Van Pelt comes to his senses, putter starts to cooperate

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bo Van Pelt pleads temporary insanity. That's got to be what made him go through about 10 putters in an eight-week span earlier this year.

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Van Pelt finally went back to the future, though, and settled on a putter that he'd used for more than four years -- including when he won for the first time in Milwaukee last season. He had it refurbished and promptly tied for third in their first collaborative effort at Hilton Head.

That success was no fluke, either. Van Pelt used the same putter in Thursday's first round of the Quail Hollow Championship and made seven birdies on the way to a 65 that gave him sole possession of the lead.

"I knew I was striking the ball well," Van Pelt said. "My irons felt good, and I was driving the ball well. I just wanted to keep going forward. "I didn't really look at the board, I just tried to take advantage of the opportunities I had, and this is one of those golf courses where if it's going good, you'd better try to get it because it can jump up and grab you in a heartbeat."

Thursday wasn't the first time Van Pelt had gone low on this old-style, George Cobb course twice redesigned by Tom Fazio. He tied the course record with a 64 in the second round of the 2006 event and went on to tie for sixth that year.

"It's always good to come back to a course where it just kind of fits my eye," Van Pelt said. "I love the grass. It's always in great shape. The people make you feel so comfortable here. ...

"Like I said, my swing felt pretty good. I hit the ball really well at Harbour Town, so I was looking forward to getting here."

The Oklahoma State grad came to Charlotte relaxed and refreshed, too. He spent a few days with his father in Indiana last week and watched his daughter compete in a state gymnastics meet, as well.

Van Pelt has a comfort zone in the Queen City, too. He has some childhood friends who live here, as well as some pro-am partners he keeps in touch with and "we always go to dinner every year," he said.

Van Pelt's third-place finish at the Verizon Heritage was his first top-10 of the season. He shot three rounds in the 60s there and came away with renewed confidence in the rejuvenated flat stick that has carried over to this week.

"Same shaft, just a new one, and refinished -- the whole deal," Van Pelt said. "I told him it looked better than it did brand new. I actually took a little length off of it, too, which helped.

"I guess I've got a lot of good feelings with that putter, so it was just good to have it back in my hands."

Considering Van Pelt ranks second on TOUR in total driving and fourth in greens in regulation, the putter appears to definitely be the missing link. One good week won't change his stats -- Van Pelt ranks 136th in putting average and 162nd in putts per round -- but he feels he's on the right track.

Van Pelt took advantage of all four par 5s at Quail Hollow, playing them in 4 under. He hit 8 of 14 fairways, all but four greens and used just 26 putts.

"It's just converting on some of those opportunities (that's been holding me back)," he said. "(I) played the par fives well, and I got all four of those, so that's a big help. And then obviously no bogeys makes a big difference."