust. Instead of courses being built on 100 acres like they were in 1900 we need 200 acres today. The landing areas in 1983 when I started in the business were built at 267 yards from the back tee and today we build them at 300 yards or more. In 1983 if you had houses down both side of a golf hole you would have 260 feet between the property boundaries on either side and today to build that same type of hole you need a minimum of 350 feet but preferably more.

L-R: Erin Hills architects Dana Fry, Dr Michael Hurdzan and Ron Whitten with the US Open trophy

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Bunkers behind the 10th green highlights the course’s defence

US Open Preview

Erin Hills quick facts Location - 7169 County Road O Erin, Wisconsin 53027 www.erinhills.com Area covered - 652 acres Year opened - 2006 Type - Public Total holes - 18 Designers - Dr Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten Greens - Bentgrass Fairways - Fine fescue Owner - Andy Ziegler Major Championships hosted 2008 US Women's Amateur Public Links(Won by Tiffany Joh) 2011 US Amateur(Won by Kelly Kraft) 2017 US Open (June 15-18) US Open Tickets - usga.org How to get there - Erin Hills is located 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee and 115 miles from Chicago. There are seven airports depending on your need. A shuttle service between these airports and Erin Hills also makes things easier, along with the option to ship one's golf bag to reduce the inconvenience of traveling heavy.

B e s t f i n i s h by I n d i a n s a t the US Open Shiv Kapur - T23 (2014) Jeev Milkha Singh - T36 (2007) Jyoti Randhawa - CUT (2006) Arjun Atwal - CUT (2010) Anirban Lahiri - CUT (2015,2016)

ERIN HILLS SCORECARD

TOTAL YARDAGE 7800 PAR - 72

Images: Paul Hundley

RATING & SLOPE MEN’S BLACK 77.9/145

HOLE

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

OUT

Black

608

358

476

439

505

237

607

492

165

3887

PAR

5

4

4

4

4

3

5

4

3

36

HOLE

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

IN

Black

504

403

464

215

613

370

200

481

663

3913

PAR

4

4

4

3

5

4

3

4

5

36

UPC OMING U.S. OPEN SITES 2018 Shinnecock Hills G.C., Southampton, N.Y. 2019 Pebble Beach G. Links 2020 Winged Foot (West) G.C., Mamaroneck, N.Y. 2021 Torrey Pines (South) G. Cse., La Jolla, Calif.

2022 The Country Club, Chestnut Hill, Mass.

2023 Los Angeles C.C. (North) 2024 Pinehurst No. 2 2025 Oakmont (Pa.) C.C. 2026 Shinnecock Hills G.C. june 2017 | golf digest india

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CAN THIS 22-YEAR-OLD WIN THE U.S. OPEN?

j o n r a h m ’ s 225 or so pounds don’t exactly taper along his 6-2 frame. Instead, they settle with an even thickness, leaving him with the natural ballast that has historically contributed to stick-and-ball genius. Not that there’s anything plodding about Rahm. Watching the Spaniard swing a driver is to be reminded that large land mammals often move with startling speed. ▶ Facially, Rahm (pronounced Rom) evokes a young Stallone, the strong bone structure softened by droopy lower eyelids, more reason the nickname Rahmbo will stick. Golfingly, the best comparisons might be the chunky, explosive, persimmon-driver-cracking Jack Nicklaus, circa 1962. Or a prime-time Roberto De Vicenzo, the brawny Argentine known for his wondrous action and pure striking. ▶ These days in professional golf, power players aren’t unusual.

Many youngsters have been projected for success, but awesome ball speeds and majestic ball flights alone do not low scores make. Many who hit it can’t really chip it and putt it. Dustin Johnson suffered from the syndrome

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JON RAHM HAS A BIG GAME AND OLD WORLD TALENT by jaime diaz

june 2017 | golf digest india

87

after Rahm’s spring run, Phil gloated, “He continues to validate.”

“I don’t think a single player out here would argue he’s not one of the top-five, top10 players in the world,” Haas said of Rahm before their match in Austin. “He’s hungry.

He wants more. He wants a major. You can just see it in him. He’s got that thing about him that’s going to make him a big-time winner out here.”

Johnny Miller senses an even brighter future, saying that Rahm has future No. 1 “written all over his forehead.”

It’s already a certainty that Rahm, who finished T-23 as low amateur in the Open last year at Oakmont, will be among the favorites at Erin Hills.

‘I CALLED THE SHORT GAME “THE HOSPITAL.” WHEN MY LONG GAME WAS SICK, THAT’S WHERE I TOOK IT TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.’ eagle putt. Rahm followed with finishes of T-16, T-5 and T-3 before the WGC-Match Play. On the final day in Austin, Rahm hit a 426-yard drive in his semifinal win over Bill Haas and a 438-yard drive in a 1-up loss to Johnson in the final.

Rahm’s average launch-monitor numbers are eerily close to optimum—178 mileper-hour ball speed, 118-mph clubhead speed, 12-degree launch angle, 2,200 revolutions per minute. “He can already command any shot—low, medium, high, right to left, straight, left to right—better than just about any player in the game,” says Keith Sbarbaro of TaylorMade. “And as his body keeps getting fitter, his ball speed [which has produced a driving distance average of 302.7 yards, 22nd on tour] will get faster.”

Before his first Masters, Rahm was fourth on tour in overall strokes gained, second in strokes gained/tee to green, and third in strokes gained/driving. He also had risen to 12th on the World Golf Ranking in only 17 appearances as a pro, having earned more points this season than any player but Johnson. And when the European Tour begins tabulating qualifying points for the 2018 Ryder Cup matches outside Paris, the likely numbers will hold the promise of a transformational addition to the team.

