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!

The Limerick Summary: 2023 Honda Classic

Winner: Chris Kirk

Around the wider world of golf: Lilia Vu got her first LPGA win at the Honda LPGA Thailand; like Chris Kirk, Marcel Siem got his first win in 8 years at the Hero Indian Open on the DP World Tour; Dylan Mostert won the Nelson Mandela Bay Championship on the Sunshine Tour; Brett Coletta won the TPS Hunter Valley on the Australasian Tour; and Bohyun Park won the women's individual division of the NCAA's Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.

Finally! My Twofer Tuesday picks had mixed results this time but I can live with that. I had Sungjae Im (T42) and Chris Kirk (1). Im simply couldn't get it going, shooting only -2 for the week, but Kirk...

• Top10s: 5 for 16 (4 Top5s 1 Top10)
• Winners: 2 for 8 events
• Top20s: 6 for 16

It had been 8 years since Chris Kirk had last won a PGA Tour event, nearly 4 years since he left the Tour to try and win his battle with alcoholism. He had won four times on Tour before then but was on the verge of losing everything. It's not unusual for players to never make it back to the winner's circle after such a struggle.

But Kirk refused to be a casualty. And on Sunday he won a playoff at the Honda Classic for his fifth PGA Tour win, his largest winner's check ever, and perhaps the best feeling he's had yet in his 37 years of life.

How do you even begin to sum up all that has gone into a comeback like this? I simply don't know, and in his interview after the win Kirk was blunt about it — he didn't know how to sum it up either, beyond being grateful for the love of his family, the support of his team and his successful return to sobriety.

But I can give him a shiny new Limerick Summary to celebrate a journey that shows no sign of being finished. Congratulations, Chris!

As Honda’s long sponsorship ends,
Chris Kirk got it done and begins
A new resumé.
Though once gone astray,
Self-control may bring many more wins.

The photo came from this page at golfchannel.com.

Gear for High Handicappers (Video)

While you might not like the particular clubs that Golf Monthly is recommending in this video, learning the reasons why they chose these clubs might help you make better choices for your own bag.

Long Iron Techniques (Video)

Most of you know that you have to move a bit differently to hit the longer clubs in your bag, especially if you use a long iron or driving iron of some sort. In this video Russell Heritage covers some of the basics you need to know if you want to get that ball off the ground and carrying a good distance with a long iron.

The Hit It Straight Setup (Video)

Like Alex says, it's a little thing... but it may be all you need to do to straighten out those drives. He explains why closing the clubface can actually cause you to both slice and duckhook, and he shows you a simple way to eliminate both errors. It's a simple setup change and it's worth a try.

A Slightly Different Version of the L-to-L Drill (Video)

I always recommend the L-to-L drill to golfers, but I didn't know this particular version of the drill was popular with the pros. In this really short video Mike Malaska demonstrates the L-to-L drill done with the trail foot dropped back. He says this version is a good measure of whether you have certain necessary swing skills and that it helps develop them.

More Nighttime LPGA Golf

The LPGA is over in Thailand for the Honda LPGA Thailand, so we're gonna have some late night golf again!

Okay. Let me just make a list of the things I think are important for you to know.

• This is the first LPGA event in four weeks.
• This is also Nanna Koerstz Madsen's first time as a defending champion.
• The Siam Country Club in Chonbuti is once again the host for the event.
• Lydia Ko is making her first LPGA start of the year.
• And all of the Rolex Rankings Top10 are there except for Lexi Thompson.

GC's live coverage of this event begins TONIGHT (yes, Wednesday night) at 10pm ET. And it's a five-hour broadcast so we'll get to see quite a bit of the action. But I have to admit... I'm just happy that the LPGA is back in action.

Twofer Tuesday: Honda Classic

Twofer Tuesday scrambles from California to Florida for the Honda Classic.

