6 players coached by Bann Lynch Golf coaches competed at The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio which concluded on Sunday.

It was a case of what might have been for Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy who shared the lead after the 1st round thanks to a blistering 7 under par 65 which could have been even better if not for a missed 2 footer on the par 3 8th hole. Unfortunately for Ogilvy, a 77 in the second round put paid to his chances for the week.

He got back on track with a 3 under par 69 but a 4 over par 76 on Sunday meant he could only finish T41 for the week at -1, well behind England’s Justin Rose who shot a final round 66 to capture his first PGA Tour title. Still, Ogilvy is sure to take plenty of positives from his first round in which he matched his superb ball striking with deft touch on the fast greens, needing just 26 putts despite the 3 putt on hole #8. The former US Open Champion is showing some good signs heading into Pebble Beach.

Fellow Aussie Aaron Baddeley finished T47 at even par while South Korea’s KJ Choi, a former winner here, finished T52.

Thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this post.

Bann Lynch Golf players K.J Choi of South Korea and Geoff Ogilvy of Australia can both take plenty of positives from their respective performances in the US PGA Tour’s Crowne Plaza Invitational which concluded today at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

Choi and Ogilvy both finished in a tie for 13th along with 7 other players at 12 under par, 9 shots behind winner Zach Johnson of the United States.

Choi and Ogilvy are coached by International Institute of Golf co-Directors Steve Bann and Dale Lynch respectively.

Yarra Bend Golf team member Ogilvy followed rounds of 70, 67 and 67 with a blistering final round 64 on the par 70 layout to vault up the leader board. He made 6 birdies against no bogeys and this performance will surely give the 2006 US Open Champion plenty of confidence with the 2010 event just a few weeks away.

While Ogilvy shot a stellar final round, Choi can probably lay claim to the strangest round of the week- his 66 on Saturday is probably one round of golf he won’t forget for a while. The South Korean birdied 3 of his first 4 holes, then recovered from a bogey on the 5th with a stunning eagle on the par 4 6th. He parred into the turn to score 4 under par 31 for the front 9. K.J then caught fire again birdieing 4 of the next 5 holes to get it to 8 under for the round. After parring 15 through 17, Choi teed off on the 18th hole tied for the lead with Bryce Molder at 14 under par and needing a birdie to match the course record.

That’s when it all went wrong.

After hitting his tee shot into the left rough, KJ couldn’t get it out on his first attempt, and then compounded his problems by hitting the next one into the water next to the green. After dropping, it took him 3 attempts with the wedge to get it onto the green and he had to make an 8 footer for a quadruple bogey 8 that left him with a 4 under par 66 which while impressive could have been so much better.

Still, both Ogilvy and Choi have shown some very encouraging signs this week that their games are peaking at the right time for the second major of the year. The US Open will be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links from June 17-20.

Thanks to Yarra Bend Golf for this article.

South Korea’s K.J Choi has emphatically announced his return to top level form with a stellar performance in the final round of the 2010 Augusta Masters to finish T4.

Choi was tied for the lead heading into the business end of Sunday’s final round, however consecutive bogeys at the 13th and 14th holes put paid to his chances. Still, Choi has plenty to be proud of, having demonstrated that he is once again playing the kind of golf that saw him become a world top 10 ranked player earlier in his career. He has recently played his way out of a slump and his results have been very impressive already this year, having finished 2nd at the Transitions Championship and making the cut in every event he has entered.

Choi had the unique distinction of playing all 4 days at Augusta National with Tiger Woods, and contrary to many people’s expectations prior to the tournament that his game would suffer due to the distraction, Choi reveled in the spotlight and matched the world number 1 blow for blow. He might have come up a little short in his title challenge (eventually finishing 5 shots behind champion Phil Mickelson) however Choi will surely take many positives out of this week:

“I’m satisfied and it was gratifying for me this year and the fans were very supportive and just playing with Tiger for the last four days was a very good experience for me,” said Choi, who has previously won Tiger Woods’ event, the AT&T National.

The strongman from South Korea was trying to emulate the feat of his countryman Y.E Yang, who beat Woods at the PGA Championship last year to become the first Asian to win one of golf’s majors. Yang also finished inside the top 10 this year at Augusta, perhaps another sign of the growing influence of Asian golfers in the men’s game. Choi spoke about the increased belief amongst Korean and Asian players that they belong on the world stage:

“In the past … the mindset of the Asian players was that when it comes to the Masters, there was a fear factor there, that we can’t do it. Now I hope that this gives motivation for the younger players, other players, that they can do it at big tournaments like the Masters.”