“Jon doesn’t have weaknesses,” Mickelson said in January. “Every part of his game is a strength. I think he’s more than just a good young player—I think he’s one of the top players in the world.” The comment seemed like an example of Lefty overstatement with a nepotism booster, given that Rahm’s coach at Arizona State, and now his agent, is Phil’s younger brother, Tim. But

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“I think my game is pretty suited to the U.S. Open,” says Rahm, his Spanish accent discernible but mitigated by his impressive English vocabulary after five years of living in the United States. “It’s a really big deal to be precise off the tee, which I am. I’ve got a good short game and good feel with the putter, too. It’s one I could win.”

Rahm’s confidence is matter-of-fact. He admires Johnson, with whom he shares power and a similar bowed left-wrist position at the top of the swing. “I’m beginning to think it’s an advantage,” Sbarbaro says. “Both those guys have the least club rotation through impact of anybody we’ve seen.” After losing to DJ at the WGC-Mexico Championship, where Rahm led with three holes to go, he good-naturedly tweeted, I look forward to a Sunday rematch soon. He also said that his goal is to win 19 major championships, though he has tried to quell that talking point, now going with the standard, “I just want to be the best golfer I can be.”

‘F

FREE SPIRIT ADAPTS

rom where I’m from, we’re usually strong, confident people,” says Rahm, who grew up in the coastal Basque town of Barrika (pop. 1,500). “It can get to a little bit of arrogance, which I don’t think is one of my traits.”

Intelligence is. He came to ASU in 2012 with almost no English skills, having been recruited sight unseen by Tim Mickelson, relying on an exchange of emails. “I’m kind of a free spirit, but it was hard,” Rahm says of his first few weeks in Tempe. “I couldn’t smile that much, just because I didn’t know

what was going on. There were probably a lot of jokes I missed the first month of school.”

Mickelson admits that one month into that first semester, he didn’t think Rahm would make it past Christmas. But with the help of a Spanish-speaking teammate, Alberto Sanchez, and an improvised crash course of memorizing verbally acrobatic rap songs, in particular Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Swimming Pools,” Rahm recovered to pull a 3.6 gradepoint average in his first semester, graduating with a B average in communications.

Along the way, he won 11 college events, tying Phil Mickelson’s school record, became the No. 1-ranked amateur in the world, finished fifth in the 2015 Phoenix Open and became the first to win college golf’s Ben Hogan Award back-to-back.

“The best word for Jon is genuine,” says Tim Mickelson. “There were a lot of rumors that he would be going pro early, but when he told me that he was committed to graduating, I never doubted him. I could tell what kind of kid he was by his parents, who never asked about golf. Their focus was on Jon as a student and a person.”

It’s quite a package, but the X factor in Rahm’s success as a player might be his affinity for the short game. For all his size and strength, he is at heart a touch and feel player, matching the “Spanish hands” stereotype established by his home country’s best golfers, Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Though Rahm reveres the late Ballesteros, it is for tales of his charisma and presence more than his game, which he was too young to appreciate. And though Rahm has great respect for Olazabal, a fellow Basque, the two have not had a lot of contact. Rahm’s gift is a product of several other factors.

Rahm’s parents took up golf after attending the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama, where Ballesteros was the victorious captain.

Edorta Rahm, a salesman in the petroleum industry, is a devotee of extreme sports, including rock and mountain climbing, parasailing, sky diving and free skiing. He has climbed Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe, several times. “Basically anything but golf,” Jon says. “The kind of sports where a mistake has serious consequences. He’s really disciplined and a great competitor.”

Rahm’s mother, Angela, is a midwife, a gentle soul who practices tai chi. “She’s the

Great American #009 we wish had won the U.S. Open.

Trophy: hans Knopf/GeTTy ImaGes • elvIs: mIchael ochs archIve/GeTTy ImaGes

until doing the hard work to escape it made him No. 1 in the world.

In contrast, Rahm’s completeness is his differentiator. It’s arguable that he has more game through the bag at 22 than all but one of the best young players to emerge since the 1990s. Among Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, only Woods at 22 was as well-rounded as Rahm.

A litany of numbers tell much of the story. Rahm began his professional career last June and secured his card with finishes of T-3 and T-2 in his first four events. In his first victory, at Torrey Pines in January, he closed the show with a drive and 5-wood to the back of the green and a magical 60-foot

june 2017 | golf digest india

89

sensitive part of the family,” Rahm says. “Always more interested in how I was feeling rather than how I was doing. She has always said that her goal for me is to be happy. She always taught me to care more about people, and just be nice in general. I think my personality is the best of both.”

Adds Rahm’s dad: “When he plays cards with his grandmother, he wants to win.”

Rahm was 8 when he began going to a local golf club with his parents and older brother, Eriz. Meanwhile, Jon was getting handsy with other sports. He was a goalie in soccer and excelled at pelota, a Basque version of jai alai played with a skinny, flatsided wood bat that demands exceptional eye-hand coordination.

After showing immediate aptitude in golf, Jon was enrolled in group junior lessons. The dozen or so boys—Jon was the youngest—began spending most of their time around the chipping green, which became Rahm’s refuge.

“All I did was make up shots around the green, trying hard ones with different clubs,” he says. “It was the opposite of putting down 50 balls and chipping the same shot over and over. That’s not fun.”

O

NOW THAT WAS PRESSURE

ne group game might have been inspired by Lord of the Flies. “We would go from one shot to another until someone got closest to the hole six times,” Rahm says.

“But if you were at zero when that happened, there were punishments, like going around the putting green twice on your knees, which is not easy. But the worst one was the guys with zero had to drop their pants, underwear and all, to their ankles, and couldn’t pull them up until they won a hole. You did not want to be at zero when someone at five would chip it close. That was not just pressure, that was absolute fear. Trust me, that was a lot worse than having a putt to win a tournament.