It's time to brave the Bear Trap again. But as I understand it, PGA National has actually seen some bunkers either reduced or removed around the course, so we'll have to see if that really helps anybody or not. And considering that advance predictions are for reasonably good weather, there's no telling what kind of toll Jack's design will demand this time around. I'm inclined to believe the Golden Bear isn't in a charitable mood when it comes to this course!

Making picks this week has been a bit frustrating for an unusual reason. Usually I have too many choices available, but this time most of the players I had in mind aren't even teeing it up! Consequently, as I noted in my first sentence here, I've had to scramble a bit. Let's see if I get snakebit this week.

• Sungjae Im
• Chris Kirk

GC's live coverage begins Thursday at 2pm ET. PGA TOUR LIVE's streams begin at 6:45am ET (you can find the complete schedule at this link). While the Honda won't be an elevated event this year, I'm inclined to call that a good thing since we'll see some different winners this week. Let's give Rahmbo a rest, okay?

The Limerick Summary: 2023 Genesis Invitational

Winner: Jon Rahm

Around the wider world of golf: Bernhard Langer won the Chubb Classic on the Champions Tour, tying Hale Irwin's record win total; Thorbjørn Olesen won the Thailand Classic on the DP World Tour; Travis Smyth won the International Series Qatar on the Asian Tour; Jj Senekal won the SDC Open on the Sunshine Tour; David Micheluzzi won the TPS Sydney on the Australasian Tour; and Lydia Ko won the Aramco Saudi Ladies International on the LET.

My Twofer Tuesday picks did a little better this time around. I had Max Homa (2) and Adam Scott (65). Adam stumbled this week but I almost had another winner with Homa.

• Top10s: 4 for 14 (3 Top5s 1 Top10)
• Winners: 1 for 7 events
• Top20s: 5 for 14

Well, he's at it again. Jon Rahm picked up his third PGA Tour win of 2023, his sixth worldwide win in the last year. That's two of the PGA Tour 'elevated events' plus the DP World TOUR Championship. A total of four PGA Tour events (don't forget the Mexico Open last May) and two European events. The only Spaniard to ever win at Riviera.

Anyway you cut it, that's more events than any other player on Tour over the last 12 months.

And we haven't even got to the majors yet! But THE PLAYERS is only four weeks away...

I won't belabor this win, simply because I'm running out of superlatives to describe what Jon is doing. But I can give him another Limerick Summary and congratulations, so I'll let it go at that. Congrats, Jon!

That’s three wins this calendar year—
Does Jon have pros trembling in fear?
His total keeps mounting
(Six worldwide, and counting!)
And soon major time will be here!

The photo came from this page at golfchannel.com.

A Followthrough Drill (Video)

Here's a drill from Jonathan Kim-Moss to help you improve your leg action as you move into your followthrough. It will also help with your posture. Like most drills, remember that this may not be something you can do exactly as Jonathan is teaching; there's a flexibility component to this. But the basic concept can still help you improve your impact position.

Three Common Driver Faults (Video)

Different teachers explain techniques in different ways. Chris Ryan has his own way of describing the setup, takeaway and change of direction needed for hitting your driver long and straight, and it's possible that his explanation will clarify a key thought that other teachers haven't made clear to you. If you hear something that works for you, keep it; if you don't, just ignore it and try other things. You only make progress when you make your swing your own.

The Three-Ball Impact Drill (Video)

As you have no doubt guessed, I really love simple but effective drills. This one is a standout. You set up with three golf balls and you have a different swing thought for each ball. I was particularly impressed by the swing thought Alex uses on that third ball. Pay particular attention to that one.

A Drill for Solid Contact with Your Driver (Video)

Pretty simple concept, actually. We have a tendency to lunge at the ball from the top of the backswing, hit down instead of up with the driver, and then fall backward as we hit the ball. Alex has an easy drill to help fix all three of these 'death moves'... and you only have to 'drive' the ball about 3 feet to get the benefits! You've got to see it to believe it.

A Simple Swing Path Drill (Video)

This super-short video teaches a drill to help improve your swing path. Why would you want to improve your swing path? Because the more consistent your swing path is, the more consistently you'll hit the ball out of the middle of the clubface. And do I really have to repeat all the good things that does for you, like add distance and accuracy? 'Nuff said.

