Monday, May 09, 2005

More than Just a Pretty Swing!

Vijay Singh won again yesterday in a playoff against Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk. He's not my favorite Tour player, but I certainly respect his game.

Someone I know insists that the player with the best technical swing will win because his swing won't fail him. I think that it is an inane comment. First of all, having a technically-correct golf swing discounts the fact that playing well in this game also means having a good short game.

In addition, saying someone has a good swing and, therefore, will likely win the tournament is like saying the candidate who was selected for the job got the position he was the best looking. It discounts one's experience, confidence-level, intimidation-factor, and a host of other factors.

I think it's possible to have the most technically correct swing and not win in pressure situations. Perhaps the player gets the yips or tenses up, and he isn't able to come through with the proper swing. According to the CBS commentator, Vijay has a hundred books on the mental side of the game. It's no surprise given how he handles the pressure in each tournament.

Besides, would I mind having an unconventional swing, like Jim Furyk? It can't be too bad. He's in the top one-half of one percent of all golfers in the world and has won twenty million on the Tour.

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