“I never had to drop my pants, but I came close,” Rahm says. “One thing I learned from watching was the amazing things a person can do under pressure. Because a lot of times, more often than you think, the kid with zero would somehow pull it off. And the other good thing was, it developed the killer instinct. Because if you won the first few holes, you were like, OK, if I win the next four, everybody has to pull their pants down.

That happened a couple of times.”

His short game had to be sharp to score.

Although Rahm has evolved into a controlled shotmaker, that was not the case growing up.

“I hit the ball all over the place,” he says.

“As a junior, probably my short game was better than it is now, because I had to use

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it a lot more. If I played good, I’d hit nine greens a round and shoot five under. Just because on par 5s I would be close to the green and get up and down every time. I called the short game ‘the hospital.’ When my long game was sick, that’s where I took it to make things better. I spent a lot of time in the hospital.”

Rahm has made strides in keeping his composure, but in the final against Johnson at Austin, he became flustered after missing a short putt on the front nine, leading to the loss of five of six holes. “I wish I would have been able to handle myself a little better,” Rahm said a few days later. “Obviously, I’m an emotional player, and that can present

‘GUYS WITH ZERO [POINTS] HAD TO DROP THEIR PANTS, UNDERWEAR AND ALL. . . . TRUST ME, THAT WAS A LOT WORSE THAN HAVING A PUTT TO WIN A TOURNAMENT.’ Broc Johnson, a former teammate at Arizona State who calls Rahm “a big teddy bear,” has seen Rahm’s skills. “Just messing around,” Johnson says, “he could hit better flop shots with a 4-iron than the rest of us could with 60-degree wedges.”

Rahm improved his ball-striking when he began working with a Basque teaching pro, Eduardo Celles, on a scruffy range with mats. “When I went to Eduardo at 13,” Rahm says, “I was bigger than anybody else my age, and my obsession was just to hit hard draws with a real strong grip, just try to hit it miles.

He said, ‘What are you doing? What’s the point? You have an amazing short game, and that’s why you score well. But why not put it on the fairway and the green and make more birdies than you do now?’ He weakened my grip and made my swing shorter. He told me I wouldn’t lose any distance. I thought he was crazy, but I didn’t. By the time I was 15, I was much better with everything and kept improving. It was a no-brainer.”

Adds Celles: “When he was 14, he started to make big progress. One day we were practicing and he turned to me with a very serious look and calmly said, ‘Eduardo, I’m going to be the champion of the world.’ There was such self-belief in his voice, that it got my attention. He was just a kid, but I thought, Remember this moment. Because he just made me think that he can do what he said.”

Celles has remained Rahm’s only swing coach, but Jon tries not to over-rely on him.

“Eduardo also did a great job of teaching me how my swing mechanics worked, and how to correct myself,” Rahm says. “Most times I know the fix, but if don’t, I text him, and he usually nails it. It happens probably four or five times a year, and then we work when I visit home in December. But I try to do it myself.”

It’s inaccurate to say that Rahm is without weakness. The most apparent, and one he admits to, is young man’s temper. At ASU, he broke a bag stand in anger in his first match, causing Tim Mickelson to sentence him to running steps in the football stadium.

challenges. But, hey, that’s golf, that’s life and something I need to learn from and make sure I don’t do it again.”

It’s likely to be an ongoing process. Rahm began working on this area in earnest before his junior year at ASU, when he enlisted the help of a mental coach, Joseba del Carmen, from his hometown. A former pro basketball player and retired police officer, del Carmen spent part of his law-enforcement career specialized in deactivating terrorist bombs. “So if anybody knows the mind, he does,” Rahm says. “Joseba works with my true emotions and how that affects my game and my personal life. Really, the main thing we worked on is just life in general. I had always put golf as the No. 1 thing in my life.

But he’s helped me learn that the happier I am outside the golf course, the better I play golf. That’s why when I’m off the course, I try to be golf-free in my mind. And it’s been a great thing.”

“I just hope that we all don’t push too many expectations on him, so that he loses the joy,” says European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn. “Because that joy is helping him do the things he’s doing now.”

Rahm, who lives in Scottsdale, has a girlfriend, Kelley Cahill, a former javelin thrower for ASU whom he met as a freshman. Besides being an Instagram star, she’s an exceptional cook who cleaned up the food-loving Rahm’s diet and encouraged his work in the gym, helping to get him down from 255 pounds to 225.

“Because of Kelley, I feel better, and I consistently play golf better,” Rahm says.

“I’ll never forget when I brought her to Spain for a week. It was her first time in the country, and I was going to devote all my time to her. But the first day she wakes up and says, ‘Aren’t you going to practice today?’ And I said, ‘No, not while you’re here.’ And she says, ‘No, you need to practice.’ She always supports my career. And, no matter what, believes in me.”

Going into Erin Hills, more and more people are feeling that way about Jon Rahm.

Do This, Not That by Butch Harmon

Play Your Best

Great American #317 we’d like to have seen win the U.S. Open.

The Driver Dilemma To hit it longer, you swing harder, but . . . ere’s the rest of that line: . . . you don’t hit the ball solidly. Whatever speed you might gain by trying to go harder is wasted because you lose control and mis-hit the shot.

You’re probably not gaining any speed. Like I joke with some of my students: Your backswing is faster than your downswing.

If you want more distance, your focus should be finding a rhythm that allows you to produce speed without giving up good contact. Consider the swing thought Jack Nicklaus used on tee shots: Finish the backswing. You want to stay smooth and deliberate going back, let everything wind up behind the ball. Then you can come into impact from a strong position, not a weak position that’s all hands and arms.

Think about when you hit a bunch of drivers in a row on the range. You get into a good groove.

Why? First, you’re not reacting to all the obstacles you see on the course. Second, you don’t have mechanical thoughts—you’re just swinging. That’s what you need to do when you play.

