August 17th, 2010 | 
Author: 
The 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits
The Deserving Champion
Here are a few of my thoughts after witnessing the PGA Championship:
- Martin Kaymer played like a champion and he thoroughly deserved the title. Don’t forget the up and down on the 72nd hole he had, not to mention the stunning two he made at 17 in the playoff. I love to see talented, hard working youngsters breaking through. Well done Martin, Louis and Graeme!
- You would think the PGA of America could have one of their 28,000 members to follow the final group so as to avoid what happened on the 72nd hole. I do not blame anybody for the incident and it is certainly Dustin Johnson’s responsibility to know where he is playing from, but let’s have a little foresight here….
See the bunker....?
- Whistling Straits has more bunkers than all the courses in Africa (not a true statement, but it just might!) and it needs to get pushed off the edge of Wisconsin and into the lake! In fact while they’re at it they can push another future PGA site, The Ocean Course at Kiawah into the ocean too. The last time I checked golf was meant to be fun and you couldn’t pay me enough to play those two courses in particular. They are both horrible!
- How about this picture posted at PGA.com of some kids building sand castles in a bunker! How many majors will this ever happen at? I guess that’s what happens when you have 1000 too many bunkers.
Bunker Play.....
- Poor Nick Watney – what started as such a promising day turned into a demoralizing experience. I hope he can come back from this.
- Dustin Johnson is a tough kid and I believe his 72nd hole nightmare will only steel his attitude towards greater heights. I firmly believe he will come back better than ever from this.
- I like the way Bubba played the playoff, but he simply must opt to miss long on the final hole versus a shot that has the potential to be short – especially since Kaymer had a poor lie in the rough.
- For all the focus on Tiger I don’t believe he seems to be swinging any better YET. Every time I saw him on day 4 he finished with his right shoulder high from the clubhead being trapped behind him and seemed as wild as ever. I do think his change to Sean Foley is an excellent choice and he will get better under his guidance. And no Sean Foley is not a Stack and Tilter, just an instructor who understands that all swings are unique unto the individual and everything in the swing should be directed around impact.
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A little insider info is that Tiger called up Foley right after he and Hank parted ways and asked Foley to drop all his other students (notably Mahan and O’Hair) and start teaching only him. Foley said, “Thanks, but no thanks!”
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I’m sure it’s just me, but the PGA Championship is really starting to feel like the fifth major – and there are only four! It just does not appeal to me in the unique manner each of the other three majors do. Anybody up for starting a petition for only three majors?
Posted in Commentary, Golf Travel | 
Tags: bubba, drop other students, dustin johnson, impact, majors, martin kaymer, nick watney, Ocean Course at Kiawah, PGA, pga of america, sean foley, stack and tilt, tiger, whistling straits
Andrew;
As usual, you are right on about the PGA and the fifth major. I was commenting to one of my friends when it was being played about how I have always felt that but that the sentiment was becoming even more pronounced. I would not even consider missing watching the Masters, British, or US Open but I didn’t even plan to watch the PGA.
One thing worth mentioning, though, is that the PGA website coverage for the event was absolutely head and shoulders above all others. The Masters and USGA can certainly learn many lessons from how the PGA was covered.
Marc.
Hey Andrew,
In a perfect world and Tiger called you up what would you work on first? I agree with Marc, I didn’t watch the final round until the playoff. I feel the PGA should go back to its original format of 36 holes of medal play and then match play. Andrew I would love your thoughts on these 2 subjects.
Thanks, Wayne
Hi Wayne,
I hope all is is well in SAV. If I had an opportunity to teach Tiger I would get his shoulders steeper, have him stay taller through impact (he currently drops in order to lower the club in the DS due to flat shoulders), and finish more around vs. that horrible high finish. Keep in mind that anybody could teach Tiger and he’d do well!
The PGA would do well to go with a four course rotation (2 east, 1 central and 1 west) to build up some tradition and go with the top 32 after a 36 hole medal play qualifying and then finish off with 36 hole matchplay matches. Different does not have to be bad! Ity might even be good.
See you in about a month.
Andrew
Hey Andrew,
You said that Sean isn’t a stack and tilter, yet he gets a whole bunch of his information from Mike and Andy. Essentially everything he’s shown Tiger to this point is straight out of the Stack and Tilt for beginners book, isn’t it? For example, this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPeq_sp9XyI
Hi Deron,
Great question. Firstly, if SF was a stack and tilter don’t you think he would have aligned with Mike and Andy after all his time spent with them? Don’t you think O’Hair and Mahan would get their arms more in during the backswing (like Wi)?
I love SnT and I think the vast majority of what they talk about is excellent, but it is very stylised and they do try to get most golfers to swing in the same fashion. I DO NOT know, but it appears to me as if SF is aware of this and allows for some individuality in the swing. Just like Palmer differed from Nicklaus, who differed from Trevino, who differed from Hogan.
Also, if TW wanted SnT would he not have gone to Mike and Andy?
Love the question mate – very good!
Andrew
Enjoyed the vid, but TW didn’t seem to be paying too much attention. Maybe he should!
Andrew,
Yeah, I thought that was funny in the video too. Sean is demonstrating something and Tiger is looking off in the other direction.
True, if Tiger wanted to go S&T he would have just went to Mike and Andy, but maybe the reason he chose Sean is because he’s spent more time with him? Obviously I don’t know these guys and am only speculating, but Foley lives close to Tiger, doesn’t he? Sean Ohair and Tiger are also good friends and play a lot of practice rounds together according to the Golf Channel, so maybe Tiger started a relationship with Foley that way and just got to know him?
I like what Stack and Tilt teaches as well, but the one thing I don’t like is the abbreviated follow through. It just seems/feels odd to me. I think Ohair is definitely closer to Stack and Tilt than Mahan is. I haven’t seen Foly’s other student’s swings in a while. Here’s a video of Ohair looking very much stack and tiltish without the abbreviated follow through and without the right knee straightening a lot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phEWUVJE3CA
Thanks for the discussion, Andrew.