The Limerick Summary: 2023 API

Winner: Kurt Kitayama

Around the wider world of golf: Nico Echavarria won the Puerto Rico Open, the alternate field event on the PGA Tour; after a year fighting injuries, Jin Young Ko defended her title at the HSBC Women's World Championship on the LPGA; David Toms on the Cologuard Classic on the Champions Tour; Lily May Humphreys won the Joburg Ladies Open on the LET; Agathe Laisne won the Florida's Natural Charity Classic on the Epson Tour; Brendan Jones won the 102nd NZ Open on the Asian Tour; and Mathilde Claisse won the individual title and LSU the team title at the NCAA's Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.

Well... it wasn't the win I hoped for but my Twofer Tuesday picks did pretty well at Bay Hill. I had Scottie Scheffler (T4) and Patrick Cantlay (T4). Two Top5s in one event? That's a cause for celebration!

• Top10s: 7 for 18 (6 Top5s 1 Top10)
• Winners: 2 for 9 events
• Top20s: 8 for 18

Well, the Arnold Palmer Invitational didn't have the weather drama the ladies had to deal with in Singapore, where rain came down so hard that the greens went from dry land to inland lakes in literally the time it took to walk from the tee to the green. But Bay Hill always brings the hurt in its own way, and Sunday's final round was a great example.

Until the pros managed to get to the 17th tee, we weren't even sure which pros had the best chance to win. For example, Jordan Spieth was -10 when he left the 13th green, only to fall two short of Kitayama's -8 winning score by the end. Rory McIlroy was -9 leaving the 13th, only to come up one short at the end. Players shuffled in and out of contention as fast as the balls zipping across the putting green.

And it wasn't as if Kurt didn't try to help them win. After a triple on the 9th it looked as if he was done for the week — and added to Saturday's double on the 4th, he probably should have been. But Kurt proved the old saying that golf is a game played on the five-inch fairway between your ears. Playing the last three holes in -2, he took the event by the throat and walked away with the Red Sweater and his first-ever win on the PGA Tour.

And the API is quite a win to pick up anytime, let alone for your first one!

I don't know how he'll do at THE PLAYERS next week — it's hard to follow up any win the next week — but I wouldn't be too quick to write him off. Kurt just picked up one hell of a Limerick Summary and, when he's that tough mentally, there's no telling what he might do next!

Though doubles and triples abound
At Arnie’s Place, Kurt hung around
Outlasting the best
(Everyone made a mess!)—
So he ended up sweatered, not crowned.

The photo came from this page at golfchannel.com.

Putter Design Basics (Video)

Nowadays buying a new putter isn't so simple. There are a number of design variations that can affect how a putter feels and performs. So here's a primer on what features you should look for when buying a new putter.

Using the Bounce to Control Run on Your Chip Shots (Video)

You may not have realized it but yesterday's post from Mike Malaska taught you how to use the bounce on your wedge from a thin or perfect lie. Today Alex Elliott takes it a step further. Not only does he teach you how to use the bounce from a less-than-perfect lie but he also teaches you how to control whether the ball runs out or stops quickly USING THE BOUNCE. This is a simple-to-understand explanation that I think will help you a lot!

Putt and Chip with the Same Grip (Video)

Another simple video. You've probably heard some teachers advocate chipping with your putting grip, but Mike Malaska demonstrates how to practice it. Please note: He is NOT blading the ball or hitting it with the belly of his wedge. He is actually getting the ball airborne on the green! It sounds like a great way to gain confidence with your chipping, especially from tight lies where most of us tighten up.

The Trick You SHOULD Learn! (Video)

You know this trick... but did you know it can improve your ability to shape shots? In this :30 video Mike Malaska shows you how to use the 'bouncy trick' to improve your impact. Bear in mind that since you're constantly using your hands and wrists to control how the ball bounces, you're working on the face angle, the angle of attack, square impact and ultimately your ability to shape shots. All while having fun!

From Thailand to Singapore

The LPGA finishes its two-step Asian Swing in Singapore at the HSBC Women’s World Championship.

The HSBC is sometimes called "Asia's Major" but this week it may be more like a sauna bath. The temperature is expected to be in the low-80s F, windspeeds in the low teens... and nearly FOUR INCHES of rain is expected during the four-day event. This is compounded by the amount of rain the course has already endured. Director of Agronomy Andrew Johnston said, “This is the wettest season in more than 100 years with daily rain since October."

In other words, this course is going to play LONG.

As discouraging as that might sound, it's not deterring the players. The field is 66 players with no cut, and 17 of the Rolex Top20 are there to tee it up. This is the 15th anniversary of the event and everyone seems ready. Defending champion Jin Young Ko seems to have her game back in shape after that prolonged wrist injury last year, and the rest of the field is eager to take that big trophy away from her ASAP!

GC's live coverage starts TONIGHT (that's Wednesday here in the States) at 9:30pm ET. If you like courses that make the players work, you're probably going to love the Tanjong Course at Sentosa Golf Club this week. When all is said and done, it certainly sounds like the HSBC will have earned that reputation as Asia's Major!

Twofer Tuesday: API

Twofer Tuesday continues its Florida vacation at lovely Bay Hill CC and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

It's back to Arnie's Place for the fourth elevated event so far this year, which means most of the big names are here. Scottie Scheffler is back to try and make his second successful title defense of 2023, Jon Rahm is after his fourth PGA Tour title of 2023, and Rory will try to get his game back in winning form after a rough start here in the States.

Only ten players finished under par last year, and the last two playings of the API have handed the pros strong winds and rock-hard conditions. With no rain expected, temps in the high 80s-low 90s F and windspeeds averaging around 12mph, we could see similar conditions this time around.

Like the other elevated events, the field is so strong that it's mainly a question of who happens to have a bad week. I'm sure Jon Rahm will be the betting favorite again but Bay Hill has been a bit of a challenge for him so...

• Scottie Scheffler
• Patrick Cantlay

GC's live coverage begins Thursday at 2pm ET. PGA TOUR LIVE starts streaming at 7am ET (the schedule for all the streams is at this link). While my picks as a whole haven't done so well this year, I have picked 2 winners out of 8 possibles, which is nothing short of amazing for me. Let's see if I can get lucky again this week!