Yes, It's the L-to-L Drill Again! (Video)

Yes, it's back! I try to at least mention the L-to-L drill every once in a while, simply because it's the best single drill you can do to build a bulletproof swing with speed and balance. It works with every club in the bag. And since Mike Malaska decided to do another short video about it, I'm posting it again. Don't underestimate the value of this simple drill!

Twofer Tuesday: Hero World Challenge

Twofer Tuesday goes for the gimme at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.

Tiger won't be in the field — he withdrew Monday because he has plantar fasciitis in his right foot. But that won't stop me from making a couple of picks this week.

I know what you're thinking. "Mike, you should be making picks from the Australian Open field." And you know, you're probably right. But I'm no dummy, folks. There are only 20 players in the field this week, which means that no matter who I pick, I'm getting at least two Top20s.

That's right, friends. I'm using this week to pad my stats. I've been a relatively good boy this year so I'm calling it my Christmas present to myself!

Here are my two picks:

• Jon Rahm
• Justin Thomas

GC's live coverage starts Thursday at 1:30pm ET. Don't worry — I'll be checking out the Australian Open this week. But the Hero is simply a fun event... and I intend to have fun padding my stats.

The Two DP World Tour Events

This isn't a Limerick Summary like I normally do on Monday, simply because I didn't even realize golf was being played this weekend. Between the Thanksgiving holiday over here in America, the World Cup (unless the USA wins against Iran today, I think we're out) and the other various things I had going on this weekend, I didn't realize the DP World Tour even had any events going on!

But I wanted to make sure I gave some space to the winners -- there were TWO events this past weekend!

First up -- and the biggest event of the two in my opinion — Cam Smith won his 3rd Fortinet Australian PGA Championship. This is part of the Australian Triple Crown of Golf, which includes this event, the Australian Open (that's next week) and the Australian Masters (which is no longer begin played, at least not since 2015).

And with this win, Cam Smith puts himself into some rarified air. There are players who have won more, and I believe Kel Nagle's 6 wins are the most — unless you count Dan Soutar's 7 wins (3 @ match play, 4 @ stroke play) over a century ago when it was the Australian Golf Union Championship. It's not unreasonable to think that Cam can win even more... and he won this one in bad weather that stopped the event twice on Sunday. Not bad, young man!

The other winner was Dan Bradbury, who picked up his first DP World Tour title at the Joberg Open. He won the event by 3 strokes, which is pretty impressive when you realize he just turned professional this summer.

It's worth mentioning both of these players not just because they won but because they're both headed for THE OPEN this coming summer. Cam would have been there in any case since he's the defending champion and being a LIV Golf player doesn't automatically rule him out over in Europe. And as much as I hate what LIV is doing to the golf world, I do agree that if an event is truly an Open and anybody can go through a qualifications process to get in, then LIV golfers should be able to get in through those qualifications.

At this point I realize there's some contention over what those qualifications should be, but Cam's qualifications seem pretty solid to me.

And for Dan to get in the way he did... well, that just plain deserves some applause!

I'll be doing a Limerick Summary next week since I know (at the very least) to look for the Australian Open. But I have to admit, I never thought I'd EVER have a weekend so busy that I'd forget golf. I can't even remember the last time THAT happened!

Pete Cowen's Bunker Drill (Video)

Chris Ryan says he learned this bunker drill from the great Pete Cowen. Do you really need another reason to watch this video?

Synchronizing Your Upper and Lower Body (Video)

I understand that, for a lot of you, this video will contradict much of what you've been trying to do. But this is more of a traditional approach to the golf swing and it worked for Jack Nicklaus, so why not at least try it? Too many players try to spin their hips too fast in hopes of getting more distance, but that's also a good way to hurt your back. Mike Malaska demonstrates the basics of what Jack did... and he wasn't short off the tee by anybody's measurement.

Solid Contact When Your Attack Angle Changes (Video)

While Alex says this drill helps you square the clubface — and I can see how it could do that — what this drill actually does is teach you to adjust how steeply you attack the ball with various irons. Short irons need a steeper angle of attack than medium or long irons, and this drill gives you a visual of how steep each should be. I like it when a teacher makes it easier to visualize what you want, and this drill certainly does that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here in America it's Thanksgiving, a national holiday. But those of you in the rest of the world are welcome to enjoy our holiday as well. 

