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Thursday, June 26, 2003

Gerry Dulac's rankings:

PGA TOUR

1. Tiger Woods - Right now, he's better at commercials

2. Mike Weir - Vaulted to top of PGA Tour money list

3. Jim Furyk - Open letdown at Westchester

4. Vijay Singh - Imagine, taunted by a New York fan, too

5. Kenny Perry - No top 3? He took a week off

CHAMPIONS TOUR

1. Hale Irwin - Bad back forces him out at Inverness

2. Bruce Lietzke - Favorite to win U.S. Senior Open

3. Tom Watson - Will Senior Open be like U.S. Open?

4. Dana Quigley - Hasn't won since first week of season

5. Doug Tewell - 3rd, 5th and 1st in 3 of past 4

LPGA TOUR

1. Annika Sorenstam - Two wins and a playoff loss in past three

2. Se Ri Pak - Still leads Annika on money list

3. Rachel Teske - Back-to-back victories for Australian

4. Grace Park - Another top-10 finish last week

5. Lorena Ochoa - Closed fast on Teske at Rochester

TRI-STATE PGA SECTION

1. Joe Boros - Beat strong field at Tam O'Shanter

2. Sean Farren - Ninth at National CPC gets PGA spot

3. Brad Westfall - Lakeview match-play winner missed PGA berth

4. Kevin Shields - Finished T39th in Nationwide Tour event

5. Harry Toscano - Likes playing in Armstrong County

Lesson: Splash the water for best results

Instructor: Dave Chuba, head professional, The Links at Firestone Farms

One of the biggest problems I see with public course golfers involves hitting the ball fat or bellying the ball, which is hitting it with the leading edge. That means they are coming down too steep on the ball or trying to lift it in the air. To imagine the right way to strike the ball, think of being in a swimming pool and trying to splash water on someone with your hand. You're not going to "lift up" on the water or you're going to miss it all together. And you're not going to come straight down on the water with your hand and make a "splat." Let your hand work down to the water. Allow your hands to hit into the water. The water goes forward. It's the same in golf. When you hit the water, it's like the club hitting the ground. Let the club do the work to get the ball in the air. I call this a "feel drill" because you want to feel your hands hitting the water. It gets away from mechanics, but it gives you an idea how to properly strike the ball.

Today: The covered bridge at Deer Run GC

One of the most picturesque holes in the area is No. 11 at Deer Run, a 426-yard par 4 with several eye-catching elements. The first is the most tangible, particularly because of the difficulty it presents. A man-made lake stretches across the fairway, about 300 yards from the tee, and fronts the entire putting surface. That forces players to carry the lake, which is 80 yards deep, on their approach. But what provides a beautiful postcard setting is a covered bridge off the left side of the fairway. It doesn't come into play -- or, at least, it shouldn't -- but it provides a nice country feel for the cart ride over the lake. It is the perfect complement to a hole that is cut through the trees and is as difficult as it is pretty.

(Each week the Post-Gazette will highlight a hole or an element of a course in Western Pennsylvania.)