LPGA players missing short putts

[pmcuk]

Like the commentators on recent LPGA events, I've been surprised at the number of short putts being missed by top players.

 

Is this just "in the nature of golf" or what?

 

- is it tricky greens with deliberate undulations?

- is it tension?

- is it lack of concentration by top players who don't give enough focus to a short putt?

- are men any better?

 

What are your thoughts, guys?

[JungleJimbo]

35 minutes ago, pmcuk said:

Like the commentators on recent LPGA events, I've been surprised at the number of short putts being missed by top players.

 

Is this just "in the nature of golf" or what?

 

- is it tricky greens with deliberate undulations?

- is it tension?

- is it lack of concentration by top players who don't give enough focus to a short putt?

- are men any better?

 

What are your thoughts, guys?

I don't have the comparative stats w.r.t. LPGA vs PGA... but based on the youtube compilations ... the pro golfers on the PGA miss a lot of putts too!
 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by JungleJimbo

[Argonne69]

Poa.

 

[Stooch]

I would say it happens to all players on both tours, it just becomes a problem when the player misses multiple short putts over the course of a week

[pmcuk]

Those missed putts jungle jimbo posted are just incredible, hardly believable. 

 

It just has to be lack of proper focus. This kind of thing comes up in all kinds of games, and I'm thinking of snooker being one. A player has an easy shot under pressure. What he does is stand back, take a deep breath, line up again and only take the shot when he's ready and concentrated.

 

I think the girls should do the same. Stand back from the putt, compose yourself, set up again, concentrate, and take the putt when you're good and ready. 

 

A missed 2 ft putt is like hitting a drive into the rough and losing a stroke. It just doesn't look like it. Deceptive. 

[Rapidcat]

43 minutes ago, pmcuk said:

Those missed putts jungle jimbo posted are just incredible, hardly believable. 

 

It just has to be lack of proper focus. This kind of thing comes up in all kinds of games, and I'm thinking of snooker being one. A player has an easy shot under pressure. What he does is stand back, take a deep breath, line up again and only take the shot when he's ready and concentrated.

 

I think the girls should do the same. Stand back from the putt, compose yourself, set up again, concentrate, and take the putt when you're good and ready. 

 

A missed 2 ft putt is like hitting a drive into the rough and losing a stroke. It just doesn't look like it. Deceptive. 

That all makes sense and you can see examples in Jimbo's compilations of some carelessness, slight mis-alignment and slight misreads.

 

Bumpy poa can also be a cause.

 

There is one type of miss though that no amount of carefulness or reset seems to help and that is the dreaded yips. Look at Lexi's putt above, barely lucky to even make contact with the ball, probably felt that an alien presence had taken control of her body, so jerky and so horrible to watch.

[Robert72]

During the second round of the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods four-putted the 1st green.

 

The golf world freaked.

 

Tiger’s response was more matter-of-fact.  “It’s just poa,” he said.

[Stooch]

3 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

Poa.

 

 

lol you sold me, I checked out the total of 3-putts Brooke has had this season caused I thought it was really high and 23 3-putts in 12 events is bad but in 9 of those events she had 7 3-putts total (and never more than 1 per event) in the other 3 events (2 in LA and the US Open) she had 16 3-putts lol

[Rapidcat]

15 minutes ago, Stooch said:

 

lol you sold me, I checked out the total of 3-putts Brooke has had this season caused I thought it was really high and 23 3-putts in 12 events is bad but in 9 of those events she had 7 3-putts total (and never more than 1 per event) in the other 3 events (2 in LA and the US Open) she had 16 3-putts lol

Good heavens.

[Rapidcat]

39 minutes ago, Robert72 said:

During the second round of the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Tiger Woods four-putted the 1st green.

 

The golf world freaked.

 

Tiger’s response was more matter-of-fact.  “It’s just poa,” he said.

So many great putters will never admit a poor putt is their fault. It's almost like a delusion to re-enforce their positivity and invincibility.

[Stooch]

1 minute ago, Rapidcat said:

So many great putters will never admit a poor putt is their fault. It's almost like a delusion to re-enforce their positivity and invincibility.

Yep, a 3-putts is the Poa ......... a 4-putt is all you 😂

[RainShadow]

LOL, I'm not watching any of those clips....

 

[HankScorpio]

I agree with everyone that it is likely the Poa greens, especially later in the day.

 

Or it could be just a brain cramp 😬

 

 

[pmcuk]

35 minutes ago, Rapidcat said:

So many great putters will never admit a poor putt is their fault. It's almost like a delusion to re-enforce their positivity and invincibility.

 

Yes - exactly that. It's a kind of denial, which helps keep your self confidence high. I know the feeling!

 

But it may have the downside of not putting enough focus into the putt. When you seriously play to win you carefully assess each stroke. Assuming, that is, you are keeping your nerves well under control. Kind of an icy cool concentration. 

[leekgolf]

My heart goes out to Lexi Thompson. She just struggles with shortish putts and it has cost her a number of times.