Browsing: drive

Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you become a smarter, better golfer.

If you’re anything like me, you’d much prefer a right-to-left putt to one that breaks in the opposite direction. I feel abundantly more confident when I’ve got a putt that hooks rather than cuts.

When recreational players step up to these left-to-righters (assuming the golfer is right-handed), there’s a good chance you can predict how they’re going to miss the putt, and that’s low and past the hole. According to instructor Kelan McDonagh, this low and long miss is the most common among the students he teaches.

“In general,” McDonagh says. “We under-read putts and overhit them.”

This miss pattern will not only ensure you don’t make many left-to-righters, but will also lead to tons of three-putts. When the ball gets below the break line (i.e., starts missing on the low side of the cup), the ball will continue getting further and further away from the hole.

Ideally, you want the ball to be getting closer to the hole as it loses speed. And the best way to do this is by keeping the ball on the high side of the cup for as long as possible.

“Generally, what we’re trying to do with the recreational golfer is get them to see more break,” McDonagh says, “because as the ball slows down, gravity is going to take it in the direction of the slope.”

Armed with this information, you can make two key adjustments to become more successful when facing left-to-right putts.

1. Play more break than you initially may think. And 2. Don’t hit the putt quite so hard.

When you do this, you’ll keep the ball above the fall line longer, which means that as the ball loses speed, it will get closer and closer to the hole. Do that and you’ll three-putt less often and maybe even make a few from distance.

Perfect Putting Mat™ – Standard Edition

Trusted & Used by Over 100+ PGA Tour Pros!

View Product

Kevin Durant was enjoying what he was seeing out of Baker Mayfield during Sunday’s matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers.

“Aye Baker, you f–kin HOOPIN,” the Houston Rockets superstar posted on social media.

It’s unclear if Durant was impressed with a moment in particular, but Mayfield certainly provided a few options:

The fiery Mayfield has become one of the best watches in the NFL as his career resurgence continues in Tampa Bay. He threw for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023 and followed that up with a career year (4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns) last season, leading the Bucs to the playoffs in each campaign.

Through the first five games this season he threw for 1,283 yards, 10 touchdowns and just one interception, with the Bucs going 4-1. But while the results speak for themselves, Mayfield’s passion and ability to turn seeming disasters into big plays have added major entertainment value to the mix.

Oh, and he’s doing all of this without ever having his top wide receiver trio of Emeka Egbuka, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin healthy at the same time.

But Mayfield just keeps finding a way. It’s always a good sign when players from other sports are showing you love. Week after week, highlight after highlight, Mayfield has everybody enjoying the show.

Source link

There is no question that PGA Tour veteran Stephan Jaeger is an elite golfer. But in one moment on Thursday at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Jaeger looked more like your 20-handicap friend at a local muni.

That’s thanks to a mishit with his driver during Round 1 so bad that the TV broadcast called it “shocking.”

Stephan Jaeger hits 104-yard top at Sanderson Farms Championship

When he arrived at the par-4 17th hole in Thursday’s opening round, Jaeger had a sparkling bogey-free scorecard and a four-under score to show for it. The early lead at the Sanderson Farms Championship was in sight.

But then something happened that’s familiar to all recreational golfers but is wholly unfamiliar to Tour pros, especially Tour winners.

Star amateur hit with rare penalty at PGA Tour event

By:

Kevin Cunningham

Jaeger lined up his tee shot, drew back his driver and unleashed his swing. But instead of making clean contact, the bottom of his driver smacked the top of the ball.

As the video review shows, Jaeger’s ball first hit the ground just after impact, then sailed forward just above the grass, eventually coming to rest 104 yards from the tee box.

It also appeared to come up short of at least one set of member tees at the Country Club of Jackson.

Check it out below.

Just after impact, either Jaeger, his playing partner or caddie can be heard saying, “You ever seen anything like that?”

“He’s topped it,” one TV analyst remarked. “Completely topped it.”

“He’s swinging this club at around 120 mph and just catches the top of that ball … shocking,” his partner in the booth replied.

Jaeger rockets up the leaderboard after embarrassing miss

Unfortunately for Jaeger, the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open winner, his top led to a bogey at 17, dropping his final score for the opening round to three under.

Still, that left him just four shots off the lead heading into Round 2, with one eye on his second-career victory. And in Friday’s round, Jaeger showed zero signs that the top had impacted him negatively.

Starting on the back nine, he made three birdies over his first five holes. At the site of his embarrassing shot from Thursday, the par-4 17th, he laced a 297-yard drive to the right fairway, ending with a par.

He sat three shots off the lead with several holes left to play in his second round.

The Yankees didn't allow frustrations from Wednesday's meltdown to fester, as they outlasted the rival Astros, 8-4, on a chaotic…