Justin Leonard fired finest spherical in months after driveway swing tip

Over the course of Justin Leonard’s prolonged — and profitable — PGA Tour profession, the now 52-year-old collected 12 wins, together with a serious championship. However after becoming a member of the PGA Tour Champions full-time in 2023, Leonard has but to put up a victory in 38 occasions on the senior circuit.

He’s come shut, with a runner-up end eventually September’s PURE Insurance coverage Championship, however Leonard hasn’t actually contended down the stretch since.

That’s, till this week’s Ascension Charity Basic in St. Louis, Mo. Leonard fired a gap spherical of four-under 67 on Friday to get himself within the combine on the high of the leaderboard. It was his finest spherical since June’s U.S. Senior Open, when Leonard posted scores of 67-72-67-73 to complete T22.

To what did Leonard attribute the sudden turnaround? Seems, all he wanted was a cellphone lesson together with his swing coach that befell in his driveway.

After final week’s final-round 75 left Leonard T58 on the Ally Problem in Michigan, Leonard received on the cellphone together with his coach, Randy Smith.

“After the Sunday in Michigan I used to be like, golly, ought to be higher than this,” Leonard stated on Friday from St. Louis. “To Randy, I didn’t have any swings to ship him. It was Monday afternoon, I used to be residence and speaking to him. He stated, properly, sounds such as you’ve received your grip an excessive amount of within the palm. I’m like, what? He stated properly, when you’re battling left and this and that, you understand, didn’t fairly have pace with my driver and people issues, really feel such as you get it within the fingers.

“So he tells me, I’m going out within the driveway whereas I’m on the cellphone with him with a membership and tells me to swing it one-handed as arduous as I might 5 or 6 instances,” Leonard continued. “He stated, don’t transfer something. The place do you are feeling the membership now? Yeah, it’s in my fingers. He stated, is that the place it’s felt? I used to be like, no. He stated, okay, there you go.”

The unconventional driveway lesson definitely had an impression, as Leonard posted 4 birdies and an eagle at Norwood Hills Nation Membership throughout Friday’s first spherical, and stays in competition after a second-round 70.

“That’s what I rolled into final week, was actually attempting to really feel issues within the fingers,” Leonard stated. “Positive sufficient I’ve gotten somewhat extra pace from it.”

A win on Sunday in St. Louis wouldn’t solely be a primary for Leonard on the PGA Tour Champions, it might additionally give him a significant enhance within the Charles Schwab Cup standings, launching him from No. 64 to No. 31 because the common season begins to wind down.

Nonetheless, no matter what occurs, like all golfers, Leonard is simply pleased to be striping it once more.

“Look, we’re all nuts. We been doing this a very long time and we’re attempting to make a residing off this recreation, so we’re all somewhat bit nutty. But it surely’s enjoyable once you discover just a few issues after which like you possibly can have a spherical like in the present day, which I haven’t performed properly looks like in a really very long time,” he stated. “Simply as a little bit of affirmation that what I’m doing is the appropriate factor. I knew that getting in, nevertheless it’s simply good to shoot a rating and form of justify it somewhat bit.”

If he can maintain that optimistic momentum going for another spherical, he might set himself up for a memorable Sunday certainly.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of feminine varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everybody on the masthead. She will out-hustle them within the workplace, too, the place she’s primarily chargeable for producing each print and on-line options, and overseeing main particular tasks, equivalent to GOLF’s inaugural Fashion Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview sequence, “A Spherical With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in each within the journal and in video kind on GOLF.com.