In The Rough

Painter column
Anchoring long putters to any part of the body will be illegal beginning in 2016.
No one should be in shock.
Last year, the USGA and R&A, golf’s governing bodies, announced plans to look into such a ban and on Tuesday it became official that an anchored stroke will be illegal in about 2 ½ years.
Now, the PGA Tour must adopt the same policy. There’s no other choice.
To have a tour operating with different rules is ludicrous. They call this bifurcation, and it’s possible the PGA Tour won’t follow suit with the USGA and R&A.
It’s preposterous a governing body thinks those belly putters, not the humans operating them, have given an unfair advantage. However, with four of the last six major winners having yielded long putters – Adam Scott being the latest at the Masters – the governing bodies felt they had to make a change.
Even more ridiculous would be if the PGA Tour didn’t follow suit.
In a statement, the Tour said: “We will now begin our process to ascertain whether the various provisions of Rule 14-1b will be implemented in our competitions and, if so, examine the process for implementation. In this regard, over the next month we will engage in discussions with our Player Advisory Council and Policy Board members …’’
There’s nothing to discuss. The world’s best players aren’t going to use regulation putters in one tournament and go back to the long putter at, say, the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. This would be a mess.
Putting is all about consistency. And although Scott surely would love to continue using the piece of equipment that won him his first major last month, he can’t. He could use a long putter, sure, but he couldn’t anchor it to any part of his body.
“We strongly believe that this rule is for the betterment of the game,’’ said Glen Nager, president of the USGA. “Rule 14-1b protects one of the most important challenges in the game – the free swing of the entire club.’’
Webb Simpson, who won the U.S. Open last year with a belly putter, said when the idea was proposed last year that if he had to switch, he would be fine. He already was preparing for such a day.
Players have more than two years to make the switch, so time isn’t an issue.
The PGA Tour can’t think the world’s best golfers would consider anchoring putters in its tournaments – if allowed – and not in others where it will be banned.
The rules in golf need to be the same across the board, for the casual player to amateurs to professionals.
Consistency is everything in golf, and the PGA Tour knows that. Whatever it thinks of the rule, it’s forced to abide by it, too.
“… If there was some type of schism we don’t think that would be good for golf, and we are doing what we think is right for the long term benefit of the game for all golfers,’’ said Mike Davis, executive director of the USGA. “And we just can’t write them for one group of small elite players.’’
Golf’s governing bodies have taken a stand against anchored putters. Now, the PGA Tour must follow suit. Like it or not.
Jill.painter@dailynews.com twitter.com/jillpainter

USC freshman Annie Park shot a 3-under 69 to win the Pac-12 Championship by two shots over teammate Sophia Popov. Park birdied the last hole with a 22-foot putt. USC won by 24 shots and was the lone team to shoot under par.

Here’s today’s column on USC freshman golfer Annie Park, who was tied for the lead heading into today’s final round.

JILL PAINTER on GOLF: USC freshman Park finding place up front at Pac-12 tournament
By Jill Painter, Staff Columnist
Posted: 04/23/2013 11:03:30 PM PDT
Updated: 04/23/2013 11:16:11 PM PDT

VALENCIA — Annie Park should be in high school, getting ready for her prom and playing the course she grew up on, Bethpage.

Park will return to New York in June for that final high school dance and while she won’t be wearing the queen’s crown, she will have one and maybe more collegiate golf tournament titles.

The USC freshman, who started school in January and turned 18 earlier this month, cracked the top five on the Trojans women’s golf team, won a tournament a month into her career and now is tied for the lead at 4-under with Stanford’s Mariah Stackhouse here at the Pac-12 Women’s Golf Championships at Valencia Country Club after two rounds.

She’ll play in the final group in today’s final round and draw on her vast experience, like qualifying and playing in the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open. She’d rather come from further back in the field, but the long-hitting newcomer will have a new test.

“I’d rather chase, but that’s just the way I think,” Park said. “I can play with the lead, too.”

Everything must seem easy when you learn how to play golf at Bethpage Black – site of the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens – and the other four courses there.

She won the 2012 Nassau Boys High School Championships by six shots there, becoming the first girl to ever win it.

“Apparently it was a big deal,” Park said with a shy laugh.

The course is about 7,200 yards, but that’s not intimidating when you’re a big hitter and live eight

——————————————————————————–

Advertisement

——————————————————————————–
minutes from the course and play there all the time. And that’s what people like to see. Park – who’s 5-foot-9 – can has had 300-yard drives before.

