Glover will carry confidence from win to THE PLAYERS
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When Sunday night's celebration is over and that silver loving cup he got for winning the Wells Fargo Championship is tucked safely in the trophy case back home, Lucas Glover will have a little time for reflection.
Not much, of course, because THE PLAYERS Championship looms large on the horizon. But when Glover tees it up on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass, he'll have something that has been missing of late.
Confidence.
The swing changes Glover implemented during the offseason finally came together at Quail Hollow last week. The putter was golden, too. A victory drought that had stretched to nearly two years ended in a playoff with one of his best friends, Jonathan Byrd, and Glover was anxious to see what the future holds.
"Golf is all about confidence," the 2009 U.S. Open champion explained. "We all hit it pretty close to the same. Whoever makes the putts and feels the most confident leading up to Thursday and all the way through Sunday plays great. So I've got confidence now.
"Whether that carries over, I don't know. Whether I have a letdown, I don't know. So I'm looking forward to some rest tomorrow and getting down there and seeing what else I can learn."
Glover, who moved to 27th in the FedExCup with the win, had never had much success at THE PLAYERS until last year when he made his first cut in five appearances, shot 14 under and finished third. He broke par in every round. too, after never shooting lower than 73 in his eight previous rounds on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course.
"Last year I changed a little something and decided to lay back in some of the fairways and just get it in the fairways," Glover recalled before he headed to the clubhouse at Quail Hollow to be toasted by the members. "I happened to be hitting my irons great and I made a bunch of putts last year similar to here.
"I'm excited to get down there and try it again. We all like a challenge and you can't not play there. It's our flagship tournament. Great purse. Great field. So I'm excited to get back down there and see if I can learn to play it even better."
Glover said he found "something pretty simple" on Tuesday at Quail Hollow and the way he played in Wednesday's pro-am solidified his commitment to the change. His head tilts slightly at address, and he realized he'd been having trouble squaring the club. When he did, the ball started going where he was aiming and Glover was back on track.
Byrd, who teammed with Glover in a practice round match against Davis Love III and charles Warren on Tuesday, wasn't surprised to be facing his friend in the playoff at the end. Byrd, who was seeking his third win in his last 12 starts, had seen the highs and lows since Glover's signature win at Bethpage. He also knows how talented his long-time friend is.
"Whenever Lucas starts making some putts, he's going to be right up there because he certainly drives the ball great, ball striking is good," Byrd said. "When he plays patient golf and putts well, he's tough to beat."
With each round, Glover gained more of that elusive commodity called confidence that helped carry him to victory during a frenetic finish that saw as many as five players tied for the lead. He hung tough down the stretch, too, after claiming sole possession of the top spot with a birdie at the 15th hole.
The 7-footer to save par on the 72nd hole was followed by an uncharacteristic first pump by the understated Glover, Ditto for the 4-footer that earned the victory in the playoff.
"I hit some wild shots this week, but the short game was good and was able to escape," Glover said. "It's not like it's exactly where I want it. I know you guys know golfers; we're never happy. We shoot 63, we missed a six-footer on 7, that kind of deal.
"But I'm still working on it, and it's still a work in progress. You know, I'm trying to get more consistent week in and week out."
No player had ever shot four rounds in the 60s at Quail Hollow in the nine year history of the tournament. Until Sunday, that is, when Glover polished off a round of 69.
"I'm elated, absolutely elated, especially here," Glover said. "A lot of friends at Quail Hollow, a lot of friends in town, a lot of support. Any time you win you're pleased. It means you beat everybody. You did what you set out to do on Thursday morning when the bell rang.
"Against this field and on this golf course and in a tournament of this magnitude, I'm thrilled."
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