The Backloader Drill (Video)

If you're having trouble getting a good feel to your backswing, this is a great drill to help you create a good backswing position by creating motion with your followthrough. If you've never tried it, it can give you a whole new perspective on how good a backswing can feel.

4 Simple Strategy Tips to Cut Strokes (Video)

Alex Elliott has been using these four tips during competitive rounds to cut several strokes off his score. They're not hard and you can put them into use immediately. Can you afford to ignore his advice and not try them?

The Limerick Summary: 2022 RSM Classic

Winner: Adam Svensson

Around the wider world of golf: Lydia Ko won the Rolex POY, the Vare Trophy and the CME Group Tour Championship on the LPGA all in one fell swoop; Jon Rahm won the DP World Tour Championship but Rory McIlroy won the Race to Dubai; and Aaron Wilkin won the QLD PGA Championship on the Australasian Tour.

Did I even have a Twofer Tuesday pick this week? I had Tony Finau (DNP) and Mackenzie Hughes (MC). I thought Tony was scheduled to play and Mackenzie struggled. I suppose this is an appropriate finish to the official events for me. Still, with five winners, not a bad season.

• Top10s: 34 for 113 (21 Top5, 13Top10)
• Winners: 5 for 57
• Top20s: 51 for 113

One quote from Adam Svensson really stood out to me:

"To be honest, it's not even real right now," Svensson said when he finished. "I'm so happy. I put so much work in. To win on the PGA TOUR means everything to be me. ... I just kept believing in myself, and here I am."

The win means everything. It's definitely a career changer. Svensson was in his third season... and this win guarantees him two more, plus all the money and perks that go with a win.

I don't care what anybody says. The bling matters.

So I'll add my little Limerick Summary to the Canadian's substantial pile of bling from St. Simons Island. It'll be a nice holiday season at the Svensson household.

The cold must have been a good thing
For Canada’s new golfing king.
Cold? Svensson was not—
For three days, he was hot!
And his first Tour win means everything.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

How 3-Wood Loft Works (Video)

I'm impressed with this video. This is the first easy-to-understand explanation I've seen of how you alter the attack angle of a 3-wood to produce the most effective flight for the shot you want to play. Plus it's got drills to help you practice! A great video for helping you master this club.

The Foot Back Drill (Video)

I may have posted something like this a month or so ago, I can't remember. But it's such a useful drill that I'm posting this new super-short video as well. At the very least, it's a good way to track down path problems with your swing.

Why Your Driver Strike Pattern Matters (Video)

Ali Taylor says you'll get more consistent performance from your driver if you understand your impact pattern. And if you don't understand it, you could get a custom fitted driver that doesn't perform the same way on the course that it did at the fitting. Useful knowledge for understanding your game!

The DP World Tour Championship

The DP World Tour plays its finale this week... and there will be a new champion this time around.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa withdrew from the event on Monday because of unspecified "upcoming personal commitments." Doesn't sound like injury, but it shouldn't affect the outcome since he's not really in position to win again this year.

Another notable player who won't be playing – although it isn't a surprise – is Will Zalatoris, who is #6 in the rankings but is still out with back problems.

That leaves the field pretty wide open, although Rory McIlroy and Ryan Fox are the favorites. If either wins, they take it all.

GC's live coverage starts TODAY at 6am ET. This should be a tightly contested event because so many of the players seem to be in top form coming in.

Injuries Are a Storyline at the CME Group Tour Championship

The LPGA's last event of 2022 is a big finale... but some of the top players are fighting injury in their attempts to win the LPGA's top non-major prize.

The CME Group Tour Championship is where a lot of prestige awards get settled, but some are already decided, Minjee Lee has the ANNIKA Major Award and the Aon Risk Reward Challenge, and Atthaya Thitikul won the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. But the Money Title, Rolex LPGA Player of the Year and Vare (scoring) Trophy will have to wait until Sunday before we know who gets those.

And like I said, some of the top players are playing hurt. Jin Young Ko is playing with a wrist injury and Brooke Henderson with a back injury. Both players are taking it easy in the lead up to Thursday, hoping to nurse their injuries through the final event without causing further damage. After all, there's two months without an event before the 2023 season begins — time that can be used for therapy.