“I try to take advantage of my physical skills,” Park said. “Personally, I feel more happy when I’m making putts. Today, I couldn’t make anything from 15 feet and in. I’m more happy when I’m making putts. But I do feel good when I hit it well.”

Park typically outdrives her playing partners, but when she doesn’t: “I think they get happy when they hit it farther than me.”

USC coach Andrea Gaston knew about Park when she noticed her hometown Levittown, which is where her parents’ best friends live. She started recruiting her and once Park came for a visit, she fell in love with the campus and sun. She chose USC over Duke and Vanderbilt.

“She can bomb it and if her putter would be working, she’d be shooting really low scores,” USC coach Andrea Gaston said. “She seems to be able to focus well and stay in the moment. That’s a special quality for a young player.”

Her first victory was at the Bruin Wave Invitational at El Caballero Country Club in February, a 15-team event. She led after the first day and again took the lead in the third round and then won.

She isn’t all about golf and likes to dance.

“I keep telling my teammates that we need to make a video,” Park said.

After the season, she’ll head back to New York for that dance.

“I made up my mind, I’m going to prom,” Park said. “It will be my last high school event.”

She should have plenty of promising golf events in her future.

USC junior Sophia Popov is 6-under through 12 holes and leads the final round of the Pac-12 Women’s Championships by three shots.

Adam Scott drilled a 15-foot putt on the 10th hole, the second playoff hole, to win the Masters. First time an Australian golfer has won the Masters.

Jill Painter on the Masters: John Huh, Crescenta Valley graduate, has fantastic tournament in first Masters
By Jill Painter, Columnist
AUGUSTA, Ga – John Huh did so well in his first Masters appearance that he should automatically qualify to play at Augusta next year as well.

Huh, a Crescenta Valley High graduate, shot a 4-under 68 Sunday and is tied for 10th at 2-under 286 for the tournament, with players still on the course. If he remains in the top 12, he’ll qualify to play next year as well.

“That was my goal before I teed it up today, to try to come back if I could,” Huh said. “And then see what the outcome was.”

The outcome was fantastic for the 22-year-old Huh, who played in his first Masters.

Huh played the course for the first time in a practice round on Monday and his worst round was a 5-over 77 in Friday’s second round. After that round, he switched to a Scotty Cameron putter and shot a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s third round and made a nice run on Sunday.

At the 15th hole, Huh made an eagle with a 15-foot putt from the fringe.

“I had a really awkward lie, but I pulled the trigger on it,” Huh said.

Huh, who was last year’s PGA Tour rookie of the year, was excited about the hardware that comes with the eagle.

“I can get a crystal for the eagle,” Huh said with a smile. “I heard about it from K.J. (Choi) when I had a practice round with him. I actually had two chances, one on 13, too. I’ll take one though.”

Asked to choose a cool moment of the week, Huh pointed to his hole-in-one on No. 16 in a practice round Monday with Choi, Kevin Na and Y.E. Yang. Choi had fun with Huh, and

when the two got to the green, Choi took the ball out of the cup and pretended it was his.
“It was funny,” Huh said. “I knew what he was doing, but most people thought he made it. I enjoyed that, and I enjoyed playing with him.”

Huh will take two weeks off and let his masterful outing in the Masters sink in for a while.

“It was a really good experience playing this golf course,” Huh said. “I was striking the ball really good all tournament. If I was able to put the ball in early, if I had done good Friday, I would’ve been in better position.”

He finished well, and for a first-timer, that wasn’t bad at all.

jill.painter@dailynews.com

John Huh just made a 15-foot eagle putt to move into a tie for 7th with three holes to go. If he finishes in the top-12, he’ll automatically be back next year. He’s played fantastic this week, made more incredible by the fact that this is his first trip to Augusta.

An Argentinian was elected Pope already this year. Now, will one win the Masters? Must have been remarkale odds on that in Vegas. Angel Cabrera is your three-way co-leader at 8-under throuhg two holes.

Who do you have to win the Masters? I’ve got Angel Cabrera, whose already won two majors, including here at Augusta in 2009.
There’s just something about the Argentenian and the Masters. He’s fallen to No. 269 in the world rankings, but he rises to the occasion in majors.
The man nicknamed El Pato is co-leader after 54 holes. He’ll have to hold off Brandt Snedeker, three Australians and possibly Tiger Woods to win it.

Brandt Snedeker and Angel Cabrera are tied for the lead in the Masters at 7-under. Adam Scott is one shot back in third at 6-under and Jason Day and Marc Leishman are at 5-under. Day bogeyed the last two holes to fall from a share of the lead. Tiger Woods is in the mix as well, four shots behind the co-leaders after he shot a 2-under 70.