THE GOLF BALL CAN BE the most crucial piece of equipment at the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup. As Jennifer Gardner of Tour Van reported, “Some players struggle to use a ball other than their own.” For others, it’s no big deal.At the recent Presidents Cup in Melbourne, partners on both the U.S. and International teams had to decide which ball to play in foursomes matches. In foursomes, of course, partners play alternate shots, hitting and putting the same golf ball until it’s holed.
Of the 22 foursome partnerships at the Presidents Cup, only five pair played the same golf ball. Those 10 players who already played the same ball fared well in foursomes competition, earning 3½ points.
Tiger Woods was among the group seemingly unaffected by the golf ball choice. “Now all of the golf balls are all hard and all going a long way,” Woods said. He noted that there wasn’t much difference between balls. With Steve Stricker and Dustin Johnson as partners, Tiger posted a 1-1 record in foursomes.
Charl Schwartzel, Geoff Ogilvy’s partner, said he didn’t notice much difference between his Nike ball and Ogilvy’s Titleist. The two International team players experimented with both golf balls, and since Ogilvy struggled somewhat with his irons, Schwartzel said they would use Ogilvy’s ball. The pair halved their Thursday foursomes match against Americans Bill Haas and Nick Watney.
−The Armchair Golfer
(Photo credit: turbotoddi, Flickr, Creative Commons license)
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