Golf

Palmer, Skinns, Munoz Tied Atop Leaderboard in AT&T Byron Nelson

Published

10 months ago

May 14, 2022

darragh

Ryan Palmer hasn’t won an individual event on the PGA Tour since the 2010 Sony Open in Hawaii, but he’s put himself in position for a return to the winner’s circle.

The 45-year-old Palmer (pictured) posted a bogey-free, 10-under-par 62 and is tied for the lead with David Skinns of England and Sebastian Munoz of Colombia midway through the AT&T Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.

Palmer lost in a playoff to Keegan Bradley in the 2011 AT&T Byron Nelson.

“Today it was just coming out knowing you’ve got to shoot low on this golf course,” said local favorite Palmer, who teamed with Jon Rahm to win the 2019 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. “The things I’m working on, (caddy) Randy Smith and I have been working on, it’s just staying in the moment, hitting the shots I need to and I feel like it’s some of the best putting I’ve been doing lately and it showed today.

“It’s a little added pressure when I play in Texas, especially this week and with Charles Schwab (in Fort Worth) coming up in two weeks. So it’s a lot of pressure on myself but I love it.”

Palmer, who grew up in Amarillo, Texas, and played college golf at North Texas State and Texas A&M, started at No. 10 and collected six birdies on the back nine including four in a row through No. 15, and added four more birdies on the front nine capped by a six-foot putt at No. 9.

Skinns, 40, a PGA Tour rookie who won seven times on the NGA Hooters Tour and twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, made six birdies on the front nine and four coming home, making his only bogey on the sixth hole in a 62.

“It has been a bit of a struggle,” said Skinns, who worked as a delivery driver when golf shut down due to the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020. “I came off a really nice run on the Korn Ferry Tour to finish and I felt good going into the PGA Tour season. I played nicely in (Safeway Open to start this season) the first two days and then didn’t play well on the weekend.

“But then when you find yourself not getting in every tournament and you start to slip behind a little in the points, it’s tough to see yourself continue to fall down the list. You’ve eventually got to figure out a different game to play, you can’t keep looking at that, otherwise it will demoralize you a little bit. You just got to get back to the reason that you’re here and I think I’ve done that decently the last six weeks or so, even though the results haven’t quite shown it.

“I’m just excited to be in a position this weekend where I can make a step forward hopefully.”

Munoz, the first-round leader with a brilliant 12-under 60, started at No. 12 and made two bogeys on the back nine, rallied with four of his five birdies on the front nine to salvage a 69.

Said Munoz, whose only PGA Tour victory came in the 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship: “Today was more like regular golf and I didn’t get some of the good breaks I got yesterday. I got off to a slow start, but was able to turn things around and I’m happy to finish at 69. I made some nice putts and hope to keep that going on the weekend.”

Justin Lower birdied four of the last seven holes for a 66 and is one stroke back in solo fourth, followed by Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, the 2011 Masters champion, who holed a 70-foot bunker shot for an eagle at No. 14, added six birdies in a 65 and is one more down in fifth.

Ninth-ranked Jordan Spieth made five of his eight birdies on the back nine in a 65 and is three behind in a tie for sixth with defending champion K.H. Lee of South Korea, who birdied his last two holes for a 68, and Joaquin Niemann of Chile, who started at No. 10 and birdied four of the first five holes before closing with his seventh birdie in a bogey-free 65.

Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, recorded a bogey-free 66 and is four strokes back in a tie for ninth with Beau Hossler of Rancho Santa Margarita, who holed a 20-foot eagle putt at No. 18 in a bogey-free 64, Jason Kokrak, who birdied the last hole for a 65, Seamus Power of Ireland, who birdied four of the last five holes to cap a 67, and Mito Pereira of Chile, who had a bogey-free 69.

Eighth-ranked Justin Thomas is tied for 15th after a 66, top-ranked Scottie Scheffler finished at 68 and is tied for 20th, and 10th-ranked Sam Burns finished at 73-67—140 to miss the cut by one stroke in a tie for 84th.

For complete results, visit https://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html

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Golf

Three Ways to Get Ready for the New Golf Season

Published

10 hours ago

March 22, 2023

darragh

If you live in the North or have put your clubs away for the winter, it may be time to start thinking about the golf season. In this short video, I recommend focusing on your grip and posture and practicing half-swings with your pitching wedge to get your new golf season off to a great start and prevent bad swing habits from forming.

1. Your Grip

There are two major components to focus on with your grip: placement and pressure.

Placement refers to how your hands look when they are on the club. It matters how much they are turned from left to right and whether both hands match or face each other.

Here are three key checks for you to make sure you have a proper grip to start the season (for right-handed golfers):

The line between your thumb and index finger of your left hand is pointed toward your right shoulder.
You can see two knuckles on the back of your left hand at address.
The line between your thumb and index finger is parallel with the same line of the left hand.

Pressure: Most golfers in general squeeze the club too hard. Golf is different from other sports like tennis in that we hold the club in the fingers. It is much easier to squeeze the club too hard when the club is in your palm. Hold it in your fingers and lighten your grip pressure.

2. Your Posture

Winter inactivity leads to a poor golf posture. Follow these steps to get back in form:

Bow: Keep your back straight and tilt from your hips as if you are bowing.

Balls of feet: Make sure your center of gravity is on the balls of your feet. Not your heels where you can tap your toes.

3. Practice Pitching Wedge Swings

Grab your wedge and take some small swings to get loosened up and your rhythm going. Think half and hold.

Half of a swing: Swing until your arms are parallel to the ground on your backswing and parallel to the ground on the follow through.

Hold: Hold your finish. This a great habit to start but also important for you to find and keep your balance.

By working on a few key parts of your set-up and swing, you wil increase your chances of starting the season with good fundamentals and prevent bad habits from forming.

You can do this!

Kathy

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Golf

Upper and Lower Body Separation Drill

Published

2 days ago

March 21, 2023

darragh

Do you struggle with separating your upper and lower body and creating torque for power in your swing? Alison Curdt show how poor sequencing disrupts your swing plane with a great drill to stop pulls and sliced shots.

The post Upper and Lower Body Separation Drill appeared first on Women's Golf.

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Golf

Half Swings First for Better Control

Published

3 days ago

March 20, 2023

darragh

Here’s a great tip from LPGA Instructor Kellie Edelblut. If you’re struggling to make good contact with your full swing… stop making full swings! Back down to half swing length and control the impact position. Once good contact is achieved you can add length to your swing.

The post Half Swings First for Better Control appeared first on Women's Golf.

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