Big Play With Michael Breed

WHO: Tiger Woods

WHAT: 191-yard knockdown five-iron to eight feet

WHERE: 456-yard par-4 14th hole at Royal Liverpool

WHEN: Final round of the British Open

WHY

Woods's unmatched arm and upper-body strength give him shots no one else has. One is the 275-yard stinger two-iron tee shot that helped him hit 48 of 56 fairways at Royal Liverpool. (His next-best total this year is 39 of 56, at Bay Hill.) Another is the knockdown approach shot. Because of his Popeye-like forearms Woods can reduce the rotation of the clubhead during the follow-through and delay the release of the club. That allows him to hit the low and straight approaches we saw last week, including the laser at 14 on Sunday that set up the birdie that gave him a two-shot lead over Chris DiMarco.

MICHAEL'S TIP

Go Under a Branch For a Knockdown

A modified address is the key to the knockdown shot. Put extra weight over your lead leg, and play the ball a bit farther back in your stance (A). Also choke down a little on the grip. During the swing keep most of your weight over the lead leg and make an abbreviated follow-through (B). Practice the knockdown by hitting seven-irons under a real or imaginary tree limb that's eight feet off the ground and 10 yards away.

Michael Breed teaches at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, N.Y.