What a great golf course this Colonial Country Club. Even all the rain could not bring the Crowne Plaza Invitational down this week. Scores were getting lower and lower as the rain ended and the fairways and greens continued to get softer.
I am such a BIG Ben Hogan fan and when I hear Colonial I think HOGAN. Period! As I watched these great players grind and grind to try and win this event I totally enjoyed the play of three very different personalities in Bernhard Langer, Jim Furyk and Rory Sabbatini.
Lets start with Rory Sabbatini. He has been making quite a stir with his comments of late, so seeing him up at the top, and watching him battle with such seasoned veterans in Langer and Furyk was a total treat. As a golf instructor, and a Hogan Swing NUT, I know Mr. Hogan would be rolling over in his grave watching Sabbatini's swing mechanics, BUT, he played like a man on a mission and had that "look", no fear at all. He definatly was there to WIN!
Jim Furyk is the constant grinder, and will never ever quit. It was quite obvious that he was having some difficulty with his swing, but not for a second did I think he was going fade from the lead and as we all know, he found a way to make it into the playoff.
Benhard Langer is as cool as any golfer could be on the golf course. Unfortunately, because he doesn't play our TOUR that much we don't get to see him play a lot and when he does play over here, he is always on the top of the leader board. He reminds me so much of Hogan. It's all business as he moves around the golf course. Nothing is left to chance. He has the knowledge and experience to play great golf and the swing to back it up.
When teaching, I will go to Langer's Down-The-Line Swing with most students when explaining rotation, hinge and swing plane. The next time you have a chance to see Langer's iron swing (down the line) watch and see how On-Plane the shaft really is. This explains why he has been such a GREAT IRON PLAYER for so long. It is truly a swing that can hold up for a lifetime.
Although Langer lost in the playoff Mr. Hogan would have been proud of his play, but I am positive that Hogan would have given him the hawk eyes if he saw the putter he played with. I love the long putter. I have been using a long putter for over 15 years and quite frankly, I would use a doorknob if it would help me to make more putts. I remember a quote by my friend Bob Toski that showed up in one of the golf publications a few years ago. He said something like this, "somewhere, right now, there is a junior golfer putting with a long putter who will become the greatest putter the world has ever seen." I believe that day will come very soon.
So what won the tournament this week? I believe it was Sabbatini's determination and a very hot putter. He never looked like he was going to back off on the final day and he stayed aggressive all the way into the playoff. Great job Rory.
One final thought. When I was a kid, working hard on my game to play tournament golf, one of my instructors, Jerry Pisano told me to let my clubs do the talking. As we all know, Sabbatini has been vocal about Tiger and getting a fire going on the PGA Tour for the guys to step up and meet the challenge. Well, he has just won this tournament and just a few weeks after the uproar, so my hat is off to him for his great play. But remember, there was one PREDATOR who was not in the field this week. I wonder how it may have ended if he played.
Lou Guzzi is a PGA Professional with the Lou Guzzi Golf Academy in Philadephia, Penn. Guzzi was 2003 Philadelphia Section PGA Teacher of the Year. He has consistently been cited by several media outlets as one of Pennsylvania's top golf instructors, as well as lauded as a top national instructor. He has written golf instruction articles for PGA Magazine, Golf Range Magazine, and Philadelphia Golfer Magazine. He has also appeared on several television shows to advise on golf instruction.
