Why short putts are a nightmare on Genesis
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Xander Schauffele’s putt was just two feet, seven inches.
Which made the miss even more painful.
Schauffele looked like he had hit the perfect stroke, but his par-t birdie at Riviera’s par-3 16th right on the hole, caught the edge and looked the other way. The crowd groaned, a universal reaction to the sight of a missed shortie, made even worse given Schauffele’s position in contention for one of the most prestigious events on the PGA Tour.
It was by no means an unusual occurrence. In No. 17 minutes later, Schauffele’s playing partner Rory McIlroy had a four-footer for birdie and missed. And on No. 18, tournament leader Jacob Bridgeman marks his approach to six feet and misses thatagain.
Pros miss short putts all the time, of course. But if it sounds like the experts miss them often herebecause they do.
Ron Klos broke some data here; Over the past five years, he has consistently three-putted and made fewer putts from all Riviera distances. The average travel from four to eight feet is 69.2 percent; here it goes down to 65.6. From outside 25 meters the Tour three-putt professionals average 8.9 percent; in the Riviera rising more than 11 percent.
For Riviera, this week’s score is unusually low. Bridgeman’s three-round total of 19 under par is unimaginable. But the same conditions that gave players so many birdie attempts — soft, soft, fast greens that allowed approach shots to hit and stick, even on the rough — made putting more difficult.
Overall, setting challenges comes from a combination of factors. Riviera, like Pebble Beach and Torrey Pines, has clean poa annua greens, which tend to be bumpier in the afternoon (“waffle-iron effect”) despite their good condition. That’s another aspect; Riviera greens are active immediatelywhich means it’s difficult to get out of the equation and it leads to players being defensive. And because of this week’s rain, imperfections are magnified, spike marks are easier to leave and surfaces are less predictable.
Summary: These are very soft, ridiculously fast, unpredictable green poa annua with an unusual number of subtle two-way breaks. Lots of putts still going in – these guys are good! – but many don’t.
But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what some of the contestants had to say this week:
Schauffele, after his second round:
“Pebble was almost a perfect setting for it to be wet here and even spongier [faster]this is very scary. But in terms of committing to bad-looking putts, it was good preparation. “
Scottie Scheffler, on CBS, after his third round:
“The greens here have a lot of pitch, and as the day goes on, the greens continue to pick up speed and stay fast and they continue to get more powerful and the nature of the poa annua … the greens are getting softer and faster, which I think is a really good challenge.
“And especially when you add a little wind, it can be really challenging to hole putts. So I think you’re going to see guys look a lot better, but you still have to control your approach.”
Rory McIlroy, after his third round:
“Yeah, the greens got really fast there at the end of the day. Then you can’t leave it dead. You’re grinding over three yards and all of a sudden you get one that you think you can run on and if you hit it hard. [motioning] I just got really green, really tough today.”
Other places to stay in McIlroy:
“They are difficult because you don’t want to hit them [putts] they are very strong obviously, and if you hit them lightly, they will relax early.
“There are a lot of double breakers here, so my 16 putt today was a great example. I had to hit it really soft. It was left to the right in the morning but the last part of the putt was right to left, but it went too far to the right because I hit it soft, it didn’t have a chance to come back. It’s hard, yeah, hard.”
Jacob Bridgeman, tournament leader (and statistics leader):
“In the past I’ve struggled with the poa, for whatever reason, I didn’t like it, I didn’t really know what to do. I think I’ve accepted it now that some will come out. Like mine on the last hole, I hit a good putt, it just went left and went in. I think in the past I would have been frustrated and frustrated with that stroke enthusiasm.
“I had to make an adjustment in the middle of the round. At first I started well, I had a lot of short putts and I didn’t really have 15 footers where speed is important, and in the middle of my round I hit a few fairways and I told my friend, I have to hit the soft ones, they don’t take a lot. After that I feel like I’m hitting well.
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