Tour Report: Watson likes being own man (PGATOUR.com)

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bubba Watson doesn’t have a swing coach. He doesn’t work with a sports psychologist, either.

After all, this a man who taught himself to play golf hitting whiffle balls at a dirt target in his driveway. This is a man who learned from his late father, a Green Beret and Vietnam veteran, to always strive to do his best.

And that same man took over the FedExCup lead on Sunday in New Orleans when he won his second tournament of the season. He enters the Wells Fargo Championship ranked 10th in the world — so Watson must be doing something right.

Watson

“My dad taught me to be a leader or a follower, and he said follower ain’t fun,” Watson said. “So I want to be the leader of Bubba Watson. What I say goes. …  When we were kids growing up, you went out there and you dreamed about shots.  We always talk about we had this putt to win from ten feet, let’s make it. Then when you miss it, you’re like, okay, no, wait, we’re going to have this over, we’re going to do this ten-footer again. So you’re out there dreaming what you want to do in your life, what you want to achieve.

“And so for me, I’m still a kid. I’m hitting shots that I want to hit. I’m doing the things that I want to do. I play it my way.  People started coining the phrase ‘Bubba golf,’ whatever you want to call it, which I like that, let’s use it, ‘Bubba golf.’ It’s going to be fun. I mean, why do what everybody else does? That’s boring.”

Small wonder then that Watson is a bit amused by all the attention garnered by the recent parting of the ways between Sean O’Hair and swing coach Sean Foley. Foley also happens to be the most recent of three high-profile coaches employed by Watson’s friend Tiger Woods.

“I laugh, but it’s just not my way,” Watson said. “I’m good friends with Sean Foley, I’m good friends with Hank Haney, with Butch (Harmon).  I know them as people, I know them as friends, but … I don’t ask them for advice.

“But it’s just not the way I go about it. All of us are good at golf. Sometimes I think some of the great players, they get too wrapped up in the mental part.”

In fact, Watson thinks Woods may be going down that path right now as he works to resurrect his swing with Foley. Woods hasn’t won on the PGA TOUR since the 2009 BMW Championship.

“Yeah, I’ll just go ahead and say it: I think Tiger is going the wrong way,” Watson said. “I think he’s so mental right now with his swing. Just go out there and play golf. He used to hit shots, used to bomb it, used to do all that stuff. In 2000 and ’97 I think he did pretty good. He won the Masters by 48 shots or whatever he won it by.

“But I think sometimes he gets carried away on that. And a lot of guys do. The mental part of it, I get carried away sometimes. I think I’m not very good. I complain to Teddy all the time how bad I am at golf. He’s like, shut up.

“But yeah, the mental game is where it needs to be. … When you start talking about other people trying to help you with your swing, look at this, look at that, I think they take a step back.  So I’m hoping they all get coaches.”

Wilson looks to gain some rhythm

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 2011 season has been one of “firsts” for Mark Wilson.

He played in his first Masters and first World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Those are the perks of the kind of good play that’s reflected in the fact that until last week Wilson was ranked first in the FedExCup standings.

Wilson

Now third, Wilson has returned to North Carolina, where he attended UNC in the mid-1990s, to play in the Wells Fargo Championship. He’s one of two players — Bubba Watson is the other — who have already won twice this year.

“A lot of firsts this year for me, a lot of new tournaments for me and new schedule,” Wilson said. “A lot of times I’ve had three-week breaks during the season because I wasn’t in the majors, wouldn’t play the week before, week after, so now my schedule is little different. … So that’s a little adjustment.

“I’m excited for this little stretch. I’ve got three in a row that I’m gearing up for so I can kind of get into a little rhythm.”

Wilson hopes to build on the tie for seventh he crafted at Quail Hollow a year ago on the strength of a closing 67. At first glance a course that measures 7,469 yards might not seem suited for a man who ranks No. 146th in driving distance with an average of 278.3 yards.

But Wilson finds fairways and greens with regularity — ranking 13th and 10th, respectively — and his short game has been exceedingly cooperative this season. He calls Quail Hollow “one of the best we play all year. 

“It’s a long course in sort of some senses, but it looks like we got all the rain out of the way last night, and course length isn’t that much of an issue,” Wilson said. “It’s just more about the greens; they get slicker and slicker every day and you’ve got to use your imagination around the greens, and that’s my strong suit, I think, using my imagination to putt.  So that’s why I think I played well here last year and looking forward to this year.” – Helen Ross

Gainey likes riding hot streak

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In the first 17 weeks of the PGA TOUR season, Tommy Gainey has been eligible for 15 tournaments and he’s played in all but one.

No one has competed in more this year, and only five others have matched Gainey’s 14. The ironman, who has finished third each of the last two weeks, currently ranks 23rd in the FedExCup and has earned more than $1.2 million — nearly double his combined total in 39 starts prior to this year.

