The 2008 Wachovia Championship Preview & Golf Tips
TV Coverage
Click here to watch the video analysis of the Leaders This tournament certainly has the briefest history as it has only existed since 2003. This is a far cry from previous tournaments tournaments dating back to the 1920’s and 30’s. It has had a great run over the first 5 years with David Toms winning the inaugural event and Tiger Woods winning the 5 year anniversary event last year. In between those two great champions the other winners were Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, and the only surprising winner Joey Sindelar. This speaks very highly of this event as it has been won by the top players. It means the course is challenging and rewards the best players in the field. The Wachovia Championship also caught a break when they moved the Players Championship to May. This means a lot of the top players will use this event as a tune up for the unofficial 5th Major. This means that it should be a terrific event with a great field. The only problem is that Tiger will not be defending his title as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery. However the field is full of great players: 
There are a host of other players that could find themselves battling it out for the championship. It should make for a great weekend of golf. Quail Hollow This is a beautiful parkland layout that is a par 72 layout that stretches to 7442 yards. It was originally designed by George Cobb in 1961. Cobb’s layout was so good that it hosted the Kemper Open for many years before it moved to Washington, DC. It has been tweaked a couple of times by Arnold Palmer in 1985 and Tom Fazio in 1997. There are many people who now think that this is a potential US Open site. A great course will always attract the great players. The key to playing well will be the tee ball. The course is heavily tree lined, long, and has shape. This means there will be many occasions where the players will need to hit draws and fades to get their ball to land in the proper part of the fairway. Hitting the fairway will obviously help with their approach shots to the green. Course management will also be very important and fun to watch. There are many risk reward holes that if a couple of players are close going down the stretch, we may say see them force each other’s hand with the tee shot selection. For example, number 14 is a drivable par 4 but with all kinds of trouble around the green. It should be fun to watch each player try and stick to their game plan I hope you enjoy the 2008 Wachovia Championship. Please remember to check back here before the start of the 3rd round for the Lessons from the Leaders. This will help you develop your game while watching a great tournament. Click here to watch the video analysis of the Leaders Return to the Home Page from The 2008 Wachovia Championship
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PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Steve Stricker on his victory at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
I believe the commentators said he has won 9 times in his 40s. That is amazing!I also agree with Sir Nick and Johnny Miller that his swing will be copied in the future. Technology has reduced the need for hand action in the golf swing to generate power. Watch the old videos of Bobby Jones to see how much action he created compared to that of Steve Stricker.
A great objective for any player is to eliminate any unnecessary movement. Stricker does a great job of that. His hands stay very quiet on the backswing. His wrists hardly hinge at the top of his backswing. You can see from the above video that his backswing is all shoulder turn.
His downswing starts from the hips and he simply turns everything through the golf ball at the same time. His hands and wrists release naturally without any effort. This is a great way to have a consistent rhythm through the golf ball on every shot. This swing delivers enough power to win on Tour.
European Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen and his victory at the 2012 Africa Open.
Louis burst onto the scene with his dominating performance at the Open Championship. Many have predicted multiple wins for this player. His victory this past weekend is likely one of many to come.
In the video above pay really close attention to when the video ends. Take a look at his left foot. Notice how all his weight his on his left heel. This is a great sign that he has cleared his hips properly.
One of the key reasons for starting the downswing with your lower body is to clear your hips out of the way to create more room for your arms to swing through impact. It is a great indicator as to how well you cleared your hips, when almost all your weight is on your heel.
If your weight is leaning on you toes or even the middle of your foot then you have not rotated and cleared your hips enough through your downswing and past impact. You really want to feel the pressure of your weight on your heel like Oosthuizen.
Make sure you start your downswing with your lower body. At the top of your backswing; either pull your left knee or your left hip (right handed player) towards the target. Also make sure your hips keep rotating through impact and into your finish position with your weight on the heel.