Perhaps the most confusing thing — or least confusing, depending on your point of view — is that the season-long race for points only determined who qualified for this event. The points are now wiped out and the winner of the event takes it all. Which means Pornanong Phatlum, the last player to make the field, can win it all with a good showing this week.

So who feels the most pressure this week? It's a good question! But now you know why the hurt players are teeing it up.

GC's live coverage of the event starts Thursday at 3pm ET. (If you can get it, there's an extra hour streaming at 2pm ET.) With so many storylines at play, we should get a great finale to the season!

Twofer Tuesday: RSM Classic

Twofer Tuesday leaves Houston TX for the Sea Island Resort in St. Simons Island GA to catch the last official PGA Tour event of 2022, the RSM Classic.

Another defending champion won't defend this week as Talor Gooch was one of those players who headed to LIV Golf. But that just leaves the last official title of the year up for grabs.

And I do mean up for grabs. ALL of the Korn Ferry Tour grads committed to the event and will get one last chance at a title before 2023. They will, of course, have to deal with Tony Finau -- who, as we sometimes say here in the Southeastern US, laid a hurtin' on the field in Houston. And there are other previous winners of this event in the field as well. Don't forget that a number of Tour players live on St. Simons Island and just might have a little advantage.

So I'm going for some proven winners this week. Will it work out for me? Got no idea. But let's give it a try, shall we?

• Tony Finau
• Mackenzie Hughes

GC's live coverage starts Thursday at noon ET, and PGA TOUR LIVE will start streaming at 9:30pm ET on ESPN+. I can't even pretend that this is the biggest event of the week -- both the LPGA and the DP World Tour are playing their Tour Championships. But this event frequently results in a playoff, which tells you the guys are competing really hard, so it's worth tuning in for a look.

The Limerick Summary: 2022 Cadence Bank Houston Open

Winner: Tony Finau

Around the wider world of golf: Nelly Korda successfully defended her title at the Pelican Women's Championship on the LPGA; Padraig Harrington blitzed the field to win the Charles Schwab Cup Championship but Steven Alker won the yearlong Cup race; Tommy Fleetwood won the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour; Andrew Martin won the Victorian PGA Championship on the Australasian Tour; Chiara Noja won the Aramco Team Series Jeddah on the LET; and Andy Ogletree won the International Series Egypt on the Asian Tour.

My Twofer Tuesday picks struggled in the wind and cold. I had Scottie Scheffler (T9) and Sam Burns (WD). Well, at least I got 1 Top10.

• Top10s: 34 for 111 (21 Top5, 13Top10)
• Winners: 5 for 56
• Top20s: 51 for 111

The tale of the tape, as they say, is simple: Tony Finau led or co-led every round at the Houston Open this past week, despite all kinds of weather changes like cold and wind and potential threats from Hurricane Nicole. Then he outlasted the entire field coming down the stretch. At one point he was eight strokes ahead.

Ultimately he won by four. Still pretty dominant, don't you think?

This was his fifth PGA Tour victory and his third victory in just seven starts. which means he's had three Limerick Summaries in his last seven starts. I'm pretty sure that's the kind of winning pace that ultimately sends guys to the top of the OWGR.

Okay, he's not there yet. But that doesn't mean he won't make it soon... !

Through the week he got farther ahead
And he left the whole field filled with dread
‘Cause his game was so bold.
Through the wind and the cold
Tony played like a real thoroughbred.

The photo came from this page at golfweek.usatoday.com.

Getting a Higher Driver Launch (Video)

Here's a trick to help you launch your tee shots higher, getting more carry and more overall distance. It's simple and doesn't require complicated technique changes, so you might want to give it a try and see if it helps.

Another Split Hand Grip Drill (Video)

A few weeks ago I posted a split hand grip drill that Rory uses but that video link is no longer good. So here's a new one that Mike Malaska posted to help you learn the same move.

You Need More Time to Create Clubhead Speed (Video)

There is plenty of evidence to show that you can create more clubhead speed with a slower overall swing. But the cool thing about this video is that Ali Taylor shows you two swings side-by-side so you can see why this seeming contradiction is true. This video just might change your approach to your swing!