Frank Sinatra: Michael OchS archive / Getty iMaGeS

H

Butch Harmon is at Rio Secco Golf Club in Henderson, Nev. DIAL IN YOUR DRIVER What can you do when you practice to find a rhythm that creates speed and control?

Tee three balls in a line (left), and hit them in succession, stepping up to the next ball as soon as you finish your swing.

You’ll instinctively know to stay in balance, so you won’t overswing. Do this drill a few times, and try to really internalize the rhythm and flow of it. You’ll hit more shots in the middle of the clubface and get the most out of the speed you’re creating.

Photographs by Dom Furore

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SMAS HOW TO GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT

92 golf digest india | june 2017

SH IT!

BY JUSTIN THOMAS

When people analyze my swing, they always focus on my footwork. I get it. It’s the most noticeable thing. I’m sure your eyes are drawn to it in these two photos. But there are a lot of things I do that contribute to hitting it 300 plus off the tee. And since it’s unlikely you’re going to start jumping off the ground to pick up 10, 15, 20 more yards on your drives, you might want to work on the other things I do. Believe me, I’m not super technical, but I’ll do my best to walk you through the elements of my driver swing and what I work on for consistency. Hopefully this will give you some fresh ideas on how to smash your tee shots. —with ron kaspriske

Photographs

by Walter Iooss93 Jr. june 2017 india | golf digest

‘FEEL YOUR WEIGHT CENTERED WITHIN YOUR FEET.’ 5’ 10”

307 average driving yardage

150 LBS.

2016 pga tour rank: 12

299 average carry yardage

2017 pga tour rank: 11

ADDRESS: DON’T TAKE IT FOR GRANTED 94 golf digest india | june 2017

With all the reps we get on tour, you’d think setting up to the ball correctly is automatic.

It’s not. I’ll often look at my swing on video and notice that my body alignment is out of whack. My feet might not match my shoulders, or something like that. That’s why I make a point to really square myself to the target. You’ll notice here I’ve dropped my right foot back about an inch in relation to my left (above). This is just a suggestion for any of you who might slice the ball, or struggle to swing down on plane from inside

the target line. It will help give you a little extra room to improve your swing path and hit the ball solidly instead of swiping across it, which causes that weak slice. Also notice that I’m standing tall. This allows me to swing on as wide an arc as possible. Wider swings mean longer drives. Finally, my weight is roughly centered within each foot.

If you feel a lot of pressure in your toes or heels, you’ll have a tough time keeping your balance when you swing. And the faster the club is moving, the more you’ll struggle. + POLO GOLF shirt, pants FOOTJOY shoes

GOING BACK: SET THE STAGE FOR POWER Just like taking your setup for granted, you’d be amazed what can go wrong if you don’t really pay attention to the first part of your backswing. Rhythm, timing, width, path— all keys to smashing the ball—have to be good from the start. I suggest you practice this part of the swing. Get it right, and you’ll really increase your odds of hitting it in the center of the clubface—and that’s where you’ll see your biggest power boost. Take the club back until the shaft is parallel to the ground, then stop and have a look (below).

Things to check: Is your left arm extended?

Is the shaft pointing parallel left of your target line? Do your wrists feel flat? Are you relaxed and in no hurry? These are all good things. When I won twice in Hawaii in January, I was really paying attention to this part of the swing. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t whipping the club inside the target line. You can get into some weird habits if you don’t routinely check. It also adds a level of confidence that you’re doing everything you can to set up a big tee shot that finds the fairway.

drill ADJUST YOUR PATH, AND YOU’LL BOMB IT

‘THIS IS A GREAT SPOT TO STOP AND CHECK YOUR SWING.’

▶ Anytime you’re in a rut hitting slices or hooks, try this drill I use all the time: Tee up a ball and place a ball on both sides of it (above). If you’re slicing, the outside ball should be farther from the target than your tee ball, and the one on the inside should be closer to the target. Notice how this creates a gate for your club to swing on an in-to-out path in relation to the target line.

The idea is to hit your tee shot without touching the other golf balls. If you hit the ball outside the one you teed up, you’ll know you’re still swinging on a slicer’s path. For hooks, just reverse the positions of the surrounding balls, and you’ll see a gate that promotes a slightly out-to-in path. I’ll hit 15 to 20 balls with the gate in whatever configuration that helps me feel the sensation for the shot I’m trying to hit.

It really straightens me out. If you can reduce the curve to your shots, I guarantee you’ll pick up some real distance.

month june 2017 2017| |golf golfdigest.com digest india

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Play Your Best Swing Sequence hat do you do when you’re the instructor for a guy with one of the best short games of all time? Not much. “When it comes to chipping, Phil’s taught me quite a bit,” says Andrew Getson, who has been working with Mickelson since late 2015. “Let me tell you, it’s been a pleasure to have a front-row seat for what he can do around the greens.”

W

Phil Mickelson How to copy the Jedi Master of wedge players

96 golf digest india | june 2017

From Mickelson’s signature flop shot— one he hit over his own head has 6.3 million views on YouTube—to sand plays that make the ball dance around the cup, Phil’s short game is “magical,” Getson says. And he’s not just gushing. At the Genesis Open in February, Mickelson holed out three short-game shots . . . in one round. Two events later at the WGC-Mexico Championship, after a re-

ally off-line tee shot put him in double-bogey territory, he hit a towering wedge over the trees onto some turf near the green. Then he chipped in for birdie.

“That’s just how good his hands are at controlling the ball. You can’t teach that,” Getson says. “But a lot of what he does is fairly simple to copy. You can learn quite a bit for your own short game.” —ron kaspriske

A FORWARD PUSH

LEANING INTO IT

HINGE AND HOLD

“The first thing you should learn from Phil: He reads the lie before deciding on what type of shot to play,” says Andrew Getson, who teaches at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale. “Also important, he says 99 percent of his body weight starts and stays on his front [right] foot.

