AT&T Eyewitness Report #1
 

We are in the middle of a very hot summer here in Philadelphia and the heat and humidity presented obstacles to our walking with Mr. Gay and Bryce Moulder during their Sunday competition.

We walked outside the ropes for 11 holes. It was amazing and I have a lot to report but have to get the kids now.

Nice teaser. Did you have a chance to discuss future forum issues with Yoda?

Comparing Brian Gay and Bryce Molder on Sunday at the AT&T!
 

My lovely wife agreed to go to the AT&T with me last Sunday. We live about 20 minutes from the club which is tucked away on 35 acres on the "Main Line." It is a beautiful course and very, very hilly. The heat index was close to 100 degrees with humidity that was literally breathtaking. :(

We got off the air-conditioned bus and filled USO bags for the troops which was very fun. We got to the 17th fairway in time to see Tiger across the way with his red shirt and thousands following him. We were not interested and on a mission.:salut:

We went to the short game practice green and noticed two of the later starters hitting wedges that looked like 90 degrees, about 1/5th of the way to the pin and then roll past the pin!!!:laughing1

Comparing Brian Gay and Bryce Molder on Sunday at the AT&T!
 

My lovely wife agreed to go to the AT&T with me last Sunday. We live about 20 minutes from the club which is tucked away on 35 acres on the "Main Line." It is a beautiful course and very, very hilly. The heat index was close to 100 degrees with humidity that was literally breathtaking. :(

We got off the air-conditioned bus and filled USO bags for the troops which was very fun. We got to the 17th fairway in time to see Tiger across the way with his red shirt and thousands following him. We were not interested and on a mission.:salut:

We went to the short game practice green and noticed two of the later starters hitting wedges that looked like 90 degrees, about 1/5th of the way to the pin and then roll past the pin!!!:laughing1

We had to hurray as Mr. Gay was teeing off at 1pm! We walked to the driving range and saw "the hair!" Mr. Gay was right in front of us! I wanted him to sign my forehead!:eyes:

Adjusted Address, lagging takeaway, swing! The ball seemed to go screaming up a hill and land so softly that it was holding it's breath!:happy3:

We spoke to Mr. Gay's caddy and asked if if Mr. Blake was here. We were told that Mr. Blake was not there that day. "Please tell Mr. Gay for us that he looks great and we will be writing about his exploits on the LBG forum." And Mr. Gay smiled at us! :laughing1

We proceeded to follow Mr. Gay and Mr. Molder for 11 sweltering holes. More to come!

Patrick

Now it's getting fun!!!

Mr. Gay compared to Mr. Molder
 

Let me begin by saying I am not a pro. This was my first pro event and my observations are little more than first impressions.

While watching Mr. Gay on the range, I was struck by his relatively small size and how his tempo seemed relaxed and yet the ball lept into the air with power and precision. His swing seemed very controlled and compact.

Aronomink is a hilly course and as Mr. Molder and the whole field discovered, the rough was more than formidable! Let me explain. If your ball ran off the wide fairways about a foot, it would disappear from site and we were standing within 10 yards of the ball, sometimes. Why would the tee shot leave the fairway?
Accuracy off the tee was crucial at Aronimink. The hills and banking of the fairways would gladly throw a drive in any number disastrous positions.

Mr. Gay seemed to measure each tee shot to it's landing spot while Mr. Molder seemed to often be in the rough or even outside the ropes compared to Mr. Gay.

Mr. Gay's "stroke" just seemed more well, professional. His set-up, alignment, routine, slight forward lean to begin his backswing (yes, maybe because of the hills). In comparison, Mr. Molder hardly seemed settled before beginning his stroke.

Mr. Molder's GIR rating for the tourny was 63.89% slightly higher than Mr. Gay's 61.11% but in driving accuracy, Mr. Gay was almost 70% whereas Mr. Molder's driving accuracy was exactly 50%. Our sense while watching the two players was that Mr. Gay plays a game that would allow him to compete every time he enters a tournament.

I think at any course but the longest, Mr. Gay would wear his competitors out. :)

Patrick

Great observations City!

That mirrors what Jerry and I thought last year at the PGA. You look up and down the practice tee and nobody is moving off the ball, A tour range is a perfect place to watch Homer Kelley's "TRIPOD" in action. Brian Gay stayed as centered as anybody, if not even more so. What a wonderful action to mimic for consistancy...

Kevin

City,
Your account of the tournament and Mr. Gay's approach to the game brought shivers. Very well stated. It could well be my wife turned the AC into new realm with this hot, muggy weather.
By the way, after a recent bout with Kevin over range balls, he pointed out my continuance of the dreaded slide. I now mentally button hook my shirt button (sternum) to the ball, then pull the elastic up (not back) as I turn and accelerate through the ball. It worked Monday.

I'm loving your style of writing teach, tell us more!

Mr. Gay's approach to golfing on a Sunday with money on the line.
 

I think Mr. Gay is more of a swinger in TGM parlance. But comparing his swing to a long languid swing like Tommy Armour would be a study in contrasts in the extreme.

On Sunday, I thought I could see the Extensor Action of Mr. Gay keep his Power Package compact and bristling with an efficiency that belied his slight form and short, fluid movements back and through. Mr. Gay might use a takeaway lag but it is so slight that it was hard to see or perhaps his forward drift actually might set the lag. I don't know but Lynn and Brian do.

My point is that his compact swing "beasted" the ball like Godzilla in downtown Tokyo on Saturday night! It was so damn efficient and powerful that I actually thought Mr. Gay should have dialed a couple of approach shots back a bit due to the heat and hardness of the conditions. I say this realizing that I have not one clue of insight compared to Mr. Gay of what was correct competing professionally.

I felt as if Mr. Gay could control his landing spots for the ball to a 99% certainty. It was amazing to compare his level of simplicity and control of his strike to Mr. Molder who is very talented. Two different schools of instruction!

I am glad to know TGM as a result and will learn more. More to come, later about this Sunday I'm writing about.

Patrick