His coach Steve Bann had been very pleased with the way K.J prepared for this year’s event, having spent a lot of time working on his short game and lag putting and trying to stay fresh by not playing too many practice rounds. “K.J has done a great job of balancing his practice routine to make sure his short game is sharp while his ball striking is the best I’ve seen it for quite some time” he said earlier in the week.

Choi’s game was certainly sharp for the best part of the tournament, and if he keeps playing this way it can’t be too long before he breaks through for his first major win.

Thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this article.

Thursday 9th April| They were being called the two unluckiest players in the draw at Augusta this year. K.J Choi and Matt Kuchar, Tiger Woods’ playing partners for the first two rounds of his comeback extravaganza, also known as the 2010 Augusta Masters, would surely crumble under the pressure of the intense media scrutiny and huge crowds following his return to golf.

As it turned out, the rest of the field must be wishing they could have attracted some of the good vibes of that group. Collectively, Choi, Woods and Kuchar shot 11 under par around Augusta National in Thursday’s 1st Round, making them the most successful group of the day’s draw.

K.J Choi’s caddy Andy Prodger had spoken about his lack of nerves about being in Tiger’s group prior to Thursday’s round. He had seen it all before. No biggie.

His boss showed a similar calmness as he expertly managed his game around a decidedly accessible Augusta National to turn in a round of 5 under par 67 to sit 1 shot off Fred Couples’ lead, 1 better than Woods.

Choi made the turn at 1 under after mixing birdies at the 2nd and 4th holes with a dropped shot at number 6. He was still 1 under through 12 holes but then caught fire with 4 straight birdies from the 13th through the 16th. He finished it off with a couple of pars to tie fellow countryman Y.E Yang, veteran Tom Watson, Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood at -5.

His playing partner Tiger Woods, who shot 68, was understandably impressed with Choi’s game:

“KJ played great..he made a lot of putts, drove the ball on a string today..when he did put himself in a spot he just knocked it up there and made a putt”.

Choi’s coach Steve Bann was also very pleased with the attitude his player brought to the course:

“K.J is always looking forward to testing himself and growing as a golfer. He has always played well when paired with Tiger so he was very excited about this opportunity. He saw this as a Sunday atmosphere feel on a Thursday.”

Bann pointed out that Choi has done a great job of preparing for this tournament, focusing on his short game and long putts and preserving his energy for the big show: “K.J is the most comfortable he has ever been with his game. This week he has played just 2 rounds of 9 and 1 round of 18 holes and balanced his practice really well”.

When he is on his game, Choi can compete with anyone, as he proved to Tiger by winning his event in 2007. Tiger has plenty of respect for the man:

“KJ as we all know can play, and he gets into his own little world and he focuses and he gets the job done”.

Choi has a long way to go before the job is done at Augusta but he is off to one heck of a start.

Thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this content.

Wednesday 7th April| About a month ago, K.J Choi wasn’t even sure he would get to play in this year’s Masters tournament at Augusta National G.C. He was ranked outside the world top 50, needing a good run of play to earn him an invitation to the year’s first major.

Come Thursday afternoon Choi will find himself in the best seat in the house to witness one of the most eagerly anticipated returns in not only golf, but all of sports. Tiger Woods makes his return to competitive golf at The Masters and has been paired with Choi and Matt Kuchar for the first two rounds of the event.

The grouping is bound to attract huge galleries and plenty of attention, however don’t expect Choi to wilt under the pressure. The South Korean strongman affectionately known as “the tank” has earned a reputation for being icy cool in the heat of battle and will be fancying his chances at Augusta based on his recent form. He earned himself a spot in the field thanks to stellar performances at the Transitions Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, and has had previous success at Augusta National, finishing T-3 in 2004.

Choi isn’t a stranger to Tiger either, having won the inaugural edition of  his event the AT&T National in 2007.

The group tees off at 1:42 p.m Augusta time on Thursday.

A big thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this article.