Twofer Tuesday: Genesis Invitational

Twofer Tuesday scrambles over to Riviera to see Tiger tee it up at the Genesis Invitational.

I normally post a photo of the defending champion but I was torn this time. Joaquin Niemann won wire-to-wire last year but won't be there because he went to LIV, and Tiger is such big news this time around... well, my apologies to Joaquin.

No, I'm not taking Tiger as one of my picks but this is a big deal. It's been a while since he played, and we don't know how that planar fasciitis is going to be...

Anyway, this is also the third of the elevated events this season so we've got another stacked field. And with Tiger teeing it up as well, this looks to be another monster event like the Phoenix Open was last week. (Maybe not so many people but I bet it'll have a bigger crowd than normal.)

Okay, on to my picks. I've got so many potential picks this week I don't know what to do. I'm going to mention three picks — we'll see if I'm still stuck in that rut I mentioned yesterday -- but only two count. Here we go:

• Max Homa
• Adam Scott

Even I knew I was going to pick Homa. I was also seriously considering Justin Thomas this time, based on his strong finish last week, but I'm going to go for Adam Scott instead. He's the all-time money winner at this event. We'll see how this plays out.

GC's live coverage begins Thursday at 4pm ET. PGA TOUR LIVE starts streaming at 9:30am ET (you can find their schedule here). I'm really excited to see how Tiger plays this week because Riviera is a challenge to walk and that's been his (pardon the pun) Achilles heel lately. With the huge prize pool, there's a lot to look forward to!

The Limerick Summary: 2023 WM Phoenix Open

Winner: Scottie Scheffler

Around the wider world of golf: Ockie Strydom won the Singapore Classic on the DP World Tour; Rhein Gibson won the Astara Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour; Stephen Ames won the Trophy Hassan II on the Champions Tour; Maja Stark won the Lalla Meryem Cup on the LET; Takumi Kanaya won the International Series Oman on the Asian Tour; Oliver Bekker won the Dimension Data Pro-Am on the Sunshine Tour; and Michael Hendry won the Vic Open on the Australasian Tour.

My Twofer Tuesday picks feel like a badly twisted version of the Monte Hall Paradox. (If you don't know what that is, just look it up. It's a classic statistics puzzle named after a famous American game show host. Simply put, there are three choices and the unpicked third choice is usually the winner.) I had Rory McIlroy (T32) and Jon Rahm (3). At the Sentry, Rahm was my third choice; at the Farmers, Homa was my third choice; this week, Scheffler was my third choice... and all three won! I've got to figure out how to beat this version of the paradox.

• Top10s: 3 for 12 (2Top5,s 1 Top10)
• Winners: 1 for 6 events
• Top20s: 4 for 12

Scottie Scheffler came in as the defending champion, into a field that was now LOADED with top players since the Phoenix Open was the first full field event of the new 'elevated' events. Even when the event didn't draw as many top players, it was difficult to repeat as winner.

Scottie made it look easy.

Jon Rahm tried to catch him, he really did. So Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Sungjae Im, Sam Burns, Tyrrell Hatton... the list goes on. Even up-and-comer Nick Taylor (he grabbed solo 2nd) and resurgent Rickie Fowler (T10) were making moves. But Scottie was unfazed and finished two shots clear of Taylor, his closest competitor.

This was big for Scheffler. It's easy to forget that this event was his first PGA Tour victory just a year ago, the one that began that crazy run to his Masters win and World #1. Well, now he's #1 again with his fifth PGA Tour win and his fifth Limerick Summary. Man, what a way to finish off a Super Bowl weekend!

He’s back on the top of the heap—
It’s a title he’s anxious to keep!
And with back-to-back wins
Scottie’s face is all grins
As he caps off his Super Bowl week!

The photo came from this page at pgatour.com.

