It may seem a bit cliched, but the adage is so true -- experience matters. Knowing how to win, believing you can win, often makes all the difference. I was all set to write about a completely different lesson, when this week's FBR Open took a dramatic turn. That's golf. But it brought to mind one of the most important lessons about competitive golf. Aaron Baddeley's win proved once again proved that knowing how to compose oneself under the pressure of winning is the greatest asset a person can have in any golf tournament. And by persistent use of fundamentals, you can make up a lot of ground in golf in a short period of time. Stick to your game-plan, and execute. That's how you win.
The Colts didn't change when they gave up a game opening kickoff return for a touchdown. They are now Super Bowl Champions. Aaron Baddeley didn't play to protect second place when he was three down with four to play. He's now the FBR Open Champion. Don't panic, just do what you do best. Trust me, it works.
The setting was dramatic and ideal: Two young desert locals battling it out it on the back nine of the TPC Scottsdale. Hometown hero and 2006 Nationwide Tour graduate Jeff Quinney faced off against another Scottsdale resident, Aaron Baddeley. It might be a bit of a stretch to call Baddley a tour veteran at the age of twenty-four, but after winning last year at Harbour Town, he certainly knows what it takes to win on Sundays. Not to say Quinney doesn't know what it takes to win, but Aaron Baddeley certainly did, and it showed.
Jeff Quinney, the 2000 US Amateur Champion, took his one-plane swing to the top of the leaderboard for almost the entire week, only to watch things suddenly slip away on the last four holes of the TPC Scottsdale. He had led since the end of round two and seemed destined to win until Baddeley's poise and relentless clutch putts appeared to cause him to press just a little bit. People will want to jump on Quinney for losing this tournament. Don't forget, Baddeley birdied three of his final four holes to take the title. That is clutch and that is experience at work.
Consider how Baddeley finished this tournament. A nice five-footer on no. 15 drew him to within two shots of leader Quinney. On golf's ultimate party hole, Baddeley sunk a monster 25-footer. The significance of that putt might not be as exciting as Tiger Wood's ace here in 1997, and certainly the crowd reacion wasn't quite as wild, but Baddeley's putt helped him win the tournament. Who won in 1997? Answer: It wasn't Woods. As Baddeley's putt found the bottom of the cup, you could almost sense the pressure fall squarely upon Quinney's shoulders. Even though Quinney still had a one stroke lead with two holes to play, the tide had already turned. After an indifferent Baddley drive out to the right on no. 17, Quinney's drive found the water left and the tournament was all but over. Constant pressure by doing what he did best -- making birides by sinking clutch putts -- was the difference. And that all comes back to experience. A proven Tour winner realizes a big moment like the putt on no. 16 and seizes it.
And the lesson can also be found within the putt itself. Many amateurs find a left to right putt under pressure to be the hardest putt to make, but all too often this is due to the fact that they do not square their shoulders up to a line left of the hole and end up swinging across their body. The result is often short right or a putt that is badly pulled. We could all take a page out of Baddeley's book as he surveyed the putt, chose his line, aligned correctly to his intended line, and stroked the putt square to his target line, not at the hole.
Everyone, even the most seasoned pros, feels pressure. But the great players draw on their experience to find the best ways to deal with that pressure. Aaron Baddeley did just that, and is now the 2007 FBR Open Champion.
Greg Enholm is the PGA Head Golf Professional of The Resort at Red Hawk in Sparks, Nevada. He teaches a wide varied of skill levels from beginning golfers to the most accomplished players. He has been very active with the PGA of America and his local PGA Section, taking part in the Play Golf America campaign and as a member of the PGA Presidential Council. He has played in one PGA Tour event and was a four year letterman on New Mexico State University's men's golf team as well as First Team All-Conference member. Greg can be contacted via e-mail at genholm@resortatredhawk.com or through the resort's website www.resortatredhawk.com
