I think my dream of winning just one major will have to wait until my next life, because I need a little more time to work on my clubhead speed as it’s now about as fast as a tractor compared to the Bugatti Chiron’s & Hennessey Venom’s belonging to the fast swinging top players.
Cameron Champ, who can whip the clubhead through at around 130mph, is now one of golf’s longest hitters. For normal mortals, especially older golfers, it’s hard to visualise a golf club moving at that speed.
Biracial Champ (what a name!) at just 23 was last weeks ‘champ’ on the PGA Tour, and by all accounts his driving distance statistics are incredible with an average last year of 328 while last week during his win — a staggering average of 343 was recorded.
Champ came through the hard way, tying for 16th in the 2017 Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament, which earned him a place on the Web.com Tour for the start of 2018.
Champ won the Utah Championship in July thus earning his tour card very quickly for the 2018-2019 PGA Tour season. He earned around US$250,000 and finished 6th in the 2018 Web.com Tour regular season. His 21 under par last week allowed him to lift the Sanderson Farms Championship together with lots of dollars.
The following are four new rules that will be introduced next year, and over the next few weeks, I’ll try and bring all of them to you.
Dropping procedure: When taking relief (from an abnormal course condition or penalty area, for example), golfers will now drop from knee height. This will ensure consistency and simplicity in the dropping process while also preserving the randomness of the drop. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested dropping from any height).
Measuring in taking relief: The golfer’s relief area will be measured by using the longest club in his/her bag (other than a putter) to measure one club-length or two club-lengths, depending on the situation, providing a consistent process for golfers to establish his/her relief area. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 suggested a 20-inch or 80-inch standard measurement).
Removing the penalty for a double hit: The penalty stroke for accidentally striking the ball more than once in the course of a stroke has been removed. Golfers will simply count the one stroke they made to strike the ball. (Key change: the proposed Rules released in 2017 included the existing one-stroke penalty).
Balls Lost or Out of Bounds: Alternative to Stroke and Distance: A new Local Rule will now be available in January 2019, permitting committees to allow golfers the option to drop the ball in the vicinity of where the ball is lost or out of bounds (including the nearest fairway area), under a two-stroke penalty. It addresses concerns raised at the club level about the negative impact on pace of play when a player is required to go back under stroke and distance. The Local Rule is not intended for higher levels of play, such as professional or elite level competitions. (Key change: this is a new addition to support pace of play).
Out of Bounds: Luck in golf is a matter of preparation meeting
opportunity.
