WAITE’S TOUR HOPES REST WITH LEFT-HANDED PUTTER

Wednesday, Jan 20, 2010

How much longer New Zealand professional continues to play the United States golf tours may well depend on how he fares this year with a change of putting stance, from right-handed to left-handed.
 
The putting woes of Waite over the last decade have been well documented. He continues to rank highly on the tee to green statistics and continues to rate lowly on the putting. And he knows better than most the old adage of `drive for show, putt for dough.’
 
Waite will use his new left-handed putter – one that is a little smaller and lighter than his stock right-handed stick – for the first time in competition at the New Zealand PGA Championship, starting tomorrow at the Clearwater resort course in Christchurch.

``This has to work or I’ll find something else to do,’’ Waite said as he adopted his new stance on the practice green. ``I’ve only got a certain amount of time left as I’m 45 years old and they say the definition of madness or insanity is that you continue to do the same thing and expect different results.
 
``The rest of my game is fine and good enough to compete still, but it is about scoring and I’m not making the putts.’’
 
Waite said that he played 26 tournaments last year and only had nine rounds without a three-putt.
 
``Some guys go two or three months without a three-putt. I’ve tried them all, the long putter, the belly putter, the left-hand low grip, the claw grip, the reverse-claw grip – you name it and I’ve tried it.
 
``It’s not the putter though. In my brain it got wired up that I was not a particularly good putter when I was younger but I hit the ball so well I could survive. When I stepped up in competition other guys hit it equally well and I couldn’t stay with them scoring-wise as more pressure went on the putting. Mind wasn’t at the level it needed to be and it broke down and became a mental thing.’’
 
Waite said he finished 55th in the putting statistics on the 2000 United States PGA tour (he was 38th on the money list and won more than $US1.2 million that year) but that was the only time he was inside the top 120.
 
He had another sad putting tale to tell at the Michael Hill New Zealand Open last March. ``After 54 holes I was in second place a shot out of the lead then went out and three-putted three of the first six holes and that was the day.’’
 
Waite arrived in Christchurch on Sunday after a 30-hour flight from his Florida home and has been practicing his putting diligently at Clearwater, a course which he admits has not treated him well in the past.

``I’m practising a lot left-handed and will use it this week to get a sense where I am tournament-wise. I’m trying to practice enough to where I feel comfortable that I can go out there with some confidence and that it is going to work.
 
``I’m happy with the development of it over the last three months but probably need two or three tournaments putting that way to really get a feel of where I’m at.’’
 
Like the rest of he us, he will have to wait and see.