Winning Ways

By Matt Cooper Last updated: 13th July 2010

PAULA CREAMER - US WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPION

In the bag

Driver - TaylorMade SuperQuad
Fairway-wood - TaylorMade Burner
Irons - TaylorMade r7
Putter - TaylorMade Ghost Daytona
Apparel - Adidas ProV1

Turning point

The 23-year-old has played just four times this year because of a thumb injury that required surgery.

Returning to play after recuperation she found herself needing to hit different shots; unable to hit the ball as hard as she did previously, she was playing within herself.

She has always been a fighter, but now she was also learning patience and withstraint, albeit a little reluctantly.

But at Oakmont the inadvertent strategy worked brilliantly and proved a turning point in her preparation for this event - and possibly her career.

Stats

Sometimes it is important to look at the stats to discover how a player won.

Other times it is enough to look at the most obvious stats: the scores.

Oakmont is a fearsome venue, one Jim Furyk said he would not have wanted to play growing up "because I'd never know what it is like to score 65" (yeah, like the rest of us Jim!).

The USGA didn't make it impossible but it was still very difficult.

Only nine players took less than 290 strokes and only one completed 72 holes under par.

Not only that but she finished four shots clear of the field.

Creamer's three-under par total was seriously impressive.

Insight

Creamer might look like an All-American apple pie type of girl but she has a tough streak.

Injury- and illness-prone she grits her teeth and gets on with the job; she has become used to playing through the pain barrier.

And those experiences have always paid off on the nastiest of tracks.

LPGA set-ups are by and large friendly for scoring, but the USGA never gives the players an easy ride - and Creamer's US Open record is impressive, even if it has lacked the win until now.

Her last six starts in the event were all top 20 efforts and she was in contention at some point in every single one of them. She also backed up her ability to play well when the scoring was high at Royal Lytham and St Annes in last year's Ricoh Women's British Open.

Finally, this year she also found the serenity required in the final round to get over the final hurdle - and actually win a major.

In her words

"I didn't look at a leaderboard until the 18th green. That was a goal of mine was to just go and play the golf course, and if somebody played awesome, then somebody did. I didn't want to change my game plan. I didn't want to have other things get involved with my mind.

"I wanted to go out and play the golf course and I did. When I looked - I kind of had a feeling on 17 that I had a couple-shot lead. We had a front tee box, and I said I would always hit driver off that front box. Colin my caddie was kind of like, 'You know, well, you can lay up, 5-iron.' I'm like, 'What? What do you mean? We've never hit a lay-up shot on this hole from this box.' He explained and we laid up!"

STEVE STRICKER - JOHN DEERE CLASSIC WINNER

In the bag

Driver - Titleist 909D3
Fairway-wood - Titleist 906F2
Hybrid - Titleist909H
Irons - Titleist CB
Wedges - Titleist C-C200 milled
Ball - Titleist ProV1

Turning point

This was a week when two players turned in some astonishing scoring.

Paul Goydos joined an elite group of players who have recorded 59s in a PGA Tour event and he never let up with his scoring adding rounds of 68-67-66 which ordinarily would have won him an event.

But unfortunately for him Stricker was also dialled in last week.

And twice he responded to Goydos' golf with stunning efforts.

First of all he added a first round of 60 which permitted Goydos no more than a one shot lead after his magnificent 59.

Then on Saturday Stricker made a 62 which gave him a five shot lead over the field - he could only add a 70 on Sunday but the previous three day's hard work had earned him that right.

Stats

Not surprisingly in a week of such low scoring Stricker putting stats were excellent.

He topped the Putting Averages with 1.53 putts per green his in regulation - in round three he averaged just 1.4 and on Thursday just 1.44.

On Saturday he needed just 22 putts and he required a mere 100 all week.

Insight

Quite how this can be explained is anyone's guess but it is the truth.

When Steve Stricker has played non-Bermuda grass par-71 tracks since 2006, he has ruled!

In that short period he has made 17 starts on such courses completing five wins (!), added another three top three finishes and only three of those finishes were NOT in the top 13.

Of his last six starts on those courses he has three wins and one runner-up spot.

Why does par-71 matter? No idea.

But for what it is worth his recent record on the Bermuda grass greens at par-71 Westin Innisbrook is pretty good too.

Fluke or trend?

In his words

Stricker has been on the rise for the last five years, he knows it and he wants more.