The Final Champions Tour Event of 2022

It's time. The Champions will determine the season-long winner of the Charles Schwab Cup as well as the winner of the final event of 2022, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

Just as it used to be on the PGA Tour, there are often two winners at the Champions' Tour Championship. There's a winner of the event (which—no surprise—will not be defended by last year's winner Phil Mickelson). And then there's the winner of the Charles Schwab Cup itself (their equivalent of the FedExCup) which—again, no surprise—was won last year by Bernhard Langer for his 6th time.

It's a very different picture this year.

There are only two players with a realistic chance to win the Cup, Steven Alker and Padraig Harrington. And to be honest, even if Padraig wins the event, it's still very likely that Alker will win the Cup. (Yes, he's been that good this season.) But Padraig HAS to win just to have a chance at the Cup, so we should see some serious competition.

GC's live coverage starts TODAY (Thursday) at 4pm ET. since the event is played in Phoenix this may be fairly early in the round.

The Penultimate LPGA Event of 2022

The CME Tour Group Championship is next week... but the girls have one last chance to jockey for position at the Pelican Women's Championship.

Next year it'll be known as "The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican" but this year it's still just the Pelican Women's Championship. It's only the third playing of this event, thus far won by Sei Young Kim and Nelly Korda.

I mention jockeying for position simply because there are so many things still up for grabs at the Pelican this week — last chance to make the Top60 for next week's Tour Championship, get a shot at the Rolex Player of the Year, or maybe win the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year. It's all pretty tight right now.

Brittany Lincicome comes back from maternity leave this week, Jin Young Ko makes her return to an American venue after the wrist problems, and Hye-Jin Choi has to win or Atthaya Thitikul locks up the Rookie of the Year Award.

GC's live coverage begins Thursday at 10am ET. With so many tours rounding out their seasons this month, this is shaping up to be one of the more interesting.

Twofer Tuesday: Cadence Bank Houston Open

Twofer Tuesday makes the short trip north of the border from Mexico to Texas for the Cadence Bank Houston Open.

While a lot of players will be headed down Texas way this week, defending champion Jason Kokrak isn't one of them. Jason opted for LIV Golf so we'll be getting a new champion this week.

But Memorial Park Golf Course will be a familiar track for most of the field, this being its third year hosting the event since returning as the long-running tournament's host. A par 70 course measuring 7412 yards, it has five par3s and three par5s. To be blunt, it's a challenging track.

My picks should play well this week, I keep telling myself that, anyway...

• Scottie Scheffler
• Sam Burns

GC's live coverage starts Thursday at 1pm ET, and PGA TOUR LIVE starts at 7:30am ET exclusively on ESPN+. There's only one more full field event this season after Houston so we should see some serious play this week. FedExCup points are still on everyone's mind!

The Limerick Summary: 2022 World Wide Technology Championship

Winner: Russell Henley

Around the wider world of golf: Gemma Dryburgh got her first LPGA win at the TOTO Japan Classic; Bernhard Langer got his 44th Champions Tour win at the TimberTech Championship; George Coetzee won the PGA Championship on the Sunshine Tour; Jazz Janewattananond won the International Series Morocco on the Asian tour; and Ting-Hsuan Huang won the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship.

Given how unpredictable this event can be, my Twofer Tuesday picks didn't do too bad. I had Viktor Hovland (T10) and Aaron Wise (T15). I'll take it!

• Top10s: 33 for 109 (21 Top5, 12Top10)
• Winners: 5 for 55
• Top20s: 50 for 109

Russell Henley had developed a reputation for not finishing tournaments. The last five times he had at least part of the 54-hole lead, he couldn't get it done.

This time he did. He started with a six-shot lead and he finished ahead by four. He tied the tournament record with the win. That's good playing in anybody's book! And he credited the win to what he learned in all those losses. That's perspective!

It's Russell's fourth PGA Tour win and his first since 2017... which I guess gives him similar numbers on his Limerick Summary count. Not bad, Russ, not bad!

Russell led on the last day by six;
In the past, leads and wins had not mixed.
But this time, Russell knew
He could see the thing through
‘Cause the past losses taught him some tricks.

