Golf On Tour: PTGC Student Whitney Hillier Gets Some Form Back to Win a Prestigious Two Day Qualifying Event in the US

Congratulations to Pro Tour Golf College student Whitney Hillier who has bounced back to form this week to win the prestigious Trans National Tournament stroke play section with scores of 73 and 69 after missing the cut in her previous two tournaments.

This tournament has been running since 1927 and is considered in the top three amateur events in the USA. Whitney now goes into the match play section seeded no1.

With the US Womens Amateur Championship being played at The Country Club in Cleveland Ohio from the 13th-17th of August Whitney's form is where it needs to be leading into this important tournament. 

She has been on the road for six weeks and next week she will be attending Golf Australia's Camp being held at The Woodlands Golf Complex in Houston Texas, for players based or playing in the USA. The main aim of the camp is for the Aussie golfers to recharge their games and bodies as they have been on the road competing in tournaments practically every week.

They will have access to physio's, strength and conditioning experts, and a bio-mechanist and so it will be up to the player to decide which service provider can help freshen them up for the upcoming important events.

Lawrie and I will be in touch with Whitney to ensure she gets the most out of this camp and be mentally ready for the US Womens Amateur.

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GOLF ON TOUR: SHOULD LONG PUTTERS BE RULED NON-CONFORMING BY GOLF’S GOVERNING BODIES?
Watching the final nine holes of the Open Championship last Sunday it looked like a battle of the “Broomstick” vs “Belly” putters.
With Adam Scott wielding the broomstick and Ernie Ells using a belly putter, Ernie was the victor by one shot at the end.

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How much has the long putter helped these two great golfers to get back into the winning circle?...

Well Ernie’s strokes gained-putting ranking was 181st in 2011 and is currently 68th  (see below left) which is a significant improvement, and has allowed him to be in contention on the final day of tournaments once again.

Now let's have a look at Adam Scott's numbers because they don’t lie either!...

From 2008 to 2010 he ranked 178th, 180th, 186th respectively using a conventional length putter. He started using the broomstick putter at the start of 2011 and his ranking improved to 146th, and in 2012 he is currently ranked 77th. (See above right)

So now with a second golf major being won with a long putter, (Keegan Bradley being the first at the US PGA last year) the R&A is going to discuss the future of the long putter when it’s committee meets shortly.

There will be a number of player’s futures as tournament players in the balance with their decision - especially Aussie pro’s Peter Senior and Nick O’Hern who have played most of their careers using a long putter.

The main issue is that the long putter is anchored against the belly, sternum or chin providing a third point of contact between the golfer and the club, with the other two points being the hands of the golfer using a conventional length putter.

That anchoring creates a fulcrum point which arguably makes it easier to use a pendulum putting stroke.

I personally don’t believe the governing bodies will rule against the length of putters but will rule against the putter being anchored to a third point of the body. Watch this space!!!

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OneAsia Tour member Brent McCullough who trains at Pro Tour Golf College when his schedule permits and also uses our training system when he's on the road, has been shooting some low rounds of late.

At last weeks $50,000 Ian Weigh Toyota Rockhampton Pro Am he produced rounds of 71, 66, 68, 71 for 12 under par total and a share of third place just two strokes behind the winner Peter Wilson. 

Two days earlier Brent shot 6 under to tie for first at the Capricorn Country Club Pro am which is a good lead up to the Thailand Open early next month.



Brent has made some excellent changes to his golf swing technique and short-game with my co-director Lawrie at Pro Tour Golf College and is building momentum for the big tournaments which start up in a few months time.



David Milne and Lawrie Montague - Pro Tour Golf College

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