2023 Utility Irons (Video)

Maybe most of you won't be interested in this equipment but, if you're in that "better player" category, you may be looking for a utility iron. These are forged irons, not your standard game improvement models, so be realistic when you consider one of these!

Using the Moe Norman Setup as a Drill (Video)

No doubt many of you have heard some teachers recommend legendary golfer Moe Norman's unusual setup — with the clubhead set on the ground about 18 inches behind the ball — as a way to improve accuracy. But I believe this is the first time I've seen it used as a drill to help you stop standing up at impact! It's a unique idea and, if losing your posture at impact is a problem for you, this might be a good drill to try.

The Learning to Use Your Levers Drill (Video)

No big explanations today. You've seen this drill before; Mike Malaska explains how it works and what it teaches. All you need to do is use it.

Double Duty

We get a double play in Morocco this week, with both the Champions Tour and the LET teeing it up at the same time. But it's confusing to me.

The LET part of the event is pretty clear. The Lalla Meryem Cup has simply been missing from the LET schedule since 2019 because of the pandemic. The winner that year was Nuria Iturrioz from Spain, and this year the LET is back in action.

But the Champions Tour event isn't quite so clear to me. The Trophy Hassan II is listed as the Champions Tour event this week, being played at the same venue but on a different course, which is totally cool. But between name changes and even Tour changes — apparently the last winner there was Jorge Campillo, a then-European Tour member back in 2019, and yet the Champions Tour site lists Brett Quigley as the last winner in 2020 at the Morocco Champions — I'm not sure exactly what's going on there.

But I can tell you that GC is broadcasting the Champions Tour event at 8pm ET on Thursday. I can only assume that they will, as usual, carry the LET event as a taped broadcast at some point next week. Still, I wanted to mention the LET event because I'm so thrilled to see them with a pretty decent schedule again.

Not Twofer Tuesday: WM Phoenix Open

Twofer Wednesday struggles with its identity crisis as it drops in to the madness that is the WM Phoenix Open.

The closest thing to an NFL Football game on the PGA Tour takes place in Phoenix this week — Super Bowl weekend, as usual, which will be played this year in Glendale AZ — and we're all excited to see and hear the wildest hole on the PGA Tour, the par-3 16th. Because this is the first full-field elevated event, it's the first time that some of the top players will run the gauntlet.

They might be... unprepared.

The Phoenix Open has an irritating tendency to give us winners who aren't really on anybody's radar because it's not just about good play, it's about mental toughness. So my Twofer Tuesday picks this week will come as no surprise to anybody.

• Rory McIlroy
• Jon Rahm

I feel kinda bad not taking Scottie Scheffler, who is not just the defending champion but also in pretty good form. Still, I can't help feeling the growing rivalry between Rory and Rahm is going to take the spotlight this week.

GC's live coverage starts Thursday at 3pm ET. PGA TOUR LIVE's streams begin at 9:15am ET (the full schedule is on this page). This week the boys are going to face the pressure of not only the crowds but also the elevated purse. This is going to be awesome!

The Limerick Summary: 2023 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

Winner: Justin Rose

Around the wider world of golf: Daniel Gavins won the Ras Al Khaimah Championship on the DP World Tour; Pierceson Coody won the Panama Championship on the Korn Ferry Toru; Abraham Ancer won the PIF Saudi International on the Asian Tour; Benjamin Follett-Smith won the Bain's Whisky Cape Town Open on the Sunshine Tour; Sarah Jane Smith won the 2023 TPS Murray River in Honour of Jarrod Lyle on the Australasian Tour; Aditi Ashok won the Magical Kenya Ladies Open on the LET; Michael Brennan won the Men's Individual trophy at the NCAA Southwestern Invitational and Texas won the Team trophy. Oh, and Aaron Rodgers won the Amateur trophy at the AT&T.

My Twofer Tuesday picks continue to be a case of feast or famine... but mostly famine. I had Jordan Spieth (T63) and Seamus Power (T15). Both of my picks were in the Top10 at some point over the weekend but the weather just threw both of them for a loop.

