On the Telephone With Brian Gay

Originally Posted by Yoda
Brian tells me he is strongly sensing the Lag Pressure in the Right Forefinger (#3 Pressure Point) -- even more at the Nissan than last week -- and he is using the Magic of his Right Forearm to drive that Pressure directly toward the Ball. In his room after his rounds he drills with the dowels and a club, checking, for example, his On Plane alignmens, Flying Wedges and Extensor Action. As his Golf Stroke has become more and more precise, less energy is consumed fighting conflicting forces and more goes into the Clubhead Lag Pressure. And that is the name of the game.

Originally Posted by Yoda Was on the phone earlier this evening with PGA TOUR player Brian Gay, and I congratulated him on his recent fine play. The conversation went something like this...



Brian: Well, thanks there, Yoda. This TGM stuff is making a lot of sense, and I'll admit I have been hitting the ball better. Just haven't been making the putts.

Yoda: Brian, I must share something with you.

Brian: What's that, Green Thing?

Yoda: The latest stats are out and the jig is up: With an average of 27.37 Putts per Round, you now are officially ranked the #1 Putter on the PGA TOUR.

Brian: Really!

Yoda: Yep. 520 putts divided by 19 rounds equals 27.27 per round. Can't argue with the math.

Brian: Well, yeah, but that's just because I'm a good scrambler. How about my Putts per Green in Regulation?

Yoda: More bad news, Brian. At 1.677 per GIR, you're #2 in that category. And that 4th round at the Chrysler? The number was 1.429. You didn't miss anything under 10 feet. Outside that distance, you made one-third from 10-15 feet, half from 15-20 feet and two-thirds from 20-25 feet. Let's face facts, Brian: You're a good putter. You've made 75 birdies so far this year, one for every third green you've hit. That's better than David Toms, Davis Love, Stuart Appleby and Sergio Garcia, to name a few.

Brian: Okay, I guess I shouldn't be complaining about my putting. But, seriously, I do seem to be missing more lately.

Yoda: Brian, please. You shot 30 on the back nine Sunday on your way to a 66. Passed a lot of fine TOUR folk on your way to the pay window, too. You don't do that without making putts. But...I know your problem.

Brian: What's that?

Yoda: Did you look at your GIR stats at the Chrysler Tuscon?

Brian: Not yet. I got in from Tuscon about 1:30 AM, logged onto LBG to check the latest, then hit the sack.

Yoda: You're sitting down, right?

Brian: Of course, I'm in the car headed to Doral.

Yoda: Good. At Tuscon, you averaged 14 greens per round. The final round was even better, 77.8 percent.

Brian: Really! My average last year was 62.3 percent.

Yoda: That was last year, Brian...last year.

Brian: So, I'm hitting more greens, and that makes me feel like I'm missing more putts, even though I'm making more than anybody else?

Yoda: Something like that. But it gets worse.

Brian: Whazzupp?

Yoda: Your Driving stats.

Brian: Naah, I'm short.

Yoda: Not any more. Your 4th round average was 316 yards.

Brian: Really! You know, now that you mention it, I have been hitting it further.

Yoda: Yes you have, and that has had more than a little something to do with the four eagles you've made on the 5-pars this year. Not to mention last week's double eagle at the Nissan, the first on the PGA TOUR this year. But...I have more bad news.

Brian: I can hardly wait.

Yoda: You hit 85.7 percent of the fairways.

Brian: Really!

Yoda: Yeah, it's a nightmare: You're long and straight off the tee. You hit a ton of greens. And statistically, you're the best putter on the PGA TOUR.

Brian: Hmmm...that's pretty interesting stuff there, Yoda. I've been out here eight years. Maybe things are starting to turn my way.

Yoda: It's you, Brian. You've put in the time. You've done the work. Now comes the reward.

Brian: Hey, gotta go, Green Thing...I'm turning into the parking lot and the Blue Monster's waiting. Anything else I should be doing?

Yoda: Deltoid exercises, Brian. You gotta start working the delts. Those trophies are heavy. And you never want the guys behind the cameras see you sweat.

Originally Posted by Yoda Next year, Mathew?

How about next month!

Winged Foot.

The United States Open Championship at Winged Foot.

Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Warp speed.

Originally Posted by Yoda
Brian Gay made six -- double bogey -- on his first hole at this week's Byron Nelson.

He followed it with a birdie.

But two more bogies followed and he turned in 37 -- three-over on the Par 34 front side of the very tough Cottonwood Valley Golf Club. The PGA TOUR is the Land of the Meateaters, and three-over after the first nine holes can make for a short week.

Gut-check time.

Birdies on the 11th and 14th followed. And then the eagle three on the par five 16th.

37-32 = 69.

Another 69 followed on Friday and then 68 today.

In a field that began with 144 of the best players in the world and starting with double bogey six, Brian goes into the final round tied for 18th.

When we began our day together in Atlanta on Monday, I asked him what he was working on.

"Same things."

"What do you like best about what we've done?"

"It's simple."

Doesn't sound much like The Golfing Machine, does it?

Good luck tomorrow, Brian. You've earned your spurs, and you've waited your turn.

Good things lie ahead.