By: Charles W. Boatright
The Tale of Two Critical Golf Swings at the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open
The 2017 U.S. Women’s Open was a tale of two critical golf shots on the 18th green, made by Sung Hyun Park and Shanshan Feng to determine the winner of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open. The critical golf shot was a bunt-and-run chip shot made by Sung Hyun Park. This was a picture perfect golf bunt-and-run chip. There are several techniques that the golfer can learn and take advantage of by comparing the golf swing with the baseball swing especially the bunt technique used in baseball. The baseball-style golf swing bunt is one of these comparisons to help develop a bunt technique in golf for a soft checkpoint and control run-out on the green.
The two approach shots made by Sung Hyun Park and Shanshan Feng was a great opportunity to prove the advantage of using a baseball-style bunt-and-run chip shot that Sung Hyun Park used. This baseball-style bunt-and-run chip shot allows the golfer to nestle the ball up close to the hole, like within 6- feet. This is a great golf shot for the golfer to have in their arsenal of golf shots.
NOTE: I did say bunt-and-run chip shot, and not bump-and-run chip shot. A very important distinction to make between these two type techniques.
What the baseball-style bunt-and-run chip shot creates is a very soft version of a chip shot, with nice loft and a limited amount roll-out on the green. The batter, bunting in baseball, is trying to hit a slow roller down the third baseline to advance the runner and/or get on base. The key characteristic of a bunt-and-run chip shot is how soft the ball comes off the face of the club and hits or checkup, just off or on the green, with a minimum amount of roll-out on the green.
Sung Hyun Park Hybrid Chip Shot to Help Win The 2017 U.S. Women’s Open
Sung Hyun Park hit her approach shot into the 18th green, on Sunday, that landed on the left back part of the green and rolled down the incline into a collection area. This left Park with a 41 to 44-foot chip shot to the hole, as noted in the photograph below. Sung Hyun Park’s approach shot is located off the back of the green, in the shadows of the TV tower.
In the YouTube Video below, if you forward to the last 5 to 6 minutes of the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open, it shows the last two groups making their approach shots into the 18th green. This shows the picture perfect bunt-and-run chip shot technique used by Sung Hyun Park, as opposed to the typical follow-though chip shot used by Shanshan Feng.
The Hybrid Bunt-and-Run Chip Shot Used by Sung Hyun Park
In Section 2.6.1 of my book, The ESPY Golf Swing Coach, I explain in detail this bunt-type chip shot technique, similar to how a baseball batter would execute a bunt in baseball. The bunt-and-run chip shot is based on a baseball-style golf swing, applied to the golf shot. Just as the baseball batter wants to create a soft-slow-roller bunt down third baseline, the golfer is using the bunt-type chip shot technique to replicate the picture perfect golf shot by Sung Hyun Park executed with her abbreviated-type chip shot onto the 18th green to win the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open.
This also indicates another point in golf, that the most important golf shot in golf is not so much the golfer’s putt or tee shot, but rather their approach shot. This doesn’t diminish the importance of these two other shots or strokes in anyway, but shows how critical the approach shot is. The following putting statistics are data gathered from professional golfers at various distances; these indicate the importance of the approach shot:
- 99% of putts from 3 feet
- 69% of 6-foot putts
- 54% of 8-foot putts
- 31% of putts between 10 and 15 feet
Sung Hyun Park’s bunt-and-run chip shot left her about a two-foot putt to win the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open. So if you want to dramatically improve your golf game, work on your approach shots and your putting, followed by developing the bunt-and-run chip shot and tee shot. This was proven in Sung Hyun Park’s case in the YouTube Video above. This was a textbook and picture perfect bunt-and-run chip shot. The average golfer can learn a tremendous amount reviewing the YouTube Video of Sun Hyun Park making her chip shot. For the specific techniques of the bunt-and-run chip shot go to my Website and purchase your copy of my book.
To learn how to execute the bunt-and-run chip shot, purchase your copy of The ESPY Golf Swing Coach from the links below, or visit your local bookstore:
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