This much is for certain: April is going to be a huge month for Marc Leishman. Not only is the Aussie making his Masters debut in Augusta on April 8th, he’s tying the knot with fiance Audrey Hills on April 24. As he prepared for the Bay Hill Invitational on Tuesday, he couldn’t help but think about the month ahead.

So which event is he more nervous about? Not the wedding, according to Leishman (good answer). “I’m actually looking forward to it,” he said with a smile. “I know she’s the right person so I’m not nervous at all.”

The PGA Tour seems to be the right fit for the big man from Down Under as well. He followed up his Rookie of the Year performance in 2009 with a solid start to 2010 including a runner up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open and 3 other top 20’s.

Still, he’s looking to improve:

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Leishman said. “The results just don’t come. In ways it’s been easier because I’ve played some of the courses before and know where to hit it and where not to hit it…I guess it’s harder in other ways, though, because of the expectations. You are expected to do better than your first year out, but I like that (challenge).”

The trip to the Masters will also be special for Leishman’s coach Denis McDade from Bann Lynch Golf, who will be making his first appearance as a coach at Augusta.

Meanwhile, South Korean K.J Choi has his own sights set on another Masters appearance (he has played in every Masters since 2002). Choi made a huge leap from 75th in the Official World Golf Rankings to 47th after his runner up finish last week in the Transitions Championship. He needs to remain in the top 50 at the end of this week to cement his position in this year’s Masters field.

“When I started out this year, I didn’t really think about it that much, but obviously it was in my mind,” said Choi when asked about the Masters. “I just said to myself to take it week-by-week and just try my best. To hear that this finish puts me in 47th in the world, it’s actually better than what I thought I would be at this point. All I can say is I will try my best next week to maintain or better that position.”

Thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this article:

22nd March|South Korea’s KJ Choi continued his recent run of good form by finishing 2nd in the USPGA Tour’s Transitions Championship at Innisbrook. Choi shot an impressive final round of 4 under par 67 to finish just 1 shot behind winner Jim Furyk of the United States.

The strong finish was doubly satisfying for the man known as “The Tank” as it moved him up from 75th to 47th in the Official World Golf Rankings. That means that as of now, Choi is in the field for the Augusta Masters which begins on the 8th of April. He needs to stay within the top 50 for the next couple of weeks to ensure his spot in the field at the first major of the 2010 season.

It has been a tough couple of years for Choi who has struggled with his game due to equipment changes as well as what he described as his own impatience with regards to his fitness regime:

“I had a lot of excess fat stored in my body,” said Choi. “But I think we tried to do it in such a short time that I lost more than what I needed to, and that threw my body off a little bit. I lost a lot of energy. Just compared to the reduction of the weight, the specs for my clubs, they didn’t feel right. So everything was kind of thrown off-balance.”

His  3rd place finish at last year’s Northern Trust Open at Riviera was pretty much the only bright spot in a season where he struggled enough to almost fall out of the top 100 ranked players in the world. Meanwhile, his compatriot Y.E Yang took the golf world by storm, not only winning his first PGA Tour event at the Honda Classic, but backing that up with an epic win over world number 1 Tiger Woods at the US PGA Championship to become Asia’s first Major Champion.

Plenty of motivation to get his game back on track.

Choi showed some signs of a resurgence towards the end of last year as he won the Iskandar Johor Open on the Asian Tour , where his pro golf journey began. He began the 2010 season in promising fashion with top 20 finishes at the Farmers Insurance Open and the Mayakoba Golf Classic. He also came close to winning the Maybank Malaysian Open on the Asian Tour, losing out to 18 year old compatriot Noh Seong-yul by a shot.

Choi’s coach Steve Bann has been predicting a solid performance from KJ over the last few weeks, having seen him perform really well in practice: “KJ was just rearing to go after a practice session before the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am” said Bann. “Something just clicked while we were working on his swing, and he said “that’s it, lets go play”". “He couldn’t wait for the tournament to start”. For the record, Choi finished T21 at that event after sharing the lead at one point in the opening round.

Moving forward, KJ is just looking to continue to trust his skills and using Pure Golf Training concepts such as “The Confidence Cycle” to believe in his ability to perform under pressure, when it counts. Of course, there is no bigger test of nerves than a major championship, and Choi admits it has been in the back of his mind to continue his run of playing in every Masters tournament since 2002, with a 3rd place finish being his best (in 2004).

