For any competitive player looking to strive and play their best during a tournament, the practice round prior is undoubtedly a crucial contribution to one's game plan.
More than just a round that you play and map out the golf course ahead of time before tournament play, Golf Matters followed two professionals, namely Geraldine Wong and Nicholas Fung during their practice rounds before the Vios Cup to study how they optimize the 18 holes.
"It's all about focusing on the greens for me," said Wong who recently secured her second Toyota Tour win at the Tun Ahmad Sarji Cup earlier in the year.
True to her words, the woman professional kept her attention on hitting multiple chip shots and bunker shots from various areas of the greens. Wong also did not skip on gauging the greens' speed and mapping out any slopes to keep note of while putting towards possible pin positions for the upcoming three days.
From how the ball was reacting to the grain of the greens, to the amount of spin and release the ball had on the green, Wong kept notes on all the data for the tournament.
"The shots around the green are more in my control, and getting my practice in will hopefully allow me to predict how the ball will roll and react on tournament days," she added.
For seasoned campaigner Nicholas Fung, he emphasized on course management as we walked down the par-five seventh of Templer Park Country Club.
"All the professionals are good hardworking players, but I think the key to winning a tournament is always course management," said Fung.
The Sabahan professional was constantly scribbling down his yardage book throughout the practice round, noting down club selections, slopes, distances, and more.
Following these two professionals provided eye-opening insights into the importance of practice rounds and the various strategies used to tackle what might seem like a relaxed 18-hole pre-tournament round.
Todd Anderson is the Director of Instruction at the PGA TOUR Performance Center at TPC Sawgrass, home of The Players Championship. The 2010 National PGA Teacher of the Year has seen his students amass more than 50 victories across the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour, including two FedExCup titles. He is currently rated by Golf Digest as one of the top 20 golf instructors in the United States.
In this tutorial, Anderson explains how to hit a high fade like the one Hideki Matsuyama used in a playoff to win the 2022 Sony Open in Hawaii, where the Japanese star flushed a high, left-to-right fade from 276 yards out that landed just 2 feet from the hole.
1 - Position the ball off the left heel, with the upper body tilted slightly away from the target. This helps you to hit (launch) the ball high so it can land softly on the green.
2 - Set your body left of the target (where you want the ball to start) and aim the club face where you want the ball to finish.
3- Swing the club along your body line, keeping the club face open to your swing direction or path.
4- The back of the left hand and face of the club are looking toward the sky, not rotating over. The right arm stays behind the shaft, while the toe of the club does not pass the heel through impact. This promotes a left-to-right ball flight.