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

Shallowing the Club (Video)

In case you have trouble with tipping the clubhead forward on your downswing, Russell has a simple explanation of why you do it and a drill to help you stop. Just be clear about one thing: This is NOT the same thing as Jack Nicklaus's flying elbow. Just so you know...

Just Like Throwing a Ball...? (Video)

I think this video might challenge your ideas about how your wrists cock during your swing, But if you can understand how Mike Malaska is comparing a golf swing to how you throw a ball, this could make a huge difference in how easy you find it to square the clubface. Watch this short video as many times as necessary to understand it, because it's all about how you feel your golf swing!

Changing Shot Shape with Ball Position (Video)

There's more than one way to shape your golf shots, and Ali Taylor describes one way to do it -- by changing ball position. Note that he says you first have to learn to square the clubface -- which is something you have to learn no matter what method of shot shaping you use, and something I talk about a lot on this blog -- and then you can change your shot shape by moving the ball in your stance. Again, it's not the only way to do it but this is a good explanation of how the process works.

Just One More Event Before the Charles Schwab Cup

Just a reminder that the Charles Schwab Cup is almost decided.

If Steven Alker manages to defend this week at the TimberTech Championship, he wins the Charles Schwab Cup. All he's got to do is beat 49 other guys. Piece of cake, right?

Obviously that's not a given. We're down to the top players on the Champions Tour and players like Padraig Harrington, Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly will want to say something about that. Still, Alker's got a huge lead in the Cup and I think he's got it if he just plays decent the next two weeks.

GC's coverage starts Friday night at 6:30pm ET. This is one of three tours to finish their seasons this month, so it's going to be a very interesting November!

It's Baaaaak!

It's been three years since the TOTO Japan Classic was played as an LPGA event. That changes this week!

Perhaps no LPGA tournament was more affected by the pandemic than the TOTO Japan Classic. While the event was played in 2020 and 2021, neither was LPGA sanctioned, only JLPGA. So we have two defending champions in the field. While Ai Suzuki is the defending LPGA champ (2019), Ayaka Furue is the defending JLPGA champion (2021).

And while Jiyai Shin isn't a defending champion, she is the 2020 JLPGA champion. All three are in the field.

LPGA.com put the basics of this event in perspective:

The 72-hole event boasts a $2 million purse with no cut contested by a field of 42 of LPGA’s best and 36 JLPGA players.

Atthaya Thitikul is making her first appearance anywhere as the Rolex #1, and there are still seven players with a chance to win the Rolex Player of the Year Award. There's a lot at stake this week!

Because this event is in Japan, GC's live coverage begins Wednesday (TONIGHT!) at 11pm ET. It's gonna be nice to see this event back on the LPGA schedule.

And remember: After this event, there are only TWO left on the 2022 LPGA schedule.

Twofer Tuesday: World Wide Technology Championship

Twofer Tuesday hops from Bermuda to Mayakoba (that's in Mexico) for the World Wide Technology Championship.

He's baaaaack! Viktor Hovland is looking to threepeat this year at Mayakoba, something that hasn't happened anywhere since Steve Stricker's threepeat at the John Deere Classic (2009-2011). But Hovland continues to play well and he absolutely loves Mayakoba. He's definitely one to watch.

The El Camaleón course is... well, I'm just going to let PGATOUR.com explain it:

El Camaleón Golf Course at Mayakoba, par 71, 7,034 yards. There are three separate Mayan Rivera landscapes golfers traverse at Mayakoba: stretches on the oceanfront, tropical jungle, and mangroves. Birdies come in bunches at Mayakoba, with the winning score averaging at 20 under since 2013.

This course is very different from what the guys face most weeks. Different landscapes, different grass (Paspalum), and reasonably short — par-71, 7034 yards. Big greens, primary rough just over 2" and lots of penalty areas if you miss the fairways.

My picks are pretty simple:

• Viktor Hovland
• Aaron Wise

GC's live coverage begins Thursday at 3pm ET. One more thing: Scottie Scheffler is in the field and, with a win, he's got a chance to regain the #1 spot in the OWGR from Rory McIlroy. It's worth keeping an eye on.