A healthy and happy Verplank at home in Dallas  PGATOUR.com Contributor IRVING, Texas -- He just closed on two houses. One to live in. And, yes, the Verplank clan is moved in. Finally. One for sale. In Crested Butte, Colo. Sleeps 16 for skiing if you're interested. And no, Scott Verplank wasn't thinking of keeping it. This was all business. "But I've seen it from the (ski) lift,'' he said grinning.  For the first time in a long time, Scott Verplank is feeling healthy and it's showing on the course. (Grayson/WireImage)
Life is good for Verplank. The family is settling into the new place which took two years to build. He's as aches-and-pains free as someone who's had three elbow surgeries and a cranky shoulder can be. Good enough, in fact, that he traded those rebellious, but easier-on-the-joints graphite shafts in his irons for steel shafts this week and he's dialing in his iron shots. And did we mention the all-but 43-year-old is just two shots off the pace going into the weekend at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship? A year ago, he withdrew with shoulder problems, which have bothered him for the better part of a year. Now, he's in position to win the tournament in the city where he grew up. And, if you're counting, this is EDS Byron Nelson Championship No. 21 for him. "It's a big help,'' he said. "I mean, I know the golf courses well, like yesterday I played across the street and I haven't played there in a year, but it wasn't like it was a shock or anything. I mean, I know the golf course good enough that I don't need a practice round on it to feel like I can go play it. I think it's a big help to have some, whatever you want to call it, local knowledge.'' The two-time Ryder Cupper finished second here in 2001, fourth in 2003 and tied for sixth in 2005, but, as we said, he withdrew last year. He comes in here having played 10 events -- one less than he wanted to because, after falling out of the top 50 in the world rankings (he's 68th ), he didn't qualify for the World Golf Championships-CA Championship. He did, however make the fields at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship and the Masters where he finished tied for 30th. That wasn't bad for someone who didn't tune up going into the Masters, because he fell top 50 and couldn't play the CA Championship. "I wasn't happy,'' he said. "I'm like a rookie trying to figure out the new schedule." At the same time, he just switched out those shafts this week, turning back to steel to get better control over his iron shots. "I'm just hoping my body can withstand it,'' he said. "I've used graphite shafts for my irons after I started having all these surgeries, and I finally said, you know, decided I'd try and go back to steel. I wanted to because they're a little more consistent, and I've done it, and so far I haven't fallen apart.'' He drew a big laugh. And, no, it wasn't a big adjustment. "Not really,'' he said. "I mean, I got the same I'm hitting it pretty much the same distance. They're just more consistent. I've noticed that over the last two days, the shots and the flight of the ball and the way it hits, it's just a little more consistent than graphite. I've won a couple tournaments out here using graphite shafts in my irons and played pretty good using them, but it's just something different.'' No one suggested the switch. He just decided to do it Wednesday. "I just didn't like the way I've been hitting my irons,'' he said. "I just haven't hit enough good shots here in the last year with them. I mean, honestly I had a nice set that I used for about three years, and they finally got worn out, so I switched about a year ago, and graphite shafts are very difficult to make them identical apparently. I mean, I put the exact same shafts in, and they just weren't the same, and I struggled with them for about a year, and finally I said I'm going to have to do something different."
He went different with those graphite shots in his irons. They're the exception, not the rule. "For irons, probably 99 percent to 1. It might be 99.5 to .5 now,'' he said. "I'm not sure I know anybody else that uses graphite in their irons. I know there's probably a couple people. It's hard to make it as consistent as steel.'' That said, Verplank has opened with rounds of 67-66 -- his first back-to-back rounds in the 60s since he finished tied for eighth at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic -- to give a touch of experience to a young leaderboard. And those scores came on spotty -- to say the least -- greens, which are keeping scores lower than normal. "Today I hit the ball pretty solid, just made a couple of long couple of pretty good putts on 3 and 5, and then I kind of -- I never really got the feel for the I kind of lost the feel for the greens,'' Verplank said. "Every one of them is a little bit different. I putted okay, but I had some really good chances, really good chances on the back nine, and I didn't take care of them. "But the scores aren't very low, and I guess hitting it in the fairway and hitting it on the green and one or two putting is still working.'' So far. Verplank, usually one of the better putters, did miss an 4-footer at the 14th and an 8-footer at the 13th. "I hit a beautiful putt and it didn't go in, didn't break,'' he said of the 8-footer. "(At 14) I hit a bad putt and it broke across. I guess I didn't want to jam that one in there and have it go four feet by and have that deal again. It is what it is. Hopefully tomorrow and the next day I'll make those. '' Verplank is just happy the shoulder is better. And he's closed on those houses. And that he's back in contention. |
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