David Toms's wild final tee shot at the Wachovia led to a memorable snowman and illustrated how important his driving was on the other 71 holes
Courtesy of CBS |
By David Glenz
One of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers
One of the oldest clichés in golf is "Drive for show and putt for dough," but on today's PGA Tour the driver is a critical offensive weapon. Quail Hollow required long, accurate tee shots, and David Toms was up to the challenge -- until the very end. Toms bashed his way around the 7,396-yard course, averaging 297.9 yards a pop while tying for second in driving accuracy. His six-under 66 on Saturday was one of the best rounds on Tour this year, and on Sunday, Toms continued his aggressive play, not making a bogey through the first 17 holes. So what happened on the 18th tee, where he badly fanned his drive, which led to a quadruple-bogey 8? Toms's swing is all about timing. He perfectly matches the movement of the club with the coiling and unwinding of his body. Trying to protect a six-shot lead at 18, Toms made his most defensive swing of the tournament. Instead of the syrupy rhythm he had displayed all week, his arms quickened on the downswing, and with the handle moving well in front of his body, he hit a big block into the trees. The ensuing sloppiness shouldn't obscure what was otherwise a week of brilliant shotmaking.
David Glenz, 54, teaches at Crystal Springs Golf and Spa Resort in Hamburg, N.J., and is one of Golf Magazine's Top 100 Teachers.
Issue date: May 19, 2003
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