Left-handed Flesch not afraid of Harbour Town, motivated

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Steve Flesch comes to the Verizon Heritage fresh off a tie for sixth at the Masters.

Apr. 14, 2009
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- When he took up golf as a kid in Ohio, Steve Flesch grabbed some of his father's old clubs, that had been cut down, and began to whale away. His frustration grew the more often he played, fueled by the knowledge that he was smacking the baseball around pretty good but not getting the same results on the golf course.

"I played baseball more than anything when I was young, but I batted left-handed in baseball, and I was wondering why I was hitting the golf ball right-handed," Flesch recalled.

The epiphany came when he was 10. It didn't require a swing coach or a sports psychologist. It simply came down to an equipment change. Flesch was playing golf with his left-handed uncle one day and asked if he could try to swing from his natural side rather than the right side.

The short-term result: "I just nailed it. I don't know how far you can hit it when you're 10, but it was way easier," Flesch said.

The long-term result: A scholarship to the University of Kentucky (his beloved Cincinnati Reds never called) and a career on the PGA TOUR. Flesch joined the TOUR in 1998, has won four times, and has never finished lower than 95th on the money list. Four times he's won more than $2 million.

Flesch brings a lot of momentum into this week's Verizon Heritage at Hilton Head Island, S.C., thanks to last week's tie for sixth at the Masters. In 2008, he tied for fifth at the Masters and followed it up with a tie for 29th at Harbour Town. He hopes to improve on that showing this week.

"It's a great relaxing week after all the hype and hoopla of the Masters," said Flesch, who needed only three hours to complete his practice round on Tuesday. "Hilton Head fits perfectly in our schedule and allows us to decompress a little bit, yet it is a great golf tournament on one of the best courses we play all year."

Flesch is trying to become the first left-hander to win the Verizon Heritage, which is being played for the 41st time. In nine previous appearances, he's made the cut six times and twice finished in the top 10, tying for seventh in 2001 and 2003. He'll play the first two rounds with five- and two-time Verizon Heritage winners Davis Love III and Boo Weekley, respectively.

Flesch refuted the idea that Harbour Town didn't set up well for lefties. Phil Mickelson was there in 1998 and 2002, his last appearance, and Mike Weir was 10th in 1999, his only appearance at the Verizon Heritage.

"I think the course sets up OK," Flesch said. "I'm very comfortable on most of the tee shots. It might just be one of those things."

Other lefties in the field this week include Nick O'Hern, Eric Axley, Greg Chalmers and Tim Wilkinson. Among that quartet, only O'Hern (ninth in 2005) has finished among the top 10.

"Maybe we just haven't had particularly good weeks here," Flesch said. "Maybe we enjoyed too much of the stuff on the island a little too much."

Unlike previous years, Flesch won't have his family in town for the tournament. This year, his parents are visiting, but his wife Lisa and his two children wanted to ensure themselves of a warm spring break. They're in the Bahamas.