2008 St Jude Championship Preview & Golf TipsStanford St Jude Championship 
Defending Champion: Woody Austin TV Coverage:
The St Jude Championship, formerly Classic, used to be a survival of the fittest as it was played in the brutal heat of the summer. Now it has been moved to the beginning of June, after a couple of years in May. This year the event is in a tough place on the schedule as most of the best players have been playing the last couple of weeks in the Colonial and the Memorial. A lot of them will now take a week off and head to Torrey Pines off next week’s US Open. Therefore, the field may not be at its strongest, but there will be enough players trying to use this event to try and springboard their confidence heading into next week. In the field this week is: 
TPC at Southwind 
This TPC venue plays as a 7244 yard par 70 layout. Like most courses these days they have made changes to toughen up the scoring for this tournament. Water hazards have been brought more into play. Landing areas have been tightened up for the tee shots. It will take good shot making to win this week. It may help player’s confidence heading into the US Open where shot making will be at even a larger premium. There are a few key holes that will make the telecast entertaining this weekend. With doglegs littering the front nine shaping tee shots will be important. That will help players get into the fairway to have a chance to score. The course really starts to get interesting at number 11. It looks like the 17th at Sawgrass. It plays 162 yards to an island green that has a pot bunker in the front. Right after that the players face another tough tee shot on the 406 yard par 4 12th. It is a short hole, but demands an accurate tee shot as a water hazard lines the right side and there are bunkers awaiting those that bail out left. The fun then continues on 17 and 18 with two great closing holes. The 17th is a downhill 490 yard par 4. It requires a long and accurate tee shot. If a player knocks it in the rough it will make the second shot much more difficult. The green is fronted by a creek crossing the fairway. There are also 6 bunkers that surround the putting surface. Hitting the fairway will be critical for hitting the green on the second shot. The finishing hole is a classic dogleg with water in play. It plays 453 yards long and will be very demanding, especially to close out the tournament. A shaped drive to hit the fairway and avoid the water comes first. Then a precise second shot that must avoid the creek that follows the hole to only a medium sized green. Like most TPC courses it is a great spectator venue with mounds and grandstands to create an amphitheatre atmosphere for the players and fans. I hope you enjoy the 2008 Sanford St Jude Championship. Please remember to check back here for my Tour Tips of the leaders before the start of the third round. Return to the Home Page from the St Jude 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.