Gary Woodland enters the Transitions Championship with new swing technique – Golf News
Gary Woodland entered the field of the Transitions Championship with a totally new swing to defend his title at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Woodland changed his swing coach early in the season and hired Butch Harmon to help him bring improvements in his swing technique.
According to Woodland, he was not expecting such a big change in his swing. However, he practiced rigorously.
"I didn't really anticipate making a big swing change, but it's bigger than I thought," Woodland said. "It's more mentally tough than anything".
Woodland started off well in the opening round and managed a total of five birdies against two bogeys that he scored on the 9th and the 10th hole.
He finished in a 12-way tie for the 20th place at three-under par 68, seven strokes off the lead set by Padraig Harrington.
Woodland believes that his swing has improved in the past couple of months. He aims to get into shape completely prior to the start of the Masters Tournament scheduled three weeks from now.
Yet, there is something that is worrying Woodland. The confidence, which he had last year, while playing the tournaments, is missing as he is planning for the first major event of the year.
"Last year I was riding a lot of confidence and playing well," he said. "This year, we've been working with the golf swing a little more".
He added, "I can hit more shots this year than I could last year, and last week was the first time I started making putts. To see putts go in the hole, now I know my swing is not too far away".
Woodland tied for the 29th place in the World Golf Championships – Cadillac Championships last week.
The interesting thing to watch in Woodland’s performance was his putting. He made some really good putts, which he seemed to struggle with, in the past.
He carded a five-under par 283 tournament score with the help of 1.800 Putts per Greens in Regulations in the second WGC of the year.
Standing seven strokes behind Harrington in the first round of Transitions, Woodland still believes that he will successfully defend his title at Innisbrook.
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