Small wonder, then, that Gainey is so excited to be at Quail Hollow playing in the Wells Fargo Championship this week with yet another chance to pick up his first PGA TOUR victory.

“I feel like coming off of two thirds I’m playing the best golf of my life right now,” he said. “I feel like I’m ready to put it to use. I feel like I’ve got a chance to win, so that’s what it’s all about.”

The Wells Fargo Championship is Gainey’s sixth tournament in seven weeks, and his third straight. He missed the cut at the Valero Texas Open but he’s 24 under in his last two starts and has learned what players like Tiger Woods mean when they talk about the mental grind of contention.

“The last two weeks for me, it’s drained a lot out of me,” Gainey acknowledged. “Not physically; I mean, I’m physically in pretty good shape; if I could lose a few pounds I’d feel a lot better, but we won’t get into that.

“But I’m mentally drained because I’ve had two thirds in a row, and to play at that high of a level, it takes a lot out of you as far as thinking around the golf course, and the golf management comes into play, as well.”

The key, as Gainey sees it, is starting strong on Sunday when you have a chance to win, and he just hasn’t done that. At The Heritage, Gainey bogeyed two of his first four holes; last week in New Orleans, he bogeyed one.

“It’s all about getting off to a good start, especially when you’re in the hunt or you’re within two or three shots of the lead and I just haven’t done that,” Gainey said. “… I’m trying to get past it, but right now it seems like I get off to a bad start, and it really puts me behind the eight-ball as far as winning a golf tournament. 

“But I’m getting better. You’ve got to live and learn, and I’m definitely learning from my mistakes, and I’ll just try to get better this week.” 

Don’t look for Gainey to be taking a week off anytime soon, either. He’s first alternate for next week’s PLAYERS Championship and would dearly love to play at TPC Sawgrass in the TOUR’s signature event. Then there’s the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, the HP Byron Nelson Championship and the Memorial Tournament in rapid succession.

“I’m kind of afraid that while I’m on a hot streak, why take a week off?” Gainey said. “… That is five class golf tournaments in a row to play in, and I definitely want to be a part of all five.”

Besides, Gainey is living his dream. He once worked in a factory wrapping insulation around water heaters and did two stints on the Golf Channel’s “Big Break” series before finally earning his card for the 2008 season at q-school. He can’t imagine doing anything he’d like better than stepping up to the first tee each week with the best players in the world.

“I love what the game stands for, and I love that I’m part of being on the PGA TOUR,” Gainey said. “I love what the PGA TOUR stands for. … There’s nothing that I would rather do better than what I’m doing right now, and I feel like God has blessed me with all this talent and ability, and this is what is meant for me in His plan. Playing golf out here is everything to me.

“… I think a lot of players need to understand that this game can be taken away from you at any time, by injury, by anything else you can think of. But if you don’t play well out here at a high standard, you’re going to be on the Nationwide Tour, which is not a bad thing, but you won’t be playing for the money and you won’t have the same prestige of being on the PGA TOUR.”

Ogilvy withdraws due to shoulder injury

CHARLOTTE. N.C. – Geoff Ogilvy has withdrawn from the Wells Fargo Championship due to a sore shoulder. He was replaced in the field by rookie Joseph Bramlett,

Ogilvy tweeted: “Quite disappointing as it is one of my favorite weeks of the year.” Five minutes later, he added “To celebrate, I am about to submerge myself in a bath full of ice. Fun times.”

As further proof, Ogilvy tweeted a photo of  a tub with five bags of ice lurking outside.

Johnson wants to stay inside ropes

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jimmie Johnson is bidding for an unprecedented sixth consecutive Sprint Cup championship. His goals at Quail Hollow on Wednesday are much more modest, though.

“I just hope to keep it between the galleries tomorrow and just keep it out there,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t have to be in the short stuff but just somewhere between would be nice.”

Johnson is playing in the Wells Fargo Championship pro-am for the fifth time on Wednesday. Another NASCAR driver, Denny Hamlin, was on the winning team in Monday’s festivites so Johnson needs a good day to regain bragging rights — at least on the golf course.

The race track, where Johnson has won 54 times, is another story. His first challenge, though? “I turn left for a living, and for some reason my golf ball goes right all the time,” Johnson said with a chuckle.

Johnson said he carries a 21 handicap right now — “I had to swallow before I said it,” he said with a grin. But the birth of his first child, a daughter named Genevieve, last July has curtailed Johnson’s usual Monday rounds of golf with his buddies.

“For me, things have changed so much since becoming a father, and I hate to admit it, but tomorrow will be my second round of golf this year,” Johnson said. “I think I sent out a Tweet a week or so ago about wearing headgear and shin guards, and I wasn’t lying.  There’s a chance I could spray it a little bit. 