"My confidence level has been building, you know, since 2006. And that season was a good season for me. It's progressively gotten better, and I believe that I'm a better player today than I was, you know, four or five years ago.

"So that part of it is good. But I also believe that I can get better, and that's what excites me, too, because I still feel like there's things that I can improve on and try to get better at.

"And you know, that's good in our profession that, you know, you still have room for improvement and you still work hard on a daily basis to try to get better.

"I believe that I'm a good player. You know, I would love to get in contention and win a major. I mean that's right at the top of my list."

EDOARDO MOLINARI - BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN CHAMPIONS

In the bag

Driver - TaylorMade R9 SuperTri
Fairway-wood - TaylorMade R9Hybrid - TaylorMade TP Rescue
Irons - TaylorMade R9 TP
Wedges - TaylorMade xFT
Putter - Yes! Callie

Turning point

At the start of the final round Molinari had a one shot lead over playing partner Darren Clarke, and they were both clear of the field so the final 18 holes were effectively a head-to-head.

But it didn't take long for Molinari to take control - thanks largely to Clarke sinking in the pond next to the third green.

Clarke's second shot to the par-five green slipped into the edge of the pond and he couldn't get the ball on the green at his first attempt - or his second.

After knocking the ball in the hole for a double-bogey seven he watched Molinari hole out for birdie and the lead was suddenly a commanding four shots.

There were a few wobbles thereafter but the gap was big enough to permit them without any great threat to his win.

Stats

The Italian has an enviably simple swing that allows him to hit the greens time and time again, and his success in Scotland was based on that simple (but difficult to achieve) task.

Only Graeme Storm hit more green all week and over the weekend Molinari's long game was in superb form.

On Saturday he hit 94.4% of the greens and on Sunday he made 77.8%.

Like his brother Francesco Edoardo sometimes struggles on the putting surface but he does work furiously hard on that aspect of his game, making frequent visits to the Yes! Academy in the north-west of England.

Insight

It is perhaps not surprising that Molinari's GIR stats were so good because the Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf design at Loch Lomond has always rewarded players who hit the greens in regulation.

Take a look at the past winners: Els, Goosen, Montgomerie, Clark, Lehman, McDowell and Kaymer are high class from tee to green.

But even the "shock" winners like Havret, Edfors and Levet know how to get the ball onto the flat surface .

In his words

"This is very special. On Tuesday (Francesco) and I were talking about the fact that we had never played well in the same week and finally it's happened.

"Now I hope Francesco wins next week!

"I was very nervous to be honest. The last few holes are very difficult and Darren hit a great shot on 17. My five iron there was probably my best shot and the drive on 18 was great."

AROUND THE WORLD:

NATIONWIDE TOUR
Peter Tomasulo - Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic winner

A stunning final round of ten-under-par 61 allowed the 28-year-old to overhaul an eight-shot deficit over Kevin Chappell (who was five clear of the field after 54 holes). Tomasulo had an interesting take on the "leaderboard watching" question.

"My brother, Nick, was caddying for me this week and we talked before the start of the round about not looking at a board at all," Tomasulo said. "I accidentally did on 15. I looked and saw I was only one back and Chappell hadn't been doing anything and then I hit it close on the last three."

CHALLENGE TOUR
Bernd Wiesberger - ALLIANZ Golf Open de Lyon champion

Austrian golf is flying this year on Europe's second tier and, like double-winner Martin Wiegele, Wiesberger won in style with a final round of 62. He had played the front nine well on the first two days, and the back nine well on Saturday - in the final round he put it together, aided by Branden Grace's caddie Shane who helped out when Wiesberger found himself in contention. "

For the first three days I didn't have a caddy, and in this heat it's hard enough to stay fresh and focused without having to carry your own clubs around as well. He asked for €70 before the start of the round, but I think I'll tip him generously - he'll be well looked after!"

EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR
Geroge Ryall - Van Lanschot Senior Open champion

The 51-year-old Englishman became the first non-exempt player to win on the tour in four years. It was a remarkable turnaround for the unknown who has had to fight for his chance at this level. "

I'd been sending letters to sponsors all year trying to tell them I was quite good and now they might realise I'm not that bad!" he laughed. He also admitted he was nervous: "I didn't really expect to win, ever. I didn't look at any leaderboards until the 17th when it frightened me to death and I left my putt halfway." But he did enough to win in the end.