Killen Golf - Putt.com

I spent the last week in Louisville for the Ryder Cup.  I worked with J.B. Kenny, and Chad.  They all played extremely well and they all won their Sunday singles matches.  I got to spend a lot of time with other players on the team that I didnt know as well and the team spirit and atmosphere was amazing.  The fan support was unlike anything I have ever seen at a sporting event, Kenny Perry and JB probably signed 3000 autographs the first day.  The American fans had chants such as “soccer sucks” and “London Bridge is falling down.”  Over all one of the most exciting experiences of my life.  Paul Azinger did an amazing job as captain.  He made a plan to go by and stuck with it. I had to go out to the 17th after the matches ended to recreate the shots made coming down the stretch by J.B. Holmes and Jim Furyk.  The shots I had to recreate will be played tonight on the Golf Channel show The Turn.  Feel free to post any questions you might have about the Ryder Cup.

This week I was in Boston for the Deutsche Bank Championship at the TPC course.  I usually go to the tournaments Monday-Wednesday but this week was an exception due to the holiday weekend.  So I went out Tuesday-Thursday.  This week I spent time with Kenny Perry, J.B. Holmes, and Chad Campbell.  I worked with J.B. and Chad on Wednesday and Today and then Kenny Today before the Pro-Am.  The course is in good shape and doesnt have much rough at all.  I think scores will be relatively low.  All three guys are hitting it very well and are ready for the tournament to get started.  I have been helping Chad out the last 4 weeks, he is a great ball striker and a very nice guy.  Kenny is really excited about the Ryder Cup and has his sites set on making a great statement at Valhalla, he is still working very hard on his game.  J.B. has hit it really, really good the last 3 weeks and he just hasnt been able to get everything to come together.  His swing looked very good again this week.  I wouldnt be surprised if he plays very well this week.

Who do you think Azinger’s four picks will be?  I think J.B. has a very good shot at being on the team, he is great at match play and has a tremendous track record (walker cup team), his length fits the course, he played the course tons in college, and its in his home state.  I think he would be an excellent choice.  What do you think?

Kenny Perry is in great position after shooting -4 today.  I spent the first 3 days this week (like most weeks) out on tour.  I was in New Jersey for the first event of the Fedex cup playoffs.  I spent a lot of time with both J.B. and Kenny this week.  They played their practice rounds together on Tuesday morning and then I spent the rest of the day on the range with Kenny.  Kenny had been getting a little “stuck” on the down swing and was hitting some big hooks and blocks.  We worked on a variety of things to get him back on track including his alignment, and the position of the right elbow at the top early in the downswing.  J.B. was hitting the ball very well for the most part and only needed minor adjustments.

Kenny is back home in Ky after a minor injury to his eye while putting his contacts in on Tuesday.  He tried to play Thursday but between the wind and dry air his contacts dried out and caused some pain and discomfort.  He didnt want to make it worse then it already was and decided to go home and let it heal.  He is expected to make a full recovery and be back in action the first week of the Playoffs.

J.B. has got off to a great start this week at the PGA.  He has the 36 hole lead and has left a few shots on the course.   J.B. is familiar with Oakland Hills, last year he played a British open qualifier there.  I flew up last year and walked Oakland Hills with him twice and then I flew up again last Sunday and we walked around and chipped and putted on all the greens.  He has worked very hard in his preparation the last few weeks.  I spent 6 hours on the putting green with him on Monday of this week, walked the course twice, and spent about 20 hours on the range in Akron.  His good play can be attributed to his hard work the last few weeks and his desire to be on the U.S. Team at the Ryder Cup at Valhalla in September. 

Today I am back home in Ky at Olde-Stone teaching.  I have spent the last three days at Oakland Hills in Michigan, the site of this years PGA championship.  The golf course is in excellent shape and very difficult.  Although I cant say the same for the roads and areas surrounding the course, it was an absolute nightmare to get around.  I am guessing a over par score for the week will win.  The rough is very nasty, probably between 3.5 and 4 inches in a lot of spots, the course is also extremely long.  The combination of length and tall rough can lead to very high scores.  I spent the week working with J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry.  Both guys are hitting the ball well and I think their length will help them a lot at this venue.  We spent a lot of time working greenside out of the rough and hitting mid and short irons in out of the rought.  Although the rough has been my main topic the greens are very difficu

This week I am in Akron Ohio for the World Golf Championship.  I spent the last two days working hard with both Kenny Perry and J.B. Holmes.  As you know Kenny has been playing very well lately and he is still striking the ball great.  I think that his swing is better then ever and he has been able to maintain his consistency from all the work he did earlier in the year.  J.B. has missed the cut in his last two events but is striking the ball better and feeling good about his game this week.   J.B.’s swing is looking good.  He has spent many hours the last few days hitting balls and preparing.  He really wants a shot at being on Azinger’s Ryder Cup Team

Kenny Perry has added one more win this week to the growing list of accomplishments.  His playoff victory today at the John Deere was a great performance and will be a memorable one for me.  I told Kenny at the begining of the week when I was watching him hit balls that if any putts fell at all ,he would walk away the winner once again.  I watched him hit 4 irons on the range that looked like laser guided missles at the flag, it was among the most impressive ball striking sessions I have seen (and yes I had the privelage of watching Moe Norman). Over the last few weeks my work with Kenny hasnt been much more then a check up.  We spent the earlier part of the year working on getting his swing back as close to what it was in 03′.   He had to relearn his swing over the last year because of a knee injury the year before.  Kenny Perry has always been known for his ball striking and his “hot” streaks but when you break it down this week you can see the putter spoke volumes for his game.  Throughout the week Kenny was amazing from 6′ and in.  He made a ton of clutch putts coming down the stretch on Sunday.   I look for KP to play very well again next week, he has his game right where he wants it and the putter is working nicely. 

This week I flew up to the John Deere to work with players J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry.  The tournament is in Moline Illinois.  The course is in excellent shape and sets up relatively well for both players although they play opposite shots.   Length will be very helpful at the John Deere and the wide fairways are more receptive for the longer hitter.  Both players are hitting the ball well and are looking forward for the tournament to start.