[innercityteacher]

Now it's getting fun!!!

Let me begin by saying I am not a pro. This was my first pro event and my observations are little more than first impressions.

While watching Mr. Gay on the range, I was struck by his relatively small size and how his tempo seemed relaxed and yet the ball lept into the air with power and precision. His swing seemed very controlled and compact.

Aronomink is a hilly course and as Mr. Molder and the whole field discovered, the rough was more than formidable! Let me explain. If your ball ran off the wide fairways about a foot, it would disappear from site and we were standing within 10 yards of the ball, sometimes. Why would the tee shot leave the fairway?
Accuracy off the tee was crucial at Aronimink. The hills and banking of the fairways would gladly throw a drive in any number disastrous positions.

Mr. Gay seemed to measure each tee shot to it's landing spot while Mr. Molder seemed to often be in the rough or even outside the ropes compared to Mr. Gay.

Mr. Gay's "stroke" just seemed more well, professional. His set-up, alignment, routine, slight forward lean to begin his backswing (yes, maybe because of the hills). In comparison, Mr. Molder hardly seemed settled before beginning his stroke.

Mr. Molder's GIR rating for the tourny was 63.89% slightly higher than Mr. Gay's 61.11% but in driving accuracy, Mr. Gay was almost 70% whereas Mr. Molder's driving accuracy was exactly 50%. Our sense while watching the two players was that Mr. Gay plays a game that would allow him to compete every time he enters a tournament.

I think at any course but the longest, Mr. Gay would wear his competitors out.

Patrick