Most players don’t favor that leg as much.”

Ball position and shaft lean are two ways Phil controls contact, Getson says. “That shaft lean at address and the forward ball position allow him to hit down on the ball solidly and get it up without having to scoop at it with his wrists like I see so many amateurs do.

They play the ball too far back to hit it high.”

The simplicity of his technique is evident here, Getson says. “Once he hinges the wrists, he maintains that hinge through impact. This prevents poor contact.”

Amateurs should start this hinge early, Getson says. “You don’t need a big swing arc here.

Hinging narrows the arc and makes good contact easier to get.”

▶ STROKES GAINED AROUND GREENS

.634

Phil Mickelson (1st)

.000

▶ PROXIMITY TO HOLE FROM SAND

-.515

Tour average

Bubba Watson (200th)

5’6”

Phil Mickelson (1st)

9’8”

5’8”

Tour average

Jason Day (2nd) S O U RC E : S H OT L I N K ( 2 0 1 7 )

RUBS THE RIGHT WAY

CARBON COPY

EXTEND AND ROTATE

PRO-FILE

Phil creates the backspin for this checking wedge by forcing a lot of friction between the ball and the leading edge of the clubhead. “His hands take the club down into the ball on a fairly sharp angle,” Getson says. His head also has rotated a little to the target side. “He tracks the path of the club and ball,” Getson says.

Stare at this swing at impact for a few seconds, then go back and see the photo of Phil at address.

Look familiar? “With the exception of his head rotating, the two positions are virtually identical,” Getson says.

“That’s something to work on. Create a good impact look at address, and repeat it when your club meets ball.”

His grip pressure is super light, Getson says. “Soft hands let him keep clubhead speed up on those short shots.”

Also, a lot of amateurs bring the shaft back around to their hip pocket to finish the swing, “but his left arm extends and his body keeps rotating toward the target for accuracy.

It’s terrific technique.”

phil mickelson 47 on June 16 / 6-3 200 / San Diego lob wedges Callaway Mack Daddy PM 60, 64 degrees ball Callaway Chrome Soft X

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

Play Your Best Slug by Firstname Lastname

xxio fo rg ed ▶ This traditionallength iron set’s thin, high-strength steel face surrounds a compact forged body for the combination of distance and feel. Lightweight shafts with high-balance points are designed to help you produce a faster swing with the same effort. $1,360 t i t l e i st 7 1 6 a p1 s m ok e ▶ Available in only 500 sets, this traditionallength iron uses a darker finish to reduce glare and make the head appear smaller. But the look doesn’t change this iron’s distance guts, including low internal tungsten weighting and a large flexible face. $900

eq u s a1 ▶ Rather than one length, this set features three lengths for long, middle and short irons. Each group is designed to feel alike, so the force required to swing the 4-iron matches that of the wedge. $1,043

Photograph by Justin Fantl

Photograph by First Lastname

Equipment

Play Your Best

Great American #534 we’d like to see win the U.S. Open.

One Size Fits All? Single-length irons are starting to make inroads.

Can they help you? e de l s ls - 0 1

by mike stachura

▶ This single-length set has hollow irons with variable-thickness faces for more flexibility where you need it and less where you don’t.

The secret is a composite shaft with multiple balance-point options for tweaking trajectory for each iron loft.

‘I

▶ The single-length set (37¼ inches) includes four head designs to help make long irons more forgiving and faster and short irons more compact and controllable. $800

Photograph by First Lastname

Trophy: hans Knopf/GeTTy ImaGes • Tom Brady: L arry Busacca/GeTTy ImaGes

$1,960

c o bra ki n g f 7 o n e

’ve heard from a multiple major-championship winner that within eight years you’ll see a quarter of the players on tour playing single-length irons.”

Those are the words of single-length advocate David Edel, the golf inventor who developed the one-of-a-kind, single-length irons that helped make Bryson DeChambeau famous. Whether that happens and whether average golfers should consider them are intriguing questions given that more companies are using nontraditional approaches to shaft lengths.

Of course, the fact is, only one full-time player on the PGA Tour, DeChambeau, is using irons in which the shafts are all the same length. And just a few months into their tracking by industry analyst Golf Datatech, single-length irons account for less than 2 percent of all the irons sold in the United States.

Still, that’s well up from zero just six months ago.

The benefits are at once obvious and complex. The same shaft length for every iron means posture, ball position and the swing are the same for your 4-iron as they are for your wedge. But how do you compensate for lost speed or excessive flight to produce the distance gaps crucial to accurate iron play?

With two models that are both outselling its traditionallength versions, Cobra is the first major brand to explore this idea in decades. (Several other traditional-length iron brands contacted by Golf Digest declined to comment on the advantages of their products, perhaps leaving the door open to embrace single-length iron sets later on if the situation changes.) Tom Olsavsky, vice president of research and development for Cobra, believes the distance benefit is hidden but real in single-length irons.

“It’s appealing to the idea of simplicity and consistency,” he says. “We know that distance sells, and it can be a hard argument to make that consistency

gives you more distance. But if people try it and find it to be easier, they’re going to find that it does go farther.”

Manufacturers who’ve passed on single-length irons for the moment say there are distance problems with the set.

“The single-length irons we’ve seen hit super-high wedges and super-low long irons,” says Brian Schielke, senior product manager, golf clubs, for Cleveland/Srixon/XXIO. “People struggle hitting their long irons too low as it is. This just accentuates that problem.”

Our testing of single-length irons at Golf Digest’s Hot List Summit last fall found golfers were mixed in their assessments. Nine of our 16 players preferred the traditional-length version over the single-length option, but seven rated the single-length model equal or better.

Tweaking each shaft can produce more height on lower lofts or control trajectory on short irons. A more flexible face can also improve the long irons. The Cobra King F7 One and Edel’s SLS-01 feature different iron designs within the set to optimize ball flight. The Sterling single-length irons, developed by component-club guru Tom Wishon and teacher and speed golfer Jaacob Bowden use an 8-iron shaft length for control but add flexible faces to the 4-iron through 7-iron.

Another idea: The Equs A-1 irons offer three groups of irons within the set featuring three shaft lengths (4-iron, 7-iron and pitching wedge). “By reducing the whole set down to three swings, you’re improving your consistency and how you play because you have less swings to learn,” says longtime physician and first-time golf inventor Mike Lytle, who developed the A-1 with Jeff Sheets, the veteran club designer behind more than a dozen brands. The challenge of acceptance, however, remains.

“Golf actually is slow to evolve,” Sheets says. “When you choose to go off the beaten path, the customer tends to resist.”

june 2017 | golf digest india

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Play Your Best Strategy by Jack Nicklaus

“What to do when a fairway turns twice.”

Dangerous Curves Ahead Studying a double dogleg BE READY FOR A SHIFT I can see Mike Davis, the USGA executive director who is in charge of course setup, utilizing two or more tee boxes on this hole. It’s listed to play at 434 or 464 yards. The prevailing wind is against, so from the back tee most players will play to here. From this rise, the approach is about 175 yards with the left portion of the green hidden. But shift the markers up a box or two, and even shorter hitters would be tempted to play more to the right.

GARDEN SPOT Successfully challenge the tall fescue and catch the fast downslope of the fairway, and you could have a wedge shot left for your second.

Davis wants players to face a decision. If the wind is calm, he can cause uncertainty by choosing a longer tee box that makes this carry more formidable. But smart golfers will have tested their favorite driving clubs from each tee so as to not be caught off guard.

DON’T MISS HERE On many courses, the line that reaps the biggest reward is usually the most penal if you don’t pull the shot off.

Here, a high ridge completely blocks your view if you come up short. Hope there’s a cloud in the sky, otherwise you’ll have next to nothing to aim at for your approach. The ground is elevated along the left rough, so you’re slightly better off if you miss the fairway there. You’ll probably see some of the green.

if only i had an iphone SHORTER IS BETTER

always arrived early for majors.

Guys who came in tournament week inevitably would be overwhelmed by the deepness of the rough or the firmness of the greens. I’d already be acclimatized to the conditions, so all I had to worry about was my golf. Preparing helps you relax.

This summer the U.S. Open is at a new venue, Erin Hills, a Wisconsin course built in 2006 that most of the field hasn’t seen.

Jordan Spieth and some of his cohorts played the U.S. Amateur there in 2011, but

I

100 golf digest india | june 2017

most everyone else will be learning it from scratch. I’ve yet to play it, but one hole I’m told should get attention is the par-4 12th (illustrated). Its fairway bends to the right and back to the left, like a question mark. A double dogleg like this is a perfect example of a hole the USGA—or your tournament committee—can control to play any way they fancy. So you need to prepare for all the ways it might be set up. You can be aggressive and take a straight path, or follow the curvature of the fairway. — with max adler

▶ The first thing I did when I got home on the Monday after a major was review the telecast. Didn’t matter if I’d flown all night. I had stacks of videotapes. While the tournament was fresh in my mind, I wanted to see what I did right and what I did wrong. Nowadays everyone has much quicker access to feedback with phones and tablets. You become a better player by having more information.

Illustration by Chris O’Riley

Sam Greenwood/Getty ImaGeS

This is a small green complex, about 4,000 square feet. The front two-thirds slopes toward the fairway, and the back third slopes away. With a green like this, I can’t imagine many situations where I’d want to be chipping from anywhere but the front opening.

For Better Players by Tom Watson Play Your Best

“Hitting a putt as softly as possible takes practice.”

Just Get it Started On slick greens, sometimes that’s all you can do

here are greens that are so fast, all you need to do is tap the ball on a downhill lie to get it to the hole.

I’m not joking when I say that at Augusta National, I’ll practice hitting a putt with the speed to move it only one inch if the green were flat like the photo (below) indicates. It’s a stroke that requires real touch, so I suggest you practice it if you’re

T

about to play on very fast greens.

The greatest putters of all time, guys like Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus and Jackie Burke, all said distance control was paramount. In addition to those one-inchers, find an area where you can alternate hitting 30-footers from well above and below the hole. Keep trying these putts until you feel just how much effort—and more im-

portant how little—you need to get the ball to stop by the hole if it doesn’t go in. Try to keep your grip pressure constant as you do this. If you know how softly you have to hit a slick, downhill putt, you’ll avoid one of golf’s most embarrassing situations: rolling the ball off the green.

Tom Watson is a Golf Digest Playing Editor.

double the break ▶ If you’re faced with the tough combination of a downhill putt that will slide left or right, remember that the break is accentuated by the slow speed you have to hit the putt. In other words, the ball will break a lot more than you might think.

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

Play Your Best Step by Step by David Leadbetter

Tasty Irons Compress the ball to hit it pin-high ny time you’ve got a 7-, 8- or 9-iron in your hands for your approach shot, you’ve got a real opportunity to knock it close.

Don’t squander that chance with the notion that you have to swing under the ball to get it in the air. If you want to hit it the desired trajectory, yardage and direction—and get it to spin when it lands so it holds the green—you need to hit down on it and compress the ball.

Here are four steps to get the most out of your short irons.

A

David Leadbetter operates 34 golf academies worldwide.

1. SHIFT LEFT

2. LEAN IN

3. COVER UP

4. GROOVE IT

▶ So many amateurs try to hit the ball high by incorrectly favoring their back foot when they swing.

You can help counter this tendency by putting more weight on your front foot at address.

