What’s in the Bag of Carl Pettersson - Winner of the 2008 Wyndham Championship

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Carl Pettersson finally gets his first PGA Tour win this year at the Wyndham Championship!  His 21-under after four rounds has earned him a great paycheck at $918,000.

He was very much in control of the tournament because he was in the lead for 35 of the last 36 holes.  The only hiccup was on the 11th on Sunday when he failed to save par.  He even said "Not getting it up and down on 11 kind of (ticked) me off, I kind of told myself, 'I'm letting the tournament get away from me again. That was where the tournament was won for me.

After that hole, he birdied 3 of the next 4 holes to regain control of the lead.  By the 13th hole, Pettersson got control back when he was leading by 1 shot.  By the 15th, he had a 2-stroke lead.  Then he just cruised to victory.

What's in the Bag of Carl Pettersson

Driver: Nike Sumo2 Tour 10.5
Fairway Woods: Taylormade Burner Fairway Wood
Irons: Nike Pro Combo Tour Irons
Wedges: Nike Forged Wedges
Putter: Odyssey #7 Long Putter

Overlooked and Easy Ways to Lower Your Score

In playing golf with people through the years, I came to the conclusion that there are a couple ways people try to improve their scores.

The first group tries to improve their score by buying new expensive equipment.  They believe that spending money somehow makes them a better golfer.  Conventional wisdom says that this doesn't work but it actually does work in reality because golf technology has improved so much through the years.

Then there is another smarter group of people who realize it's their golf swing that needs to be corrected.  These golfers spend money on lessons, practicing what their coaches tell them.

A third group goes into this further, because they see that it's the short game that counts the most.  Someone once told me that the pros can shoot in the 80s with our golf swing as long as they can keep their short game.  This group of people spends a lot of time around the greens, practicing and practicing.

These three groups of people all want to lower their scores and in some ways, they are all able to.  Some people even do all three, but for those that are looking for easier ways that have immediate impact, check these out.

Glove

Most golfers wear a glove, but the vast majority don't change them frequently enough.  Since the glove is the only connection you have with the golf club, the grip (or the traction that the glove provides) should be very strong.  If the glove is worn out, you will naturally grip harder, making it much harder to make a good swing. 2-4 strokes saved if implemented

Spikes
Some people don't even have golf shoes, and those that do should regularly change them out.  I remember the time when I kept slipping while making a golf swing.  Once I changed my spikes, I was hitting the ball much more solidly.  1-3 strokes saved, more in the rain if implemented

Tees
I love picking up tees, but I've lately started to keep tees to one length for the driver and another for my irons.  In order to be the most accurate off the tee (especially on par 3s), I should keep my tee height the same.  This might sound like a minor change but if consistency is what we are after, this is a no-brainer.  1-2 strokes saved if implemented

Hydration
In the early days of my golfing career, I would play well and then lose the edge towards the end of the round.  After a while of this frustration, I read somewhere that keeping myself hydrated will help me sustain my energy and focus.  This means drinking water, Gatorade or some type of liquids throughout the round.  Nowadays, it wouldn't be uncommon for me to drink 2-3 bottles of water during an 18-hole round.  4-6 strokes saved

Warm up
I still don't spend enough time on warm up but I noticed that sometimes it takes me 1-2 holes just to get relaxed and able to swing freely.  This is all due to not having enough warm up.  Warming up also helps relaxes your mind and enables you to make adjustments to compensate for the way balls are flying.

More importantly, warming up reduces injuries!  1-3 strokes saved

Eat Light
Most people say that eating light helps you stay fit but I noticed that it's harder for me to focus if I eat a heavy meal before or during the round.  It's really the same phenomenon when you feel sleepy after a heavy lunch.  If I cannot focus, it's very hard for me to shoot a low score!  3-5 strokes saved

These are one of the easiest yet overlooked ways to save a ton of strokes!  Next time, try to work all these into your routine and see your scores go way down!

Padraig Harrington Wins The PGA Championship 2008

There was definitely lots of drama at the end of PGA Championship 2008 where Padraig won with a score of 3-under par.  The day started where players were playing two rounds, thanks to a weather delay on Saturday.  Obviously, it helped Padraig because he shot 2 sounds of 66 today to win by one stroke.

It wasn't until the last hole when Padraig holed his third important putt in a row that he sealed the victory.  On the 16th hole after Sergio hit his approach into the water, Padraig Harrington took too much club and pulled his shot to the left bunker.  Then, he flew it too far but drained a 12-foot right to left bender to the center of the cup.

On the 17th hole, he shot a good iron shot to 15 feet on the 238 yard par 3.  Sergio, tied with him then at 2-under par, made an even better iron shot to 4 feet.  When they got to the green, Padraig made the longer putt to go to 3-under but Sergio again missed an important putt on the 17th, staying at 2-under.

With Padraig leading by one on the 18th, he made it interesting when he sliced his tee shot into the bunker on the right.  Sergio didn't do much better when he too sliced one close to Padraig's ball in the rough.

Padraig then did something uncharacteristic, he chunked one and the ball landed 20 yards in front in deep rough.  Meanwhile, Sergio hit his ball onto the greenside bunker.

Then like a champion, Padraig hit his next shot close to give himself a chance for par.  Sergio hit the greenside bunker shot close, so if Padraig misses, he still has a chance to tie for the playoff.

Padraig however drains that putt for a 3rd one-putt in a row to secure his victory.

What's In the Bag - Padraig Harrington
Driver: Adams Insight 9015D prototype (9.5º)
Fairway Wood: Titleist 906F2
Hybrids: Adams Idea Pro (18 and 20º)
Irons (4-PW): Cleveland CG Red
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design (52º) and Spin Milled TVD (58º)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport Fastback
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Footwear: FootJoy DryJoys

Weather Delay at PGA Championship 2008

One way to keep your score at the PGA Championship this year will be because no one is able to play!  In the third round of the major championship this year, there is a weather delay which prevents the players from playing golf.

Usually in a weather delay, it's good for players playing bad because it gives them a rest to think about what they were doing wrong but on the other hand, it kills the momentum for others playing better.

Also with delays, it just means that many players will have to play more than 18 holes tomorrow.  This helps golfers who are in better shape because playing 36 holes in the same day on a major championship is no easy feat!

If in any case that there is play on Monday, I will be sure to find a way to watch the tournament online for those working!