Among golfers the putter is usually known as the payoff club and how right that is! Putting is in fact a game in itself.
Ninety percent of putts that are short, don't go in.
The hardest thing in golf is trying to two-putt when you have to, because your brain isn't wired that way. You're accustomed to trying to make putts, and when you change that mind-set, your brain short-circuits, especially under pressure.
But, if you miss (the supposedly easy pin) by just a little bit, you're looking at the next putt from 30 feet. The ball just rolls away.
I didn't hit the ball like I was 46. But I putted like I was 66.
I'd say 230 yards off the tee is my average. Short game is a strength. I don't three-putt often. Actually, I'd say my mental game is probably the best. I'm very good at staying positive and focused on my game.
In golf, driving is a game of free-swinging muscle control, while putting is something like performing eye surgery and using a bread knife for a scalpel.
You have to be sharp with all aspects of your game at Augusta. You need to put yourself in the best spot off the tee and hit the longest drive you can, but I think this is really a second-shot course. If you leave yourself with an awkward putt on the greens, it can be very tricky here.
When I'm on with my putting, I'm as good a putter as there is, probably.
Short putts are missed because it is not physically possible to make the little ball travel over uncertain ground for three or four feet with any degree of regularity.
Placing the ball in the right position for the next shot is eighty percent of winning golf.
I would agree to some extent that on the Champions Tour that there is a greater premium on putting than the regular tour because of the course setups.
The only reason why I don't win is because of a bad decision, misjudged the wind, misjudged the read on the greens and wet conditions. Those are the three or four things that will cause me not to win. That's it.
Everybody asks if putting is like shooting free throws. It has a very similar kind of mindset. And it's just you, the ball, and the target.
Look at the putt from behind the hole. Everyday players almost never do this. They should! Your eyes will take in more information about the slope. Sometimes you'll find that your initial read was incorrect.
I don't putt face-on exclusively, but in the back on my mind I'm haunted by the notion that I'm sure it's the best way to putt.
My only focus after I start the putter away from the ball is keeping the back of my left wrist as fat as possible from start to finish. This is critical to keeping the putterhead and ball moving straight down the target line after impact. It's also how Rory Mcllroy squares his putterface, and obviously it works for him.
For the average player, most three-putts happen because of a poorly judged first putt from long range.
