Winnings Ways

By Matt Cooper Last updated: 8th September 2010

Golf365 reveals the secrets of success for the latest worldwide winners including Charley Hoffman.

CHARLEY HOFFMAN - DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER

In the bag

Driver - Titleist 910 D3
Fairway-wood - Callaway Hot X
Hybrid - Adams Idea Tour prototype
Irons - Titleist MB
Wedges - Titleist Vokey Design spin milled
Putter - Scotty Cameron Red X
Ball - Titleist ProV1

Turning point

Hoffman's stunning final round of 62 allowed him to overhaul Luke Donald who was an early leader in the final round.

On the front nine he mixed five birdies and two bogies, but the back nine was a different story with no less than six birdies and no dropped shots.

Afterwards he recognised that it was the 14th hole that turned things around.

"The 14th was the crucial shot of the tournament because I blocked it way right off the tee and I think I got a fortunate bounce to stay somewhat in play and hit the shot off the cart path in the front bunker and hit a pretty good bunker shot up there to four feet and made that for par to keep everything going."

Stats

Hoffman's game was in a strong state all week. He ranked tenth for Driving Distance, fifth for Driving Accuracy, sixth for Greens in Regulation, fourth for Putting Average, eighth for Putts per Round and first for Par Breaking.

When compiling his winning round of 62 he took a mere 22 putts but oddly his approach play was less steady in the final round - his 66.7% success rate was his worst of the week.

Insight

Hoffman had two things on-side this week.

Firstly he has been motivated ever since his close friend Bill Lunde won last month - the two began playing the game together and Hoffman wanted to play catch up.

Secondly he prepared very well before teeing off: "My instructor Sean Callahan came out here on Friday and we worked pretty hard the last few days to get the swing so felt good under pressure, and early in the week James Sieckmann was out here helping me with my short game. I don't know if I could have done it without both those guys not out here this week, and they were a great help."

He met Sieckmann through Tom Pernice. "I can tell you right now if I hadn't met that guy I wouldn't have won this golf tournament. I could barely get it out of the bunkers before, pretty shocking. He's helped tremendously with my short game and my bunker game, and I appreciate all the help he's given me and all the knowledge he has."

In his words

There were two big issues for Hoffman to address after his win. The first was the Ryder Cup - did he think he had a hope of a pick?

"Let's put it this way: Would I be honored to play on the Ryder Cup team? There's no question. I'd love to play. I think I'd help that team. If I don't get picked, there's not a bad pick. All these players who are going to play for the U.S. Team are great players and they're going to show up there and they're going to be a great team if I'm on it or off it, but obviously I'd love to be on it."

The second was trying to put his win into perspective: "It's a no-brainer. Best ever. To go out and shoot 62 on a pretty tough golf course on Labor Day ... it's fun."

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ - OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS CHAMPION

In the bag

Driver - Ping G15
Fairway-wood - TiSi Tec 3, 5 & 7
Irons - Ping S56
Wedges - Ping Tour-S
Putter - Ping Scottsdale Pickmeup

Turning point

When Jimenez shot the lowest round of his European Tour career on Friday - a brilliant 61 - he took control of the event.

Two eagles and six birdies gave him a sniff of making a 59, but he couldn't quite do it. Instead he built a three shot lead for the weekend.

If that was the first turning point, the second came late in the tournament.

With seven holes to play the Spaniard was six shots clear of the field only for his playing partner and future Ryder Cup team-mate Edoardo Molinari to slash the lead to one shot as they played the 16th hole.

What was more, Jimenez was stuck near a tree. However he got up and down for par whilst the Italian made bogey.

The wobble was steadied and Jimenez hastened from there to his win.

Stats

The victory once more reminded us that Jimenez is one of the European Tour's finest stars.

It was his 18th win on the tour on his 535th start and his third win of the 2010 season (he is the first player to complete a 2010 hat-trick and the first since Paul Casey did it in 2006).

Eleven of his 18 wins have come in his 40s which extends his record of most tour wins by a forty-something.

His putting was supreme all week and yet bizarrely he took more putts during his 61 than in any of his other rounds. He took 27 putts in that second round, 25 on day one and 26 and 24 at the weekend.

In that second round, however, he missed just two greens and on both of those occasions got up and down for par.

Insight

In his blog last week Harry the Hat identified that Jimenez would be a good bet for success in Crans as those who have just confirmed their place on a Ryder Cup team (Jimenez did so via a good finish at Gleneagles) have a fine record straight after.

"In 2008 Jimenez was third," wrote Harry. "In 2006 Garcia was fourth and in 2004 Donald, Jimenez and Garcia filled the first three places. In 2001 Bjorn was second after R1 before withdrawing with Westwood 22nd.

"In 1999 at Crans-sur-Sierre Lee Westwood went to take victory. In 1997 Costantino Rocca went on to win the following week with Clarke and Faldo 6th, Monty 10th and Garrido 25th. In 1995 Rocca was second with Sam Torrance 11th, Monty 11th and Per-Ulrik Johansson 45th.

"Only Edoardo Molinari and Jimenez are playing in Europe this week and both should supported at around 16/1. Jimenez seems to excel in the Omega European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre after being picked for the Ryder Cup Team. He has finished 3rd (2008), 2nd (2004) and 6th (1999) there."

In his words

"I made a good recovery at the 16th - that was probably the key to the day," said Jimenez after being sprayed with champagne and then being encouraged to jump in the pond by the final green.

"I love to come here to Crans. It's not only my two times second, it's the amount of times I have finished top ten and been in contention, so it means a lot."

This is the second time this season Jimenez has won an Omega-sponsored title after landing the Omega Dubai Desert Classic: "I am always on time and never late."

AROUND THE WORLD:

LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR
Laura Davies - Uniqa Ladies Golf Open champion

The top two Englishwomen in golf - Laura Davies and Melissa Reid - played the final hole tied for the lead and it was the veteran who prevailed, holing a six-foot birdie putt to complete an up and down from a greenside bunker. It was her 75th win, her third in the event and also the third of her 2010 LET season.

NATIONWIDE TOUR
Kevin Kisner - Mylan Classic winner

When Kisner holed a four-foot par putt on the final green he believed his error-free round of 67 had come up short of the top spot. But the next few seconds turned his life around. Behind him the leader Geoffrey Sisk had taken double bogey on the 17th and Kisner admitted he was in "shock" as he came to terms with news of his win.

CHALLENGE TOUR
Romain Wattel - ALLIANZ Europen de Strasbourg-Golf champion

The 19-year-old, who is fourth in the world amateur rankings, became the second amateur winner on the 2010 Challenge Tour schedule. Cheered on by an excited home crowd he caught the 54-hole leader Lorenzo Gagli and built enough of a lead that he could afford a last hole bogey.

CHAMPIONS TOUR
Ted Schulz - First Tee Open at Pebble Beach champion

Schulz was a two-time winner on the PGA Tour but hadn't tasted success since the 1991 Nissan Open. Little wonder he called this result "huge" or that he endured a nervous time ahead of the final round: "I got up four times in the night but once I got it going I was pretty solid the whole day." A 12-foot birdie putt on the penultimate hole was enough to earn a one-shot victory over Tom Pernice.

EUROPEAN SENIORS TOUR
Des Smyth - Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters winner

In winning in 2010 the Irishman had now won professional titles in five different decades. He credited his putting for his success after a change of technique helped him see the lines more clearly and the confidence to attack the hole.

Matt Cooper