Double P :: The Official Blog

It's been a long hiatus. Six weeks, to be exact. I rested, laid low, iced up, kept the ankle elevated and spent the past couple of weeks rehabbing and doing everything my doctors and trainers told me to do. The only thing left is actually testing the ankle, which I'm going to do this week at the Travelers Championship.

Things are feeling better. There's still soreness and it feels like a light sprain, but it's time to get out there and give it a go. The doctors cleared me to play and now it's time to get back to the day-to-day. Walk a few rounds (starting Tuesday), workout with Coach Joey D, rest up and make things happen on Thursday.

Packing my bags and getting ready to hit the road for the first time since Sawgrass. I'll have my MacBook with me and I plan on dropping by the blog on Wednesday so I can give another report and bring everyone up to speed. More to come... P.P.

PP here, dropping a line from Scottsdale. Been a hectic couple of months since the Hope and I really haven't spent much time online... though that looks to change for the time being. I had a mishap last week and did some serious damage to my ankle, sidelining me for what should be a month, at minimum.

I went for a run last Friday with Duke, my German Shepherd. He went one way, I went another and somehow missed the curb and wrecked my ankle. Once we hobbled back to the house, I headed to the doc, got an MRI and learned that I tore up two of the three ligaments that go over the ankle. Not good.

Definitely not the best time for this to happen as we have the British Open and US Open qualifiers around the corner.

I had to pull out of this week's Byron Nelson Championship and have to miss the Colonial next week, which is an event I love. The Memorial is a pretty lengthy and hilly course, so even if I felt like I could go, it's not a good week to test the ankle with that much walking.

I generally take off the St Jude Classic and I'd be out for the US Open, so best case scenario I'd be out for five weeks and back for the Travelers Championship late June in Cromwell, CT. Even that might be too soon, though. My doc is calling for four weeks to recover and then four weeks of physical therapy, which would make for a late July return.

The docs are really pushing me to lay low and take some time off, which is asking a lot for a guy like me. I don't do too well with "down time". I'm always on the go, I love being on the road and my life is playing tournaments week in and week out.

Problem is if I come back too soon or force it, the tendons are going to stretch out and never really heal correctly. I have to suck it up and actively rest for a few weeks. I'm in a foot cast that's literally up to my knee and that'll be the case for several weeks.

I'm going to lay low this week and will probably head over to API (Athlete's Performance) sometime next week to hear what they have to say about the rehab process and what not. We'll see.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I'll check in a bit more while I'm down, out and on the couch.


P.P.

Pat Perez is back in action at the Quail Hollow Championship, after a two week hiatus after the Masters. 

After an opening round 74 on Thursday, Perez responded with a second round 70. Sitting at even after two, PP officially made the cut and will see some weekend action in Charlotte.

Perez got off to a blazing start on Friday, opening with four birdies in his first seven holes. A rougher go on the back nine, PP bogeyed #12 but responded with another birdie on #15. Back-to-back bogeys on #16 and #17 brought it back to -2 on the day.

Saturday's tee times will be announced shortly check back for the latest. 

A little blurb from Tod Leonard at the San Diego Union Tribune on Wednesday:

Pat Perez is back at Augusta for the first time since 2003, and it's like he's a different player attacking the course.

"Everything is different. Now I can play it," Perez, the Torrey Pines High grad, said yesterday after finishing a frigid practice round.

The swing changes Perez made in the offseason that led to his victory in January's Bob Hope Classic and his qualification for his second Masters will serve him well this week. Perez can hit a right-to-left draw now, which is extremely valuable on numerous holes at Augusta.

"I can shape it now," said Perez, who tied for fourth two weeks ago at Bay Hill.

In his first Masters in 2003, Perez played solidly early, but faded on the weekend with 79-75 to finish tied for 45th.

Without a win, he couldn't get high enough in the world rankings to secure a return trip to Augusta. But he said that never bothered him.

"You don't want to come out here and shoot 90," he said. "You don't want to embarrass yourself. I knew I was going to play bad. If you're going to come here, you want to be able to compete. I can do that now. It would be nice to have a good week."

Pat's caddy Mike Hartford snapped a few pics with his iPhone during Sunday's practice round at the Masters. Below is a shot of H, Pat and a full time local caddy named Gibby, who assisted Team Perez during their round. The other, a shot of the green on #12.

We sat down this week with Pat's long-time caddy Mike Hartford. For those who don't know the history, Pat and Mike have been lifelong friends and "H" has been on the bag since Pat's days on the Buy.com (Nationwide) tour.

Mike is an accomplished player in his own right. He was the NCAA Division III Freshman Player of the Year at UCSD (where he majored in economics) and won the San Diego City Amateur in 2000.

These days, Hartford is the even-keeled "ying" to Perez's "yang" and in his eighth year on tour, was right there with Pat brought home that first victory in January at the Bob Hope Classic. For those who missed Tod Leonard's piece on H in the San Diego Union Tribune, make a point to check it out.

