/If chip yips strike, hide your eyes

If chip yips strike, hide your eyes

DeLaet, a Canadian 35-year-old, arrived at the 64th hole in the 72-hole tournament leading by one shot. He looked like a winner. Then he drove his drive 330 yard down the fairway, on the par-5 hole. As they say, it was the moment that everything happened. His second shot, which was only 210 yards from the pin, veered off to the right, bounced the wrong direction, and splashed into a green-side pond. He was given a one-shot penalty, and then a drop. However, it still left him with a chance of a par. More stuff followed. This is where some history is needed. DeLaet is a well-known ball-striker and has experienced occasional problems with his short game. Chip yips are what DeLaet has experienced at times. He starts by hitting a simple chip shot and then things happen. He might even smash it on the green. He might shank it dead right. He could hit the ball behind, chugging it just short of the hole. It got so bad at The Memorial Jack’s tournament that Jack quit and dropped out of the first round. He didn’t suffer an injury like many others. He tweeted, “I’m experiencing incredible anxiety while pitching/chipping right now.” It’s not enjoyable. To get it resolved and to get back on track, I had to withdraw. It’s not easy for even the best golfers. After a few weeks off, he had two great tournaments: a tie at 8th and 29th respectively, before he headed to the Canadian Open. The “chip yips”, as they are known, struck again during round 77. You never know when they will strike again once you have them. It’s not a physical thing, but it’s mental. It’s the six-inch between your ears that is the most difficult in golf. This brings us to Sunday at CCJ. DeLaet was leading by one. He had hit the ball into water, taken a fall, and was now facing a 29-foot chip on the fourth shot to the par-5 hole. Par was still possible which would have maintained the lead. DeLaet pulled out his wedge and addressed the ball. Then, well, he shanked it, dead right, but not back into the water, but within the hazard line. He was only 29 feet away from the hole before his fourth shot. He was now at 34 feet from the hole after his fourth shot. He was still 16 feet away from the hole with his fifth shot, which he, thankfully, did not sink. He two-putted to make a double bogey. He then bogeyed the second hole. He was one shot ahead and quickly fell to three behind. DeLaet was tied for eighth, instead of winning. He won $126,800 instead of $756,000. He should not forget about the chip yips and instead put them in the rearview mirror. They are there and he is sure they will never go away. The “chip yips”, and the “putting yips”, can strike anyone, at any age and at any level. A good friend of mