Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about life at the levels of professional golf and the pressures on the less unfamiliar names at this time of the year.
It must be very difficult to concentrate on your game with the constant thoughts that must go through their heads as they bid to retain their Tour Cards for the following season. Well, at the European Masters Tournament in Switzerland last week, one man's fortune, luck, life and playing schedule for the next year all changed in the blink of an eye and the shortest of putts!
I doubt many people outside of France had heard of Jean-Francois Lucquin until Sunday, September 7 when he lifted the European Masters trophy, but here is a classic tale of a young man who has been around on Tour for a while and never finished higher than 17th in a tournament and one good week will change his life. This was his 175th European Tour event, he was lying in 129th spot on the Order of Merit and faced the prospect of returning to Tour School. A bogey-free 67 shot him up the leader board on Sunday afternoon and eventually into a play-off with teenage sensation Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy had led the tournament from day one and was looking to close out his first victory on Tour - not bad for a 19-year-old - but on the 72nd hole, his putting touch deserted him. A routine five-foot putt that would have given him the title went astray and a sudden-death play-off ensued.
At the second play-off hole the young Irishman seemed to lose his rhythm and everything became rushed. It started with his tee shot, which found the rough. He took no time at all to hit his approach, but it somehow found the green.
After his first putt rolled up to about 18 inches away, it looked like Lucquin would have a testy 12-foot putt for an unlikely victory, until the unthinkable happened - McIlroy walked up, asked to finish and missed - from 18 inches - possibly the easiest shot in golf.
A complete loss of concentration had just cost him his first title and handed it to the Frenchman. We've all done it - but I doubt we've done it in such circumstances with such a big prize on offer. With the pressure off, Lucquin completed his maiden victory and the French celebrations began.
That missed 18-inch putt of McIlroy's literally changed Lucquin's life - he is now exempt on Tour until the end of 2010, he has rocketed up both the Order of Merit and the World Rankings, and has gained entrance into a number of elite tournaments that previously he would never have played in. What a difference a bit of confidence and security makes to a player - at the time of writing this, Lucquin is up at the top of the leaderboard again, lying in second place in the Champions Tournament in Germany - a tournament that the previous week he wasn't eligible for.
For McIlroy it is back to the drawing board and the memory of that missed putt - for Lucquin the sky is the limit now that the pressure is off. He can relax and enjoy life on tour, for the next two years at least!
PRIZE QUIZ!
YOU could win a complimentary 30-minute golf lesson for one person with a PGA teaching professional from Riffa Views Golf & Leisure by emailing Sue at
s.addison@theroyalgolfclub.com with your answer to this question: Which tournament did Jean-Francois Lucquin win on September 7, 2008?
A draw will be made from all the correct answers on Monday and the winner's name will be announced in this column next week. Normal GulfWeekly contest rules apply.
Last week's winner was Rommel M Dimarucut.
Take care over the short putts, they count as much as a drive
Many tournaments have been won and lost with missed short putts on the final green - forget the dozens of shots that have previously been struck, it is that tiny little putt that sticks in the mind. Most golf fans remember Bernhard Langer in the Ryder Cup at Kiwah Island, Doug Sanders at St Andrews in the Open or Scott Hoch missing from two feet at the Masters to hand Nick Faldo his first green jacket.
These were all extremely high pressure situations but what causes the average player to miss sometimes the shortest of short putts? Is it bad technique, or could it be that we think that these putts are automatic so we just switch off? My money in the majority of cases would be on the latter. Most players develop a routine when they are out on the course - usually this involves taking practice swings, lining up to make sure you are aiming correctly and taking sufficient time to prepare and give the shot your total concentration. So why Oh why don't we follow the same routine over a short putt which counts just the same as a 300- yard drive straight down the middle? What's more, you look a lot more foolish missing a two-foot putt than you do missing the fairway from the tee!
Making short putts are a key component of scoring well in a round of golf. You can't afford to miss the opportunity of these putts. Take your time over them, don't just walk up and try to tap them in. If it doesn't happen on the first one, it is only a matter of time until you miss one.
Consider the following two tips when next you are out on the course to help you make more short putts, knock shots off your score, and prevent that horrible feeling of wanting the ground to swallow you up in front of your playing partners!
1) The putter face is crucial to short putts. Alignment is far more important than pace or break on short putts. You need to square your putter face at address (pics 1 & 2) and keep it square through the stroke. Many players have a problem with keeping the face square through the stroke as their hands become too involved. You need to be sure to keep it square by using your shoulders and upper arms to control the stroke, not your hands (pics 3 & 4).
2) Focus on your routine. Many short putts are missed because golfers allow the thought of missing a short putt to dominate the thoughts inside their head or they don't take their time. Many players then rush the putt, either to 'get it out of the way' or because it is an easy shot and as a result these very easy putts are missed purely through carelessness.
By focusing on your routine, you'll be better able to eliminate these negative thoughts, get settled over the ball and give the putt your full attention.
Remember, every time you strike the ball it counts as one shot - whether it goes 3mm or 300 yards - give every shot its due consideration!
