Fulton Blog: Wedge expertise key to Green's win

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Nathan Green's brilliant pitch on the 70th hole in regulation assured him a spot in a playoff.

After another wet week and a Monday finish, Nathan Green finally gets his first PGA TOUR win by holding off Retief Goosen in a playoff at the Canadian Open. It was fitting that the 34-year-old won his first event in Canada, where he began his professional career.

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PGA TOUR Golf Academy's Travis Fulton breaks down the keys to Nathan Green's win on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, SIRIUS 209). Click to listen

With everyone missing work on Monday, big crowds lined the final three holes to watch the finish. With Green and Goosen separating themselves from the field, the two didn't disappoint the rabid Canadian golf fans with exciting golf until the final shot.

What Can We Learn
Nathan Green is one of those players on the PGA TOUR that gets a lot out of his game. When you look at his stats, they are not always the most impressive when it comes to length or accuracy. Currently, Green is ranked 131st in Driving Distance, 143rd in Driving Accuracy and 159th in Greens in Regulation. These stats usually don't add up to a player that competes to win tournaments on the PGA TOUR, however, this is exactly what Green did this week.

Green is the type of player when paired with, his fellow competitors feel they are beating him by four or five strokes and then when the day is over, he's beaten you by two. We've all played with these types of players. They are not always the most glamorous, but they know how to get the ball in the hole.

As you might imagine, one of the strengths to Green's game is his short game. Usually, players who are not very long or accurate are very good around the greens. This short game was on full display during the final round on Monday over the last three holes. Green used a variety of short game shots down the stretch to get him into the playoff with Goosen. Here is how he hit them.

16th hole: Toss shot. Two weeks ago after the John Deere Classic we talked about how to hit a toss shot with the assistance of the winner (Steve Stricker). It's called a toss shot because of how the motion feels in both directions. With the proper blend of the arm and hand motion during the backswing and the body's support on the downswing, you will feel a resemblance to tossing a ball.

On the Par-5 16th, Green was faced with a 37-yard shot up the hill that needed to carry the rough and land softly. Green elected a highly-lofted wedge (56 or 60 degrees) and snuggled a beautiful high toss in close for a critical birdie. The key was not only the amount of loft on the wedge, but also how he set-up to the ball.

At address, Green had the clubface slightly open with the shaft angle more neutral, with the shaft is not leaning forward or back. One of the most common errors golfers make is they lean the club shaft too far forward at address when trying to hit a high, soft shot. Setting the club shaft where the hands are in-line with the clubhead is going to make this shot a lot easier. In addition, move the ball position forward in the stance with the body's weight slightly forward.

With the proper set-up, Green was able to create a relatively full arm swing in both directions supported by the body during the downswing. A great way to describe this shot is "long and lazy". "Long" from the stand point describing the arm swing and "lazy" with the relatively slow turn rate of the body.

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Nathan Green's pure putting has helped him stay on TOUR the last three years.

17th hole: Hinge and hold. Another great shot we have discussed here in the past is the "hinge and hold." You may recall after Phil Mickelson won the World Golf Championships-CA Championship, we discussed this nifty little shot. It's called hinge and hold because the backswing requires an immediate hinging of the wrists and the downswing demands "holding" the angles through impact.

The neat thing about a hinge and hold is that you can hit it from the fairway like Phil did in Miami or you can hit it from greenside rough like Green did on the Par-4 17th in Ontario. Once again, Green selected a very lofted wedge and hit a great little running hinge and hold to save par. Like the toss shot, the key to this shot lies in the set-up position.

At address, Green had the clubface square with the shaft leaning forward. With the shaft leaning forward, the ball will be played slightly back of center with the weight slightly favoring the forward foot.

Unlike the toss shot, this time Green used a very short arm swing with an immediate wrist hinge. A wrist hinge allows the clubhead to work up so it can then strike down on the ball and through the rough. One of the most common mistakes with this shot is players create too much arm swing during the backswing resulting in a shallower angle of approach and deceleration through impact.

With the proper wrist hinge, Green was able to hold these angles until post-impact. A key with this shot is to maintain the bend in the trail wrist until impact. One of the most common errors is releasing the bend in the trail wrist too soon disrupting the proper shaft angle at impact.

18th Hole: Bladed Wedge. Usually blading a wedge is not a good thing, but on the par-5 18th hole on Monday, it was the shot Green used to save par. This is a creative shot that has gained in popularity over the years and really is quite simple if you know how to hit it.

At address, you can set up to the ball no different than if you were going to hit a basic chip shot. Set the clubface square with the shaft angled slightly forward. Ball position will be slightly back of center with the weight once again on the lead foot. The key is to lift the clubhead up just above the equator at address and then return it to that point at impact.

Unlike the hinge and hold, there is no hinge during the backswing on this shot. You may have noticed how passive Green was with his hands as he just used his shoulders in both directions. This feeling resembles the motion of a putting stroke and really encourages that the leading edge of the wedge's face returns just above the equator resulting in a bladed shot that rolls end over end to the hole.

Just Because
Well, I must tell you I had a very busy and enjoyable weekend in the Northeast. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to play the TPC River Highlands outside Hartford, the home course to the Travelers Championship. I didn't have my own clubs, so I used some rentals from the course that may have been nicer than my own set. We had a great time and I must say I enjoyed the course very much. I shot a smooth 72 and am starting to think there might be something wrong with my own clubs.

On Sunday, my girlfriend and I took in New York City. With just one day in the city we were on the move all over Manhattan. After walking roughly eight miles, plus a few train rides and a cab, I now have my first case of shin-splits in decades. Just an incredible city but I would certainly recommend more than one day taking it all in.

Finally, on Monday we toured ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn. Now you all know how big of a sports nut I am, so I must tell you, I was in heaven. What an incredible place with every sports event imaginable being analyzed, scored, charted, designed, etc. Sporting a Mariners jersey, I toured the World Wide Leader like a kid in a candy store. I found myself not ever wanting to leave taking in more stats, scores, headlines and breaking news.

I didn't even need the remote control, it was all right there in front of me. However, security eventually escorted us out, which is good for you as this blog wouldn't have gotten posted this week. I'd still be standing in front of a bank of monitors trying to figure out how my Mariners are going make the American League wild card race.

See you next week in Michigan for Tiger and the Buick Open.