• Top10s: 2 for 10 (1Top5, 1 Top10)
• Winners: 1 for 5 events
• Top20s: 3 for 10

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was kinda like The Wizard of Oz this past week. One minute you were thinking about the beautiful views on the Monterey Peninsula... and the next minute you realized you weren't in Kansas anymore.

I couldn't help but think about that tornado that blows Dorothy to Oz in the movie. (You guys do realize that the Dorothy character's last name was Gale, don't you?) I'm afraid that most of the pros who got blown into the weekend felt the house land on them, sort of like the Wicked Witch of the West did.

But then you get the fairytale. Here comes Justin Rose, pretty much forgotten by everybody since his last win back in 2019. The Masters and Olympic champion had been struggling with his health and his game, so he got himself back in shape, showed up at Pebble and — not to put too fine a point on it, but I'm sticking with the image here — he clicked his ruby red slippers and found himself back home, right there on the trophy stand.

Personally I think the real magic here was the fact that Justin, despite being 42 and supposedly no longer competitive, had so much experience playing all over the world, on all kinds of courses, in all kinds of conditions. Because that's exactly what Pebble threw at the field this year. And now he has to be taken seriously again.

I always enjoy seeing the "old guys" win, no matter what sport they play. But this Limerick Summary is particularly sweet, and I'm hoping Justin blows away the field a few more times in 2023.

The wind and the rain and the hail
Battered pros with the force of a gale;
Mother Nature went wild.
Justin Rose merely smiled
As he authored a real fairytale.

The photo came from this page at pgattour.com.

A Drill for Correct Shoulder Rotation (Video)

The Limerick Summary is postponed until tomorrow for obvious reasons.

This drill from Chris Ryan is strange — at least the second half is. If you're having serious problems with forearm rotation, by all means feel free to try it.... but that's not why I'm posting this video.

The first 2:30 or so of this video has a great drill for creating a correct shoulder turn, one that keeps your head steady over the ball so your impact position becomes more consistent. It's a very simple drill that will teach you to feel a correct shoulder coil, and that's why I'm posting it. Have at it, folks!

A Baseball Bat Drill (Video)

Not all of you will find this helpful—it depends on how you swing the club—but it's worth trying to see if it can help you. In my opinion, the value of the baseball bat drill lies in the weight of the bat. It forces you to make a properly sequenced move in order to make a balanced swing... and that IS what you're after. Worth a try.

Swinging in Balance (Video)

Alex has a neat drill to teach you a smooth balanced swing in sequence by feel. If you struggle with balance, this just might help you get a handle on it.

Ten Drivers Tested (Video)

A few days back I posted a video where Neil Tappin from Golf Monthly compared two drivers and said I'd be posting more equipment videos soon. Well, this time we've got a comparison from him of TEN different drivers, and around the 4:00 mark there's a chart with test data on a whole lot more. It's a subjective test to be sure, with a lot of different faves in different categories, but if you're in the market for a driver it's a pretty good overview of what's currently available.

Looping the Clubhead (Video)

I'm posting this video not so much for what is said as for what is shown. As a general rule—and this video is no different—demonstrations of looping the club tend to be exaggerated. They show a lot of looping with the hands and arms as they change swing planes between the backswing and downswing. But Mike DESCRIBES the actual movement here, not so much as the arms and hands looping as the CLUBHEAD doing the looping. And if you watch as he actually hits balls, you'll see that his hands and arms appear to be on the same plane back and through while the clubhead makes a very noticeable loop. So pay attention to that when you watch this video... and do as he does, not as he says.

Another Simple Driver Drill (Video)

Okay, this is a very simple drill and I like it but I want to caution you: You don't want to overdo the spine tilt. If you lean back too far, you're gonna end up in a reverse-C at impact and hurt your back. You want to imagine that aiming stick is right at the back of the ball and your lead ear is about as close to it as you can get it without 'breaking the glass' on your downswing. If you do this drill correctly, you won't feel a lot of stress in your back.