Wow! What an experience. Larry had a chance to break 100 at Bethpage and almost pulled it off. It was a day of many ups and downs and we struggled to stay calm. Regardless of the results, it was fun to be a part of it.
Larry fired a 101. We were so close. After a shaky start, he got on a roll and played holes 9 thru 14 very well. He was playing some solid golf and the crowd started cheering him on. A disastrous 10 on the tough 16th derailed him.
Lack of tournament experience is the only thing that kept him from successfully completing his mission. He was very nervous. He missed some shots just like the celebrities, but he made some great ones too. Larry has the game to not only break 100, but also break 90 at Bethpage.
Jordan, Roethlisberger and Timberlake all had great days. They fed off each other. It was clear to see that their playing experience in golf tournaments and their athletic accomplishments contributed to their success. Jordan got off to a terrible start. It was like watching him miss his first 10 shots in a championship basketball game. He had that look on his face that we have all seen before when he was challenged. He came back and got it done! Jordan has a great touch on the greens. Roethlisberger surprised me. He played the game of his life and shot an 81. He has a lot of moving parts in his swing but manages to find a good impact (Jim Hardy’s definition of a cat). Justin Timberlake played in last year’s inaugural Golf Digest Challenge and shot a 98. After a year of knowing what to expect and working with Butch Harmon, he fired an 88 this year. I was also told he played 4 previous rounds at Bethpage.
Larry and I were allowed 1 practice round. Now that he has been through the experience, I think we could go out tomorrow under the same conditions and have no problem breaking 100. We might scare 90. His game is fairly solid. He hits a lot of quality shots. The celebrities were impressed with his game in the practice round (Larry shot 95) and also on competition day. It’s just hard to prepare a recreational, non-tournament golfer for 5000 spectators and a competition at Bethpage Black for a national TV audience. I kept trying to keep him focused on one shot at a time, but that is easier said than done. He is disappointed in himself but he really shouldn’t be. It’s important to remember the positives. I will always remember the middle of that round. I hope he does too.
In looking at the forum comments, I saw that one of the members thought that Larry wouldn’t break 120 based on the video of his swing. I thought that was a little humorous. While I appreciate the importance of mechanics, I don’t know how one can reliably predict what Larry would shoot looking at a video on the Internet – especially one that doesn’t even show ball flight. There are a lot of factors that go into scoring on the course. I said I was impressed with his swing in my first post and I am still impressed with his swing. I knew from the start that it was his short game that was going to make the biggest difference. We’ve yet to even work on his swing and I’m pretty sure I could make him a scratch player never going down that road. I have some videos of some great looking swings that cannot break 120, and I have videos of unattractive swings that can shoot under par. A correct, repetitive impact is what impresses me. I hope that is what you all are concerned about achieving, no matter what it looks like.
I want to send a special thanks to Kipp Bates and the staff at The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa for allowing Larry to play and practice. We have fantastic facilities that can accommodate any golfer trying to improve their game. Also, thanks to Nancy Dickens, our golf course superintendent. She does a fabulous job and had our short game area prepared exactly for what we were going to encounter at Bethpage.
This deal with Larry is one of the coolest things I have ever done in my years of teaching golf. Larry and I will be friends for life.
Mike
A side note: Congrats to Bryce Molder for a 2nd place tie in Memphis. I look for more great things from him.