I got home just in time to see the playoff for the Shell Houston Open Championship between Anthony Kim and Vaughn Taylor. The announcer said this playoff was of significant interest and value to Vaughn Taylor as he was born and brought up in Augusta, Georgia and still lives there. The only way he could get in the field for next week's Masters was to win the tournament.
Anthony Kim was already exempted into the field so winning for him was just a case of winning and getting his third victory on the PGA Tour.
The title for this article came up when I watched their tee shot strategy. Anthony Kim won the toss. Most players will say that's what they want, they want to hit first. I've always lived by the strategy first in the fairway, first on the green, first in the hole wins. You want to be first out to hit a good shot and put a lot of pressure on the player behind you.
I'm pretty certain Anthony hit a three wood off the tee. He hit it straight at this bunker. The 18th hole is lined by water from the front of the tee all the way to the green. Hugh water hazard on the left and right, smack dab in the middle of the fairway, where you're teeing off from behind the water, straight out toward the center of the fairway, is a monster bunker on the right side of the fairway, looking at you straight in the face. It is one heck of a great target.
The key is, it's a great target but you better not hit into it, because it has a bunch of fingers sticking out. These fingers have grass in them and it's very high. If you get caught behind any one of those fingers you'll have an uphill, side hill lie, which will produce a hook for a right handed player toward the water, which is not good. You'll very likely not be able to hit the green because you'll have to hit a high lofted club to clear them to stay in play.
How does a fairway bunker not become a problem on a hole? When you hit a club off the tee that won't reach it. You can aim right at it but can't reach it.
There's a big decision to be made on this 18th hole. It's 488 yards with water all the way down the left. It's no chip and putt hole where you can just hit a 3 iron off the tee. Anthony hit a 3 wood and he still had 213 yards to the green. For most of us 213 yards is a heck of a long shot. But for most of these Tour players out there now, that's a 4 or 5 iron with no wind in your face. They never said what Anthony hit, but I think it was no more than a 4 or 5 iron.
He hit first, just short of the bunker, right center of the fairway, a great angle to hit it right to the middle of the green. Vaughn Taylor hit second. The announcer made a comment that he was hitting a driver. Naturally, they said with the wind blowing a little right to left, he needed to aim it at the right bunker and let the wind blow it over.
But as soon as he hit it, they commented that it looked like he blocked it and it was actually probably cutting a little bit. It ended up in the bunker behind one of the fingers. He had to hit first, he was away. You could see him struggling with the club selection as the caddie got the yardage.
Vaughn finally got in there and hit a fairly lofted club. He hit a really good clean shot out of the bunker. In fact he caught it pretty good and hit it into the front part of the front right bunker short of the green. So he's safe and dry but with a long, long bunker shot to a back left pin placement. He was hitting it towards the water which could make it really dangerous it he comes out a little too strong. The ball could slide down right into the water.
Once Vaughn is in the bunker, Anthony Kim stands up, hits a ball right to the middle of the green. He hit a shot with good distance, just about pin high. They said he was 30 feet from the hole.
Vaughn Taylor hit a pretty good third shot, an explosion out of the bunker to about 20 feet short of the hole.
So Anthony Kim now has the first putt, straight down towards the water and cup. He hits a great putt to within a foot of the hole and taps in.
So now Vaughn Taylor has the 20 footer to tie. Hit a good putt but came in six inches short and a little low, and he loses the hole.
It was obvious to me that once Anthony Kim was in the fairway, he definitely had an advantage over Vaughn Taylor. Despite everything else, Vaughn hits nice, high, towering irons and, while I'm not trying to second guess him, but the smart shot would be to hit a club that can't reach that bunker. As long as the bunker's in play with the driver, that means you're trying to stay left of it and too far left is the water.
The safest shot is to hit the ball at it. I know you'd rather have a driver, 6 iron, rather than a three wood, 5 or 4 iron. But being in the fairway is critical, especially when your opponent is in the fairway already, and this has come down to a one hole tournament.
My major feeling about fairway bunkers and water hazards that come into play, crossing fairways, they are not in play and not a problem if you hit a club that lays you short of them. Naturally, we don't want to lay up and change an 8 iron into a fairway wood, but if you're talking just one or two golf clubs, safe is better than being sorry.
so, think twice about taking those bunkers out of play and hitting one or two clubs longer to have that safe shot to the green and having a better chance of making birdie and hopefully making an easy par.
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