The Most Interesting Debut in Golf

In case you failed to pay attention, after setting a scoring document for fifty-12 months-olds on the Masters, Miguel Angel Jimenez determined to squeeze in a single greater event before he took a few day without work for marriage and such. (He actually did. He's getting married May third.) He decided to make his debut at the Champions Tour.

I'm afraid most of the opposite gamers wish he hadn't. He has a 3-stroke lead after the primary spherical.

Vartan Kupelian published an thrilling article about the Mechanic's first senior moments on the Champions Tour at PGATOUR.Com. You can click the hyperlink to study it, however I desired to expose you some thing Miguel stated about his recreation. Kupelian wrote that when Miguel has questions about his swing, he typically looks to his brother Juan. However:

When Jimenez does discuss with a swing guru, it?S ?In no way to enter massive matters."

?I don?T allow every body come into massive things,? He said. ?Just best the feeling, the contour (shape) of the ball isn't operating properly, the ball is starting too far proper, then what passed off? Maybe the ball too some distance back, maybe too some distance forward, see the flight of the ball, inform you the whole thing and you need to paintings with that.?

In different phrases, it?S approximately seeing and feeling what he does with the golf swing. It?S not overhauling the engine. It?S approximately satisfactory-tuning it.

Are we seeing a pattern lately among the players who are starting to assert themselves on Tour? Guys like Miguel and Bubba focus more on feel and "small things" rather than trying to overhaul their swings to get them "just right." Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker have been making progress working with Butch Harmon, but the changes seem to focus on tightening things up a bit rather than doing something new. Even Lee Westwood seems to be returning to his old form now that he's gone back to the basic principles he's played by most of his career.

This is about mindset, folks. This is about sticking with what you know works and keeping it in shape, only "fixing" things when there's really something that needs fixing. Don't keep looking for the next new thing, the next silver bullet, the next hot swing key. Focus on fundamentals. Usually when something goes wrong it's something simple, like alignment or posture or, as Miguel mentions in the quote, ball position. Take a tip from Miguel -- he clearly knows what he's doing.

Oh, and don't worry about his wife-to-be getting indignant approximately some more golf. It's super how those winner's checks can clean over the little things!