Have roughly 60 percent of your weight supported by that leg.

▶ At impact, you want the grip end of the club leaning toward the target like you see here. Just like pre-setting your weight forward, you can lean the handle slightly forward at address to better prepare for the hit.

▶ Another way to make sure you’re not hanging on your back foot at impact is to feel as if your shirt buttons are on top of the ball at impact. If you cover the ball with your sternum, you can compress it.

▶ To practice this downward strike, lay a tee on the ground a few inches behind the ball on your target line. Hit practice shots with the goal of avoiding the tee. Succeed and you’ll pinch the ball off the turf. Repeat this action when you play, and you’ll send the ball pin-seeking.

102 golf digest india | june 2017

Illustration by Gluekit

photograph by J.D. Cuban • illustrations: toDD Detwiler • trophy: hans Knopf / getty images • martin luther King Jr.: william h. alDen / getty images

Great American #34 we’d like to have seen win the U.S. Open.

Undercover The Loop

Undercover Tour Pro What the locker room is saying about the rules changes impler is better. It’s a truth that pertains to everything in life.

That’s why I’m in favor of the proposed “modernization” that will cut The Rules of Golf from 34 to 24. I don’t agree with all the changes, but I like the spirit of the undertaking.

Many of my fellow players are not as open-minded.

Among us, there exists a strong bias against the USGA. When Far Hills made the announcement, the vibe on the range was a caustic, “What the heck do those guys know about golf?”

It’s unfair, but that’s the perception pros have. We interact with the USGA once a year at the U.S. Open, which from our view is usually a debacle. Five or six things that feel ridiculously unfair are guaranteed to happen to you that week, like losing a ball

S

in the rough one yard off the fairway, or seeing your stopped ball suddenly roll 30 feet off a green. Unless you’re the guy holding the trophy at the end, you leave bitter. Even though the R&A is equally involved in the changes, American players don’t have the same antipathy toward that organization. If the proposal had come from the International Golf Federation, it’d have been better received.

The USGA didn’t help relations by having a guy going around at Riviera this year, ostensibly asking our opinions on the rules. The press release that landed two weeks later was clearly pretty much already written. I was aware of the project, but I had no idea how drastic the changes would be. I’m

not sure people appreciate yet just how much this will change the game.

I won’t submit written feedback to the USGA, but here’s what I’ll tell Mike Davis (with whom I have good rapport) the next time I see him. ▶ Letting golfers fix spike marks is going to be a disaster for slow play.

We’ve all missed and made putts because of spike marks.

A lot of pros are obsessives, and they’re going to be tamp, tamp, tamping all day. ▶ Dropping a ball from any height baffles me. It’s the most talked-about change on tour, and none of us can work out what’s wrong with the current method. Are we going to have officials lying on their stomachs to ensure balls are in fact dropped, not placed?

Seems like an opportunity for cheating. Don’t get me wrong: That golf is a game of honor is alive and well in the pro ranks.

There’s way more scrutiny from media and fans trying to catch us doing things wrong than actually goes on. But dropping from an inch is going to foster suspicion. ▶ The rest of the changes seem great. Whenever someone is penalized for a technicality, be it Dustin Johnson possibly (theoretically?) bumping his ball on the green at Oakmont, or Carl Pettersson ticking a leaf in his backswing at Kiawah, the reaction in the locker room is always unanimous: “What bull----.” If a player isn’t intending to get an advantage, there should be no penalty. The USGA and R&A are trying to get rid of these situations.

I think casual golfers could go back to a close form of the original 13 rules written in Scotland in 1744. For tournament golf, where big money is on the line, the rules should be constantly evolving. Instead of every four years, every three months or so the major tours should gather—maybe by conference call—and discuss odd circumstances and come up with common-sense solutions.

For example, at Riviera, a guy in our threesome got totally hosed after a rain delay. He’d had a clean lie in the bunker when the horn sounded, but when we came back, his spot had been washed out and he had to drop into a muddy plugged lie. Is that fair? It’s not for me to decide. Point is, these situations should be evaluated on a more frequent basis than they are now.

Pros know the rules, but we’re conditioned to call officials even for matters as simple as relief from a sprinkler head.

It’s just not worth the stress of doing it on your own. Even if the rules get simpler, it’ll be a long time before we’re playing faster.

—w i t h m a x a d l e r

Ross KinnaiRd/Getty imaGes

“Letting golfers fix spike marks is going to be a disaster for slow play.”

edited by peter finch

Off the Course with Dustin Johnson A dozen questions for the world’s No. 1 golfer T

•

On a scale of 1 to 10— 1 being perfect, 10 being “it looks like a tornado hit”—how neat do you keep your room? 2

•

Who would play the title character in “The Dustin Johnson Story”?

Bradley Cooper.

•

What’s the one food you love to eat but always regret afterward?

A fast-food hamburger.

•

“The Bachelor,” “This is Us,” or “The Voice”? “The Voice.”

•

Who would win in a fight, you or your brother, Austin?

I would say it would end in a draw, but I wouldn’t want to fight him.

•

Tom Brady or Joe Montana?

Brady.

•

When was the last time you paid for golf balls?

Probably during college.

•

Which was the best “Rocky” movie?

The first one, for sure!

Dustin Johnson is a 30-handicap at what?

If anything, I’d have to say singing.

•

How much do you tip for maid service at a hotel per day? It varies, but I’m usually a pretty good tipper.

•

What do you do with old clubs when you’re done using them? Typically I keep them, give them to friends and family, or donate them to junior golf.

•

What exercise would you recommend for someone looking to be less pathetically out of shape? (Asking for a friend.)

Any exercise is good, but swimming is always a good option.