H has agreed to chat with PatPerezGolf.com each week, in an effort break down what goes on inside the ropes. After Pat's T4th place finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, we figured this would be a great week to kick things off with an amazing caddy and an even better human being:

"Pat's coming off a great week in Orlando. I'll do my best to recap it for you here.

Tuesday we played a practice round with Jason Gore and Tommy Armour III, which worked out nice as both Jason and Pat are working with Mike Abbott as their swing coach.

They're both trying to flatten out their swing plane and when Mr. A is working with one, the other has the benefit of watching what the other is doing. They're both working on getting their hands at the top of the swing to be behind their shoulders, as opposed to above their shoulders and near their ears.

It's a flatter, deeper swing plane and it produces a more consistent shot because at impact, the club is more shallow through the ground. It doesn't dig deep into the ground, which a steep swing does... which is what Pat used to have.

The guys played 18 on Tuesday and we were back out there Wednesday for the Pro-Am. Mr. A was our for about nine holes, working on the same thing, keeping it simply, critiquing and checking Pat's lines. From there Pat headed over to the fitness trailer to get some more time in with his biomechanics coach Joey D (Joey Diovisalvi) and it was an early night as we had an early tee time on Thursday.

Opening round conditions were a bit rough when we went. Winds were blowing about 15 m.p.h. and whenever you have wind, that's going to impact scoring conditions. Wind is probably the toughest condition for PGA Tour players. The greens were also firm for us on Thursday.

Pat got off to a good start with a nice chip in on the par-three second hole. He missed the green to the left and had a reasonable chance to get up and down. He was just off the green and in the rough, but used an L-wedge and holed it. The birdie was a big bonus and got the round started off on the right foot. Especially in a tournament where pars were sometimes as good as a birdie.

Pat played really well on Friday and Saturday, too. Three straight rounds of 70. A lot of solid pars, some great birdies and some good bogeys. Going into Sunday, we started the day T6th and eight strokes off the lead and felt we had a shot.

What really stands out from Sunday is that we were +2 over the first four holes and fought back.

Pat actually made a great bogey on #4. He hit three wood, didn't get all of it, had a long shot to the green and put it in a greenside bunker. It was about a 40-yard bunker shot that he bladed over the green into the back greenside bunker and had another tough bunker shot, which he put about four feet from the pin and putted for bogey.

As frustrated as you are with bogey, in a case like that you're relieved that it wasn't worse. The next hole was a par-four and he hit a great tee shot, went eight iron with his second shot and left it six feet from the hole and made birdie. Now we got one stroke back and we're going into a par-five where Pat knows he has a good shot at making birdie, which he did.

It was a good drive on #6, he laid up to a good number, hit that to about eight feet and again putted for birdie, which had us even after six and feeling pretty good about things.

A few years ago, there's a 50/50 chance Pat winds up shooting a 78 after a start like that, but in his ninth year out here he's truly maturing as a player. Everybody on tour goes through the same process, it's just a matter of when. A guy like Tiger was able to master that in his early 20s, whereas other guys might not figure it out until their 40s. Pat got there around 30 and it's made a huge difference in his scoring. Especially in the final round.

Mentally you have to come to the realization that every stroke counts the same; whether it's Thursday morning or Sunday afternoon. You can't lose your cool just because you miss a shot or else you might unravel in the middle of a round.

Pat is also much more comfortable with his swing these days. He knows he's going to hit some good shots and he knows he's going to have a handful of chances to make birdie.

We picked up two more birdies on #11 and #12, gave one back on #14. We were one-under with four very difficult holes to play, which Pat played even with a birdie on #15, back-to-back pars and the bogey on #18.

It was a great tee shot on the final hole. We were about 150 yards to the flag and he came out of the shot a little bit. It still looked really good in the air, but it was a little short and came up just past the rocks in the rough, which he eventually saved with a good bogey."

Check back this week as H will be chiming in from the Masters. Team Perez is headed to Augusta on Saturday and Mike Hartford will be bringing us all the latest and greatest.

"TaylorMade says its new driver has been a big hit"
Tod Leonard, San Diego Union Tribune

On that Sunday afternoon in January, the TaylorMade crew was all atwitter. Literally. Fingers were flying on Blackberrys all over San Diego County.

Pat Perez was coming down the stretch in the Bob Hope Classic, and the folks who design and build his clubs at TaylorMade's Carlsbad headquarters were sweating it out with him.

"There were probably about 15 to 20 of us calling around and sending messages," said Harry Arnett, TaylorMade's senior director of equipment. "It was electric."

They couldn't have drawn up the scenario better in an MBA marketing class at Harvard.

Hope week marked the first time TaylorMade put into the hands of PGA Tour pros its R9 driver, a club the company believes to be revolutionary because of its unprecedented adjustability. The driver combines the moveable weights TaylorMade previously developed with the ability to turn the shaft to create different lofts and clubface angles.

