Gulbis Fails To Close Deal
LPGA
Natalie Gulbis missed yet another opportunity to win her first LPGA tournament when she missed a 9-foot birdie putt that would have forced the playoff to continue. Mi Hyun Kim won the Jamie Farr Owens Classic by making an 18-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole.There was a push earlier this year by the powers-at-be at LPGA HQ to force the women to play faster (especially when it came to TV coverage). Some of the criticism stemmed from the fact that by-and-large, most of the LPGA players have their caddies help align their shots (every shot) before they pull the trigger. After the push came down, the length of golf rounds improved considerably and now, players aren’t taking an inordinate amount of time any longer.
However, do the women players really need this help? They’re professionals aren’t they? I wonder if they do this nowadays simply because it’s habit and old habits die hard, and I’m not sure it’s doing the players any good anyway. Case in point: Gulbis had a fairway metal layup shot during the playoff and TV coverage clearly showed she was lined up too far right. Problem is that you also heard her caddie say, “looks good!”. Now, bottom line is that the player pulls the trigger, not the caddie and they are ultimately responsible for all of their shots. However, if you’re going to use the caddie to help you line your shot, then hold them accountable if they spit the bit and cost you a shot.