BuzzRoll
What Jimmy Walker was thinking while standing over his final putt
Wondering what Jimmy Walker was thinking as he stood over his 2-foot, 11-inch putt for par to win the PGA Championship yesterday?
Well, Walker revealed exactly that to ESPN’s Mike & Mike this morning. An insight into the mind of a champion:
“I told myself, ‘You’re 1 of the best putters in the world; knock this in & celebrate.'”
-J. Walker on winning putt pic.twitter.com/kWmWubgw8K
— Mike & Mike (@MikeAndMike) August 1, 2016
You have to admire the positive self-talk at one of the most nerve-wracking moments of his career. Of course, Sunday at Baltusrol, Walker was a pretty darn good putter, picking up 0.726 strokes on the field with the flatstick. He finished the week 10th at Baltusrol in putting, gaining 5.213 strokes on the field.
For the full picture, here are his other strokes gained figures (four-round total, rank), proving that for all the talk about Baltusrol’s length, second shots and work around the green proved more significant (for the winner at least).
- Strokes gained: Off the tee: 1.482 (30th)
- Strokes gained: Approach to the green: 4.018 (15th)
- Strokes gained: Around the green: 4.909 (2nd)
- Strokes gained: Tee to green: 10.409 (4th)
Walker was second in the field in birdies for the week with 19, and he tied for fourth in fewest bogeys (4). He made no doubles or worse. He tied for 43rd in driving accuracy (60.71 percent) and was 63rd in driving distance (284.1 yards). He tied for 12th in greens in regulation at 76.39 percent. He didn’t make a bogey over his final 27 holes, going seven under over that stretch.
Back to the mindset. Here’s what Walker — who indicated something clicked for him last week at the Canadian Open — said in his post-win press conference about where his head was at during the final round:
“I felt confident. I felt confident in myself. I felt confident in what I was doing. Felt confident in my golf swing, my putting, my chipping. Kind of tried to wrap myself around that; that everything was feeling good, and to go with that and trust what I was doing. Trust all the stuff that I have been working on, and that’s what I tried to apply out there.”
It’s worth noting that Walker, historically a very good putter, isn’t having his best year with the flatstick: He’s 46th in strokes gained: putting in 2016 at 0.274, well off his second-place figure last year (0.692).
In other words, like every self-help guru says: self-belief is critical to success.
Related
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a set of Cobra Forged One Length irons.
From the seller: (@adamwittman): “4-PW, GW, lw. Nunchuk shafts. $350 tyd conusa.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Cobra Forged One Length irons
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
In our forums, our members have been discussing Kevin Kisner’s new Callaway X Forged CB irons which he has in the bag at this week’s CJ Cup. WRXers have been commenting on the switch and the clubs themselves in our forums.
For lots more photos, check out the full thread here.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- btyh: “Holy offset.”
- Glf_LU: “These are interesting. Not going to make a rush to judgement until I see them in person. It does look like a little more offset than I would expect to see in this model.”
- bcflyguy1: “Kisner is not one to make a lot of equipment changes (see the GBB driver he’s still using), so if these do have staying power in his bag that will be interesting to see. I have to wonder if there’s something different about his set, because like others have mentioned there appears to be more offset on his than I recall seeing in the samples I’ve had in hand.”
Entire Thread: “Kevin Kisner’s new Callaway X Forged CB irons”
As part of a Srixon campaign, four PGA Tour players recently participated in a three-hole challenge, with each hole being a different game; hole No. 1 was blindfolded, hole No. 2 was costumes and distractions, and hole No. 3 was alternate shot with a baseball bat. The teams were Smylie Kaufman and Sam Ryder against Shane Lowry and Grayson Murray.
Watch the full video below, since it is quite entertaining (albeit not the type of golf that Old Tom Morris surely had in mind), but in particular, make sure to check out the first hole where Lowry and Ryder play a full hole completely blind folded. It’s amazing to watch how badly Ryder struggles, and how Lowry nearly makes par.
What happens when 4 #PGATOUR pros take a day off?
Luckily, the cameras were rolling.
Watch @shanelowrygolf, @graysonmurray, @smyliekaufman10, and @samrydersu in #SrixonVS. pic.twitter.com/C4LJwQgmZ7— Srixon (@SrixonGolf) June 25, 2018
Cleveland-Srixon’s marketing department has been hard at work crafting these viral-esque ad campaigns; if you remember, former long-drive champion Jamie Sadlowski recently dressed as 80-year-old Grandpa Jamie to fool range-goers. That video has since gathered over 1.2 million views on YouTube.
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IHateGolfIsAwesome
Aug 2, 2016 at 9:49 am
Nah. Everyone has doubts sometimes, Smiz. Sometimes more than sometimes. Got to arm yourself with some weapons. A go-to shot that isn’t perfect for the moment but won’t put you in ‘other’ land is one. Positive self-talk is another.
ooffa
Aug 2, 2016 at 7:03 am
I don’t believe him for a second. It was probably more like this. “Please let this go in, OMG I think I’m gonna poop myself. Please don’t let me Earnie Ells this. When did they start making the holes so small. I hope they have a paramedic in the scorers tent cause I think my heart just stopped. Why can’t I feel my legs? Wow, my feet are oddly small. Is that a mosquito or a roach strolling across my line.”
mu
Aug 1, 2016 at 4:46 pm
That’s because you’re manure
B.S.
Aug 2, 2016 at 2:43 am
You always seem to say the exactly the right thing that tells us you know everything you say from personal experience. Every time.