I bet you didn't see that coming...
I'll be honest, I didn't think it was the most exciting 3-and-a-half days at Augusta. The course set-up and weather made for tough scoring but then over the final nine holes everything changed. Danny Willett now owns a Green Jacket and is the Masters champion.
On Sunday evening, I, like most people, was about to go to bed after Jordan made four birdies in a row to finish his front nine five shots clear. I'd tidied up the living room, loaded the dishwasher, let the dog out and was just about to turn the TV off when Jordan made his second bogey on the 11th. Then it got really interesting. Danny Willett hit some incredible shots under pressure: the tee shot on 16 after just finding out he was leading the Masters, as well as the chip shot on 17.
Danny had the latest Callaway XR 16 driver and fairway woods in his bag, which incidentally we happen to have the range in stock including demos for you to try on the golf course - learn more about these products here.
Whilst I'd struggled to watch Jordan Spieth whingeing and whining for the first three days - and don't get me started on his pace of play - I thought he handled himself incredibly well after his round. Now I had planned to write something about Jordan winning the Masters coinciding with our new Under Armour clothing we have in store, but I'm not sure that's going to work now.
How about this instead……
You can wear the shirt Jordan wore on Masters Sunday, but luckily we don't have any water on our 12th hole for you to find. I was chatting to Jo on Monday morning about the golf and we were trying to remember some other back nine dramas at Augusta. As the saying goes, the tournament doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday. I then made a statement that I would live to regret:
Rob - 'One of the best back nine comebacks I remember at the Masters was in 86 when Jack Nicklaus won'
Jo - 'Really? I wasn't even born then!'
Rob - 'That makes me feel sooooo old!'
The good, the bad and the ugly
The greens at Augusta are always a great test of a player's putting ability and this year was no exception. Starting with the good, Jordan Spieth's putting was great all week. Jordan hit his fair share of wayward shots off the tee but time after time his putting saved him. His tee shot on the 4th in the final round was a great example: his ball clattered into the bushes right of the green and was lucky not to go out of bounds. He hit a decent pitch, which left him a fairly lengthy putt for par that he made look easy.
The field averaged 30.42 putts per round for the week, Jordan Spieth averaged 28.08, which equates to just over 1.5 putts per green. Spieth's performance again shows that good putting can create a good score even if you haven't got your A-game off the tee.
On the other hand, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood both averaged 30.78 putts per round, above the field average. Rory holed some nice putts, but missed far more of the shorter par saves that Spieth was holing. Westwood looked like he could be in contention with a great eagle on the 15th on Sunday, but a mishit tee shot on 16 and the three-putt that followed effectively ended his chances.
And the ugly….
We've all seen Ernie Els's six putt from three feet on the 1st hole on Thursday. It's uncomfortable viewing but here's what to do if you suffer an Ernie Els-style putting meltdown:
Don't rush - If you miss a short putt the temptation is to try and get the ball in the hole as quickly as possible
Mark your ball and start again - Mark your ball, take a couple of deep breaths to clear your mind and start your whole routine again
Check your line from behind the hole - This will give you more confidence in your line when you are stood over your putt
Decide, commit, swing - This is a great way of thinking about most shots but especially putting, once you have chosen your line commit to it. Standing over the ball with indecision only leads to tension that will most likely result in a bad stroke
Need some help with your putting?
If you feel that your putting is letting you down, this month I have a coaching package specifically about improving your putting. The package consists of:
1 x 30-minute initial assessment
3 x 45-minute putting sessions
The package is available for £120 throughout April
For more information please contact Jo via assistant.professional@tyrrellswoodgolfclub.com.
Masters Sweepstake
I'm sure Pam Tuke was celebrating Danny Willett's success as she picked him out of our Pro Shop Masters Sweepstake. As you can see from below, Pam did rather well with her picks:
1st - Danny Willett - Pam Tuke - £50
T2nd - Lee Westwood - Alan Jagger - £27.50
T2nd - Jordan Spieth - Mark Barron - £27.50
T4th - Paul Casey - Chris Harland - £8.33
T4th - JB Holmes - Damian Connolly - £8.33
T4th - Dustin Johnson - Steve Desmond - £8.33
Leading Amateur - Bryson DeChambeau - Tim Lane - £10
Leading Senior - Bernhard Langer - Pam Tuke - £10
Leading Brit - Danny Willett - Pam Tuke - £10 …… AGAIN
All winnings have been paid onto your Pro Shop accounts. Many thanks to all who took part, we'll be running another sweepstake for the US Open in June.
Ladies Fashion Range arrives on Tuesday
This Tuesday is an exciting day for us in the Pro Shop as our new range of ladies clothing is launched. Many of you will have heard of the Swing Out Sister company, what you may not know is they have now designed their very own fashion range which we will launch on Tuesday. Jo has already placed her order. Lucy Dickman, the owner of the company, will be with us on Tuesday to showcase the entire range. We'll also be giving away some lovely breakfast pastries to tempt you into the shop. I look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday morning.
Putt for dough
Don't miss the chance to trial (for FREE) the very latest Odyssey putters - ends this Sunday. You can even try the same model that Danny Willett used so well at Augusta.
Jo and I will be on hand on Saturday to custom fit these putters, we can't promise any Green Jackets, but you'll definitely have a big smile on your face as your scores improve.
The next 10 days at Tyrrells
Sat 19 Mar - TW's Warren League team played their first match of the new season at home against Redhill & Reigate. The course was in fantastic condition, with fast but true greens which definitely helped in a comprehensive 4-0 victory. Paul and all his staff are now officially our 12th man, or should I say men! All four matches were close at the turn, but after being fed and watered at the halfway house we put our best foot forward and secured a fine victory. Thanks go to Matt and his staff for looking after us before and after the match. The results were as follows:
Steve Thorn / James Caird - Won 3&1 - Thank you James for carrying your Capt
Rob Cullen / Pat McEnaney - Won 1up - Were dormy 3, twitchy bum time
Mark Evans / Alan Rowbottom - Won 3&1 - Were all square going down 14
Adam Wieckowski / Phil Wicks - Won 4&3 - The Captain's bankers
Our next march is away against the RAC on Saturday, 16 April.
Thu 7 Apr - Tyrrells Wood Past Captains played a match against West Surrey last week, victorious by 2.5-1.5.
Sun 10 Apr - Many congratulations to our new Club Captain, Stuart Jackson, who won the Club Stableford with 37 points. He must have picked up loads of after watching me play on his drive in day. Click here for the full results.
Wed 13 Apr - Congratulations to Peter Dix who won the TW Seniors John Juster Salver with 38 points. Steve Brannigan finished in second place with 37 points just ahead of Glen Bacon and Mike Smith on countback. Click here for the full results.