Perez had been the first one on Monday morning to grab one from the company's tour van. In his first competitive round with it, he shot a 61, and on Sunday, punctuating a week of impressive driving, Perez split the fairway with his last, hammered tee shot at the Hope to set up an eagle and the raucous celebration of his first tour win.

Now that is some instant gratification.

"We definitely think we have the best products in golf, but you need some luck, too," Arnett said. "When Pat won, it was like, 'Hey, maybe this is going to be one of those years that doesn't come around very often, both on the tour and in the market.'"

The golf equipment business is like most others right now, feeling the weight of the fallen economy. It may not have been the best of times for TaylorMade to introduce a high-tech driver that retails for $400. But the company spent much time and money developing the R9, so it wasn't going to let it languish on a shelf in the R&D department.

To the great satisfaction of TaylorMade, the enthusiasm for the R9 by tour players, retailers and regular golfers has "way, way, way" exceeded expectations, Arnett said.

At the Hope, Perez said of the R9, "I'm not just saying this because I play it; I'm telling you it's the best driver I've ever hit, and I've tried a lot. It's unbelievable."

Because he is decidedly his own man, Perez probably opened some eyes and ears with his statements, and the pros have since made the R9 the No. 1 driver on tour, adding to TaylorMade's long list of successes with the big stick. Sean O'Hair nearly gave the R9 its second PGA Tour win Sunday at Bay Hill before being overtaken by Tiger Woods.

In the big'name golf stores, the R9 has been a blessing in tough times since it became available to the public in the first week of March.

"It's pretty much flying off the floor, relative to everything else," said Marc Pritt, the regional manager for Pro Golf Discount in San Diego. Pritt said R9s are selling 5 to 1 compared to TaylorMade's top competitors.

"TaylorMade spends the most to get guys on TV playing the club," Pritt said. "Sean O'Hair was basically playing with a club he could have bought off our floor. People like that. They see him playing against Tiger and figure the club would be good for their 15 handicap."

If the R9 is proving anything, it's that golfers will still spend considerable cash if they think a driver will boost their yardage and shave strokes. Arnett said he believes there are 2 million to 3 million core golfers who will change their driver once a year if given the opportunity with the right club.

"What we've seen with the R9 means that our faith in the core golfer is warranted," Arnett said. "There's still a very vibrant golf consumer who is passionate about golf if you give them something to be passionate about."

The TaylorMade crew believes it has developed something extraordinary in the R9.

In 2004 the company introduced the R7 driver with four moveable weights to adjust the club to give it a left or right bias. The driver was extremely popular and successful on the PGA Tour, but the generation that followed for TaylorMade and others - a driver with a changeable shaft - was rejected outright by consumers as expensive and unnecessary.

Now comes the R9, with three moveable weights and a shaft that can rotate into eight different positions to change both the loft and angle of the clubface by as many as 2 degrees. There are 24 possible configurations, and with a few twists of the custom-made wrench, TaylorMade contends that any level of golfer can find a setup to maximize their drive.

In a demonstration with a robot earlier this year, TaylorMade technicians showed there can be a 75-yard-wide difference in dispersion between the R9's various configurations. The maximum dispersion was less than 20 yards for the R7.

Conceivably, that puts a guy with a pronounced slice in the fairway instead of in someone's back yard.

Arnett said at least 60 workers had a hand in developing the R9 over the course of several years. As an example, about seven worked on the engineering of the small aluminum sleeve that allows the shaft to turn.

The club would be junk, however, if it's not well-received by the touring pros who promote the equipment when they use it. With the R9, it had the natural appeal of allowing a player to tinker without going back to the tour van a half-dozen times.

"It's forever changed the way we fit people," said Paul Loegering, a TaylorMade rep who works weekly with the PGA Tour pros.

A majority of pros, Loegering said, prefer to see a driver clubface that is slightly open, but they want to draw the ball to the left. That is tough to achieve, but a player with an R9 can do that by rotating the face to the right while adding weight to the heel.

It may sound complicated, but a couple of shots will give a golfer instant feedback.

Where Loegering walks a fine line is trying to promote a new product line while also doing what will make a pro most successful.

"It makes me nervous at times," he said. "You don't want to create a problem. You want to be part of the solution."

Example: TaylorMade staffer Kenny Perry enjoyed his best season on tour in '08 with three victories and a berth on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Why would he switch anything in his bag, especially after Perry won in Scottsdale in February?

Answer: He didn't make a driver change right away. But after Loegering worked with Perry on various R9 setups, Perry put the new driver into play last week at Bay Hill. The result: a respectable tie for eighth.

Loegering breathed a sigh of relief. Another guy sold, probably.

"That's where it's so gratifying," Loegering said. "You feel like you're a part of their success."