Brennans Caddy Report-The Players Championship

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 22:15:29

Presented by Dynamic Fundsâ¢

Last week at the Bay Hill Invitational was a very good week for Mike. He hit the ball very well and his putting was close, but not close enough. It was one of those weeks were he hit a lot of putts that could have gone in, but didn't. A few putts each day was the difference between a 17th place finish and a chance to win the tournament.

One thing that I am very encouraged by is Mike's ball striking. He has been hitting the ball much more consistently this year. I think there will be weeks when his putting is like it was last week and other weeks like it was at Pebble, and everything will come together giving him chances to win this year.

We are excited to be in Ponte Vedra, Florida this week for The Players Championship. Played at the TPC of Sawgrass, this is one of the biggest events all year. There is an 8 million dollar plus purse this week and a very elite field.

Monday we played 9 holes at Sawgrass and practiced a little bit, and did the same thing on Tuesday. Wednesday we plan to play the back nine and then work a little with the wedges and the putter and then call it a day. Mike likes to relax on Wednesday's of tournaments as it really is the shortest day of the week and the one day to get ready for the grind of the week. It is probably just as strenuous mentally during a week as it is physically, and incorporating balance and a time to rest is important.

The TPC at Sawgrass is playing hard and fast. We were expecting a good rain on Tuesday and somehow the storm blew right over the area and never touched the course. It has been dry around here so they have the course playing just the way they want it. Thinking about placement on every shot will be key this week, especially around the greens. The ball will release quickly once it hits the greens this week, so precise iron play will be important, as will driving. Players won't be able to step up to the tee and just bomb the driver..

The course is in the best shape I have ever seen it in my 7 years here. The rough is very penalizing and the guy who wins this week will really have played the best from tee to green. A win this week will take all aspects of the game into consideration.

On Monday night we had our annual caddy meeting at the golf course. Ponte Vedra is the PGA TOUR headquarters, so the caddy and player meetings are here each year. The caddy meeting was uneventful but informative. The TOUR goes over what is new next year at certain events, we talk about food and parking issues, and also have an open forum for questions.

Sawgrass is closing down after this week's event for renovations and course changes. They are redoing the entire clubhouse and leveling it on Monday, so a new one will be up for next year. The course will remain the same but the fairways will be torn up so that new drainage can be installed. The want the course to play just like it is this year-hard and fast!

We have a great pairing this week with Chad Campbell and Justin Leonard, and very excited to get going. Mike is looking forward to continuing his consistent play and looks to take his solid ball striking into this weeks event. Hopefully the putter is swinging smoothly this week and a few more putts will drop.

Thanks for reading,

Brennan Little

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