“I played the one round, and it went well, better than I expected. I’ll have fun with it tomorrow. I don’t play as much as I would like to, and with our busy race schedule as you know, and then being a father, to sneak out for four or five hours of golf, it’s just tough to find that time anymore.”

Johnson won the pro-am several years ago when he played with Anthony Kim — “It’s the only golfing trophy I have and probably the only one I’ll ever have,” he said. Even so, Johnson, who now lives in Charlotte, not far from Quail Hollow, knows he’ll be nervous on the first tee.

“I’ve found that the first three or four holes are really the most difficult,” he said. “And then you kind of start breathing again and relax and get into the swing of things. But that first tee box is as fearful as anyone has ever mentioned; all the people standing around, your friends remind you of bad shots people have made there.

“My first year with Darren Clarke and Casey Mears, luckily Casey’s was so much worse than mine, mine was 80 yards, his went like 20 yards that people really forgot about my shot. It is nerve-wracking on that first tee box.”

Fear, though, isn’t always such a bad thing. At least, when Johnson settles in behind the wheel of the Lowe’s Chevrolet.

“Within racing I find that I’m really motivated by fear inside the car, and if you lose a respect for how fast we’re going at the tracks and what we’re doing, not only can you put yourself in harm’s way but I think you start over driving the vehicle and not doing things that will lead to race wins and championships,” he said.

“So fear is something I think most professional athletes have to deal with and learn to live with.  I know there are a lot of sports psychologists that try to push it out of your mind, but when I’ve done that I’ve ignored important steps along the way, and I’ve let fear and even failure be a big part of my mindset as I race to help me stay out of trouble and do the right things.”

After five Sprint Cup championships, Johnson is certainly doing something right.

O’Hair, Foley part ways

By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM Site Producer

Sean O’Hair has parted ways with swing coach Sean Foley, the two sides confirmed Tuesday.

O’Hair, whom Foley coached for the last three years, also withdrew from the Wells Fargo Championship on Monday, citing personal reasons.

Under Foley, O’Hair won the 2009 Wells Fargo Championship and made the Presidents Cup team. This season, however, has been a struggle.

In 10 starts, O’Hair has missed six cuts, including his last five in a row. He has just one finish in the top 25 this year.

The decision was O’Hair’s, according to Foley, who got the phone call from O’Hair on Monday night.

“We will always be close,” Foley said via text message. “He is a great guy just going through a bad stretch of golf and felt he needed another direction.”

Earlier this year, O’Hair fired his caddie Brennan Little, who took over his bag after O’Hair let go of Paul Tesori at the end of last year.

Other players in Foley’s stable include of course Tiger Woods, whom he began working with last August, as well as Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose and Stephen Ames.

Kaymer, coach tweak swing

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Martin Kaymer ended up staying in Germany a little longer than he’d planned to help his brother celebrate his birthday.

Before the festivities, though, Kaymer spent four days with his coach, Guenter Kessler. And when the 26-year-old German returned home to Scottsdale, Ariz., last week he hit the range hard and worked on the tweaks they made to his swing.

Kaymer

“We’ve been changing a few things now in the last months now,” Kaymer said. “Nothing major, just the backswing, to get a little bit closer on plane, shorten it a little bit. So that will take a little bit. 

“It was important to see my coach in order to get that going, to have somebody who kind of like has a look at it all the time that I don’t make any other mistakes.”

Before the two went to work, Kaymer hadn’t been 100 percent happy with his swing. Not after missing the cut at the Masters, even though the reigning PGA champ followed up with a ninth-place finish in Malaysia.

After the two-week break, though, Kaymer comes to Quail Hollow — a course he likes for the shot values as well as its aesthetics — ready to play. He tied for 11th at the Wells Fargo Championship two years ago in his only other appearance and he has his eye on next week’s PLAYERS Championship, too.

“I really liked the golf course,” Kaymer says of Quail Hollow. “It was a good preparation I thought for the Sawgrass week. I think it’s a way underrated golf course. It’s one of the best we play on the PGA TOUR, so there was no reason why I shouldn’t come back.”

While he was idle, Kaymer lost his spot atop the Official World Golf Ranking to Lee Westwood. He could regain it this week but at the same time, he understands and appreciates the volatility of the competition for world No. 1.

“At the moment anything can happen,” he said. “Every week you have four or five guys up there. Anything can happen week to week, can change, and I think that is a great thing what we have in golf at the moment. 

“Next week it can be an American player up there, then the other week it can be a European player up there again. So for me it was    of course it is enjoyable to have that challenge every week, and if I become the No. 1 soon again, I wouldn’t mind it. It’s a nice spot to be in. 

“But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really change a lot.”