I watched the PGA Tour-2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational held in March at the Bay Club Hill and Lodge. The tournament was won by Jason Day from Australia, who has won five times before within the last 12 starts he has made (Golf Live TV). While he was out of his wits during the whole tournament, with problems in his swing and not being able to navigate well, Day was able to make his win by delivering his best at the end of the tournament.
He made the bunker shot just as he wished and the 4-foot par putt closed with a 2-under 70. It was all about which player would make the least mistakes in all of the game which would become the deciding moment for the win. One of the mistakes made by Day was that he lost a two-shot lead on the front nine. However he rebounded with a 9-iron from the rough, and his shot went over a bunker to about one foot on the ninth hole for birdie (Golf Live TV). In the end, he was able to produce two clutch shots for the win. Chappell, on the other hand, was having trouble on making the 18th hole. He had hit 5-iron to 12 feet on par 3, 17th and made birdie. Chappell also made his lone bogey of the back nine with the final hole on the field and was able to shoot 69, while this left him to see if Day could beat his score. Day, at this point, was one shot behind Chappell (Golf Live TV).
The day went on his winning streak and went for the fourth bunker. He had water behind him, but he was able to shoot the ball just as far as to leave four feet of distance between the ball and the hole (Golf Live TV).
The day had taken the win by seizing the 5 iron on number 17, and the bunker shot was taken on the 18th, making him the legit winner. Another player, Troy Merritt, who also played with Day in the final group, made a comeback with the back nine and five back to back birdies, with the last one made by making it to the hole with the bunker shot from about 40 feet away (Golf Live TV).
All the players made their winning signature shots but Day won because of strategic play which could be seen by the way he was able to plot the winning shot from four feet away. All players had masterful shots which could be seen by the putting styles they had adopted. Short putts are ideal, but it was obvious that they were not too short but rather ideal for making an accurate hit (Golf Live TV). This made the focus shift to the pitches and lag putts being closer to the hole. As every foot of the distance between the hole and the ball counts, it is crucial that every move is made with precision.
There are several tips that I could employ from the tournament onto my own game in the golf course. Firstly, my putting could be improved. Taking precise measures as to how far the ball should go with every initial shot from the putt is important. Looking at the professional making shots from the shorter putts made it convenient for them to hit the final hole. Also, I noticed they angled the face of the putter (Golf Live TV). It helped them concentrate on the impact that would be placed on the ball when they would hit.
The other noticeable element in the game was the way they managed with the longer putts. Where the putts were long, and the hole was farther away, the players would stand upright so they could get a better idea of the distance they were about to cover with the ball. The 5-iron could be used with this ‘clipping the distance’ approach used by golfers.
Work Cited
Bibliography: Golf Live TV. “PGA Tour 2016 - Arnold Palmer Invitational Final Round.”
YouTube. YouTube, 20 Mar. 2016. Web. 17 May 2016. Inline Citation: (Golf Live TV)
