Golf Australia – April 2018

Jordan

Spieth

Bubba

Wat s on

7th

450yards

Par4

8th

570yards

Par5

9th

460yards

Par4

10th

495yards

Par4

12th

155yards

Par3

Like Bubba says, it’s all about the

tee shot. The narrow fairway slopes

left-to-right and the trees cut in both

sides. I hit driver to the fl at spot then a

wedge or 9-iron. Two pins you can get

at where the ball feeds down are front

right or middle left. I’ll aim at the

others only if I have a good yardage.

AVERAGE SCORE: 4.0

I often hit what I call a “dink” driver.

It’s never a full driver for me, though,

because the fairway narrows and

you’re trying to hit into the green from

a sharp downslope. It’s a birdie hole

when the pin is in the bowl and you’re

hitting a short-iron in, but you must be

in the fairway.

AVERAGE SCORE: 4.16

I try to drive it down the right. If it turns

over I’ll get more distance and if it

doesn’t it’s better than being left. Into

the green it’s the opposite for me

than Bubba. The lie encourages a

left-to-right shot but the green also

goes left to right so you have to turn

one right-to-left to hold it on there.

AVERAGE SCORE: 3.83

I aim at the right trees and cut it down

the hill. The approach is diffi cult for

everybody but I’m trying to hit a fade

off a hook lie with a wedge! You can

hit it just onto the three-tier green and

have a 60-footer up two levels, or

come up short and see it spin off. I try

to carry it to the second level.

AVERAGE SCORE: 4.09

Some days the green is reachable in

two, some days it’s not. I try to miss

in a location where it’s an easier

up-and-down. For the back left pin,

you can be way right and pitch across.

Miss left and you don’t have a chance.

All the par 5s at Augusta are about

missing it in the right location.

AVERAGE SCORE: 4.42

When it’s playing downwind I can get

over the bunkers off the tee. I’m just

trying to hit it in the middle of the

fairway and avoid those bunkers

because that gives you a good scoring

opportunity by being able to reach the

green in two or by leaving yourself a

fairly short-range chip.

AVERAGE SCORE: 4.75

I try to hit a big hook with the driver or

3-wood. It’s tricky; I have to commit to

my start line well to the right. I usually

have a 7-iron in and I like to play a little

hold shot – a left-to-right shot. That

green pitches back-to-front but it

seems to putt quicker to the back, so

that’s also odd.

AVERAGE SCORE: 3.83

I swing away and hit a big slice to

catch the slot that will help it run

down the hill. When the pin is at the

front I’m trying to protect par because

the ball can spin back into the fairway

and leave a diffi cult chip. The middle

and back pins I go at and try to leave

myself inside 20 feet for birdie.

AVERAGE SCORE: 4.13

The wind swirls in the trees but once

the ball gets to its peak trajectory, it’ll

get hit by whatever the direction is on

the day. So play it over the centre

bunker and hit the green. If I get a

good number to any of the pins on a

calm day, other than the Sunday right

pin, I’ll go at it with a short iron.

AVERAGE SCORE: 3.25

I’m just trying to hit the green. Most

of the time it’s a wedge or 9-iron.

Certain pins are more of a birdie

opportunity for me than others. I

prefer the pins on the left side of the

green. When it’s on the right, I’m

playing much safer and simply trying

to land it in the middle of the green.

AVERAGE SCORE: 3.38

‘THE APPROACH IS DIFFICULT

FOR EVERYBODY BUT I’M

TRYING TO HIT A FADE OFF A

HOOK LIE WITH A WEDGE!’

BUBBA WATSON, 9TH HOLE

48 APRIL 2018 | golf australia