NORTON, Mass. – It isn’t so rare to see 2s on a PGA Tour’s scorecard.

It is, however, when it’s made at a par 5.

John Senden pulled the trick Saturday at the Deutsche Bank Championship, holing a 4-iron from 250 yards at the second hole for the first double eagle in the tournament's history. The hole was playing as a 562-yard par 5.

While there have been 31 holes-in-one this season, Senden recorded just the third double eagle of the year. Matthew Borchert got the first at the Valero Texas Open in May and Paul Lawrie the other at the British Open in July.

Test Add Relationship 4

Inside 10 feet, is there anyone more automatic than Tiger Woods? For four rounds at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Tiger made 54 of 55 attempts inside 10 feet, or 98.2 percent. The PGA Tour average on putts from five to 10 feet is approximately 55 percent.

The reason Tiger is so unflinching from this distance is because he’s not afraid to release the putterhead. Most players tend to miss their putts to the right under pressure (see Tom Watson at the Open Championship) because their grip gets tighter and the putterface stays open through impact. This negatively impacts both the speed and direction of the putt – if you recall, Watson’s par putt on the final hole of the Open Championship didn’t even touch the hole.

Tiger works on his release all of the time in practice, and you can, too. Hit several putts on the practice green from six to 10 feet, and as you swing the putterhead through impact, feel as if the knuckle on your left index finger gets to the target faster than the pinkie on the same hand. This will encourage the face to close through impact. As you practice, keep your grip pressure constant through the stroke; so, if you’re pressure is a five (on a scale from five to 10), hold it at five until the ball is well on its way.

The very first time Loren Roberts qualified for the Masters in 1991, I was an assistant professional at Augusta National. I was lucky enough to play a practice round with Roberts in the weeks leading up to the Masters, and it was evident then why they called him the “Boss of the Moss.” He had as fluid a putting stroke as I’ve ever seen.

The one thing that impressed me most about Roberts was how good he was at using his eyes to program the distance and pace of his putts. When he made a practice stroke, he wasn’t looking at the putter or focusing on mechanics, he was eyeing the terrain and trying to gauge how hard or soft he needed to hit the ball to make it travel at the speed and distance he wanted.

That’s one thing amateurs could learn from Roberts, who won his second Senior British Open Championship in four years on Sunday in a sudden-death playoff at Sunningdale. When you take your practice strokes, use your eyes to get a feel for the distance and speed of the putt. That will tell your brain how much effort you need to put into the stroke and it will also allow you to see the line better. If you take a practice stroke and all you’re doing is looking at your putter, you’re going to have a hard time judging the distance and speed correctly, and that’s the key to sinking any putt.  

What a special performance by Tom Watson last week! He had us all – not just the baby boomers – on the edge of our seats as he came oh so close to becoming the oldest major champion ever.

I’ve been asked several times this week what the average golfer can take away from Watson’s play at Turnberry, and there are several things that come to mind. First and foremost for you seniors out there, take care of yourself. As Watson showed, if you pay attention to what you eat, stay in reasonably good shape and, most importantly, stretch before and after your rounds, you can compete at this game at a very high level for a long time. Even at 59, Watson showed good flexibility and range of motion in his swing; he’s still swinging the club past parallel! He also hasn’t added much bulk from his earlier days, when he won five Open Championships (the last in 1983). If you want to enjoy your golf game for years to come, you have to take care of your body first.

Secondly, Watson managed his game very well. He proved that you don’t have to hit mammoth drives to score well. Power helps, but it isn’t everything. I still think he should have taken one less club (a 9-iron) on the 72nd hole because of all the adrenaline he was feeling, but he played very smart golf for most of the week.

The last lesson is watch your adrenaline. If you’re in the midst of shooting an all-time low round, or you’re coming down the stretch of your club championship and are swinging great, take one less club than normal. Sure, Watson’s 8-iron approach on the 18th hole Sunday traveled 175 yards, but given the significance of the moment, the adrenaline he was feeling and the fact that the hole was playing hard downwind, he should have hit less club there. Had he done so, we might be talking about the oldest major champion ever today. 

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – At 6,740 yards, Saucon Valley Country Club will prove a stern test for the girls at this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. There were three or four holes during Meaghan Francella’s practice round today where she had to hit a big 3-wood just to reach the front edge of the green. Should the wind switch or the course receive a little rain, these holes may not be reachable for her and many of the players.

To prepare for the possibility that she may come up short, I had Meaghan practice a ton of lofted chips and pitch shots from the rough. The key to getting these greenside shots up and down, besides leaving the ball in the right place (where you can have an uphill putt for par), is keeping the clubface square through impact. The rough can grab the hosel of the club and shut the face down very easily, leading to poor contact and bad directional control.

At address, open the face slightly so the toe is just behind the heel. This way, if the club does close down some it will be square through the impact area. Make sure to lean the shaft forward at address and maintain this angle through impact, because if you allow the clubhead to pass your hands early you’ll expend all of the club’s energy before it gets to the ball, and it will go nowhere. You need some speed on this shot, so lead with the handle and make a descending blow into the ball with a square face.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – I spent the morning with Meaghan Francella out at Saucon Valley Country Club, charting the course for this week’s U.S. Women’s Open. We walked the entire course, trying to determine where she needed to leave her approach shots on each hole to give herself the best chance at making par. In most cases, it was below the hole, so she could have an uphill run at it, but there were some holes where I told Meaghan she’d be better off missing the green entirely.

You’re probably thinking Breed’s gone crazy, but it’s true, in a U.S. Open where par is a GREAT score, and the greens are super slick, you’re sometimes better off missing the green and hitting your approach shot into the bunker or somewhere short of the green where you have an uphill chip or pitch to the hole.

A perfect example at Saucon Valley is the par-3 17th hole. This hole plays downhill, and the green falls down to the left, away from the tee box. It’s a “redan hole,” meaning the green is wider than it is deep and the left side of the green is farthest from the tee. If you miss your target to the outside, and leave yourself with a putt down the slope, you’re going to make a sure bogey.

For the average golfer, par is always a good score on a par 3. When you’re preparing to hit your tee shot, be cognizant of where you want to leave your approach shot. Ask yourself, ‘Where can I put this ball to give me the best chance at making par?’ It might not always be on the green, especially if you’re faced with a sucker pin or a severely sloped green.