Billy Andrade has retooled his swing in search of more consistency, but it let him down on Sunday, costing him the Pennsylvania Classic

Courtesy of ESPN

By Brad Redding
One of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers

With all due respect to Dan Forsman, who eagled the 72nd hole, Billy Andrade lost the Pennsylvania Classic as much as Forsman won it. On the 10th hole of the final round Andrade missed right of the fairway with his tee shot and made a double bogey. On the par-5 15th he sailed a wedge from 115 yards over the green, leading to a bogey. Then, needing a birdie on the par-5 final hole to force a playoff, he again lost his tee shot (above) to the right, into a fairway bunker. He made par and lost by a stroke. All three misses were the result of a distinctive action that Andrade calls his slash -- taking the club outside the swing plane during his backswing to produce a power fade. Desperate to reduce his number of missed cuts, Andrade went to this swing in 2000. The problem is that he must manipulate the club on the downswing, and under pressure this motion can break down.

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BAG IT Andrade's trouble with his driver reminds me of my students who say, "I need a driver lesson." I tell them, "No, you need a more lofted club." Although most players think they swing better with a seven-iron than a driver, the reason a seven-iron goes straighter is because its extra loft imparts more backspin and less sidespin. My suggestion to players having trouble with the driver is to keep it in the bag and swing a more lofted club.

PRESSURE COOKER After winning his first tournament in 10 years, Forsman credited a long-ago moment with Jack Nicklaus for giving him the composure to sink his winning 22-foot eagle putt. It's a story from which we could all take a lesson. In the final round of the 1993 Masters, Forsman trailed leader Bernhard Langer by a shot when he dumped two balls into Rae's Creek at the par-3 12th. Forsman then told Nicklaus, his playing partner, that he was so tense he couldn't feel the club. Nicklaus responded by winking at Forsman and saying, "It's something, isn't it?" Following the Pennsylvania Classic, Forsman said, "He's the greatest ever, and even he has those moments where the club doesn't feel the same because of the pressure of the moment." This memory helped eased some of the stress for Forsman, who put a solid stroke on the left-to-right eagle putt -- unlike the tentative efforts he had made on missed birdie tries at 16 and 17.

CAPTAIN AMERICA Curtis Strange is the quintessential Ryder Cup captain. He's gritty. He's nasty. He's determined. And I think he will inspire his charges to play their best, which will be crucial for a U.S. side stocked with slumping players. My prediction: Led by Strange, the Americans will retain the Ryder Cup in a compelling competition.

Brad Redding is the director of instruction at Hartefeld National in Avondale, Pa., and one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 teachers.

Issue date: September 23, 2002