“When I started out this year, I didn’t really think about it that much, but obviously it was in my mind,” said Choi. “I just said to myself to take it week-by-week and just try my best. To hear that this finish puts me in 47th in the world, it’s actually better than what I thought I would be at this point. All I can say is I will try my best next week to maintain or better that position.”

Pure Golf Training would like to congratulate KJ Choi on a wonderful performance and wish him the best of luck in the coming weeks. Hope to see you at The Masters KJ!

P.S Here is a link to an audio interview of KJ after the Transitions Championship:

A big thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this content:

Sunday 7th March| K.J Choi continued his recent run of strong play with a 2nd place finish behind compatriot Noh Seung-yul at the Maybank Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The experienced South Korean lovingly called “the tank” by his peers handled the severe heat and humidity impressively to finish at 13 under par for the tournament. Choi birdied the final hole to put pressure on the 18 year old Noh coming down the par 5 18th tied for the lead. After taking an adventurous route on the 18th which included playing through the crowds after taking relief from the practice putting green, Noh hit a clutch pitch to 3 feet and sank the putt for birdie to win by one.

Choi, however, will take plenty of positives from a week which saw him continue to strike the ball extremely well, only to fall short (and only just) with the putter. When asked if he was disappointed at not winning he said:

“No I’m not disappointed at all. I played well and tried my best. My hats off to Seung-yul (Noh), he played well and had a fantastic round. I’m happy with how my game has improved and I have a lot to look forward to. The pin positions were tough but I held my game and managed to be in contention. Noh played brilliantly and I have no complaints.”

To his credit, Choi showed some great spirit by joining in the celebrations with young Noh as he closed out the win. He joined his Korean compatriots in showering the winner with water- a Korean tradition.

Choi enjoyed great support all week from the crowds at the Kuala Lumpur Golf Club, who seemed to adopt him as an honorary Malaysian for the week. After struggling with his game last year, Choi has started off 2010 in positive fashion with some encouraging results on the US PGA Tour including a T15 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T20 and T21 finishes at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am respectively.

Choi’s coach Steve Bann has been predicting a strong run of play from him in the last few weeks, having seen his game improve significantly in their practice sessions:

“K.J is starting to look scary good in practice. He has gained about a club in distance and is absolutely striping it. He just needs a little bit of tidying up here and there and we’ll be good to go. He is too good a player to be outside the top 50 in the world and I am confident he will be right back where he belongs in no time. I am very pleased with his progress and just excited to see him complete the final step of the Confidence Cycle and bring it onto the course in competition for 4 straight rounds.”

Thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this story

Do you want to get your kids into golf but aren’t quite sure where to begin? Or perhaps you’re new to the game yourself and are looking for a good place to start. There is enough instruction around on golf to make you go nuts even before you pick up a golf club! However, luckily for you, we’ve found a great resource which will help you get started on the right track. And best of all…its free!

My First Golf Book Online is a great website developed by world renowned PGA Professional Steve Bann, who coaches PGA Tour stars such as Stuart Appleby and KJ Choi.

The website covers all parts of the game, starting with an introduction to the basics of the game, a section on safety and the rules of the game, and then gets into some basic lessons about technique and the fundamentals of the game.

The website is a great place to get started with the game and has some nice illustrations to go along with the written content to make it fun for the kids to read as well. Give it a go this summer!

Visit: http://www.my-first-golf-book-online.com/

After playing his way to a Nationwide Tour membership during the year, the Greenville, S.C resident set his sights on pro golf’s ultimate stage. With rounds of 74, 71, 66, 68 ,75 and 69, Delahoussaye finished at 9 under 423 for the tournament and tied for 23rd place.It was a clutch performance in his final round of 3 under par 69 that sealed the deal for Delahoussaye.

While he hails from the United States, his success certainly has an Aussie connection to it. Delahoussaye has been working at the International Institute of Golf at The Cliffs, Keowee Springs in South Carolina with IIG coaches Brett Latcham and John Thalassinos.

The International Institute of Golf is the brainchild of Australia’s most successful coaching team- Steve Bann and Dale Lynch. The Institute officially opened its doors in May this year and is the training ground for some of the PGA Tour’s top stars including Stuart Appleby, Geoff Ogilvy, KJ Choi, Nick Flanagan, Mat Goggin, Aaron Baddeley and many more.