▶ These next few pages are the print version of a new, expanded section on golfdigest.com. the loop operates on the simple premise that golfers are bound by more than golf. Sure we care whether Dustin Johnson will win another U.S. Open, but we also care if LeBron James will repeat with the Cavs, or if they’re making another “X-Men” movie, or if there are any decent whiskeys you can buy on a budget. the loop won’t solve all your problems, but we promise it’ll make each day roughly 37 percent better. golfdigest.com/go/theloop

104 golf digest india | june 2017

gutter credit tk

he defending U.S. Open champion hits a golf ball a lot farther than you do, but at heart he’s just a regular guy.

“I don’t just want to be remembered “I’d have as a to golfer say because of[I’m something a 30-handicap I did at at] 17.” singing.”

Photograph by First Lastname

month 2017 | golfdigest.com Photograph by Dom 105 Furore

The Loop The Digest by Sam Weinman and Alex Myers

5

TATTOOS WE’D LIKE TO SEE ON GOLFERS

GREEN THUMBS If our obsession with mobile devices leaves us feeling removed from the natural

world, maybe this iPhone case from Japanese manufacturer Shibaful will pull us a hair closer.

The company calls it “a portable park,” inspiring a little pastoral reflection even when we’re crammed indoors. It might also offer a creative workaround to your club’s no-phone policy, blending into the scenery so well that it goes unnoticed. The case ($45-$47) is available through Amazon.com.

jack nicklaus

GOLF’S GREATEST EUPHEMISMS “HE GETS IT AROUND.” meaning: “once broke 100.”

“GREAT SWING.”

tiger woods

meaning: “can’t make clean contact.”

5 4 3 2 1

john daly vs. everyone After shooting 90 in the second round of the 2014 Valspar Championship, Daly might have broken Brandel Chamblee’s blocking record (see spat No. 2)—in one day. ian poulter vs. ted bishop Bishop was ousted as PGA of America president in 2014 for calling Poulter a “lil girl.” Ironic, because the touchy Poulter nearly got two people fired with tweets in 2016. norm macdonald vs. rick reilly Norm gave a play-by-play of a PGA Tour event. Rick didn’t find it funny. Norm—and his followers— had the last laugh. Be careful going after comedians on Twitter. rory mcilroy vs. brandel chamblee The two have argued over McIlroy’s gym time and the optimal angle of attack for a driver. Amazingly, Rory isn’t one of the 20,000 people Brandel claims to have blocked. donald trump vs. samuel l. jackson The actor said the future president cheated at golf and sent him a surprise membership bill.

Trump made fun of Jackson’s swing and (gulp) his commercials.

106 golf digest india | june 2017

“GREAT SETUP.”

meaning: “horrible swing.”

“PLAYS FAST.”

meaning: “knows when to pick up.”

bryson dechambeau

“GREAT ATTITUDE.”

meaning: “knows he’s terrible.”

POP SONGS AND THEIR HIDDEN MEANINGS “here, there and everywhere” ▶ Paul had a bad case of the driver yips in the mid-’60s.

gary player

“i still haven’t found what i’m looking for”

▶ Bono is bummed about the new three-minute rule

for lost balls.

“oops, i did it again” ▶ Britney Spears on once again not taking enough club into a green. “babe i’m gonna leave you”

▶ Robert Plant got really attached to his drivers, but he always upgraded equipment each year.

jim nantz

twitter spats: john uel and • tattoos: paul windle

THE GAME’S TOP 5 TWITTER SPATS

The Loop Decisions

WHAT KIND OF GOLF HAT SHOULD YOU WEAR? do you care about your appearance?

n

bucket hat

visor

y

y y

is it raining? do you own any seersucker?

n

n fedora

n

n y

do you have a full head of hair?

did you listen to smooth jazz on the way to the golf course?

y

do you still watch tv shows on an actual tv?

y

can you break 80?

n

y

n

n do you keep a copy of “five lessons� handy at all times?

n

are you greg norman?

flat brim

y n

y

ball cap

hogan cap

mesh cowboy hat Illustrations by Mega

SAVE UPTO

44%

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 8

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The Loop The Pour

Shandies are ideal for lazy, hazy days.

Splash Down A sweet alternative to the usual post-round brew

t was one of those hot, sticky days, and after we finished golf, Uncle Steve poured us glasses of beer mixed with lemonade. That nostalgic sweetness of lemonade mixed with the crispness of a light beer made for the perfect thirst-quenching, slightly buzz-inducing drink.

What I thought was mixology genius was actually a homemade version of a drink that has been around since the 1800s: the shandy. “A shandy is something you’re drinking during the day, when it’s hot out, and usually when you’re doing something active,” says Andy Hurt, an instructor at New York’s Columbia Bartending Agency and School of Mixology. In the United Kingdom, shandies are typically a mixture of beer and a carbonated soda, such as 7Up, which many Britons call lemonade. It’s more common to use noncarbonated lemonade in the United States. Either way, the shandy is a delicious alternative to the usual post-round beer.

To the right: Three recipes from Hurt, plus a handful of commercially available shandies. —Keely levins

I

114 golf digest india | june 2017

some ready-made shandies for sale

basic shandy 6 oz. lager 6 oz. lemonade Stir gently

▶ Curious Traveler Lemon Shandy 4.4% alc.

cold toddy 6 oz. lager 3 oz. ginger beer (Reeds, if available) 3 oz. lemonade 1 tbsp. honey Stir gently, garnish with lemon

▶ Narragansett Del’s Shandy 4.7% alc.

golfer’s grog

▶ SchÖfferhofer Grapefruit 2.5% alc.

8 oz. ale 2 oz. grapefruit juice 2 oz. fruit punch Stir gently, garnish with lime wedge

▶ Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy 4.2% alc.

▶ Widmer Brothers Hefe Shandy 4.2% alc.

Photograph by Adam Voorhes

TAKE A

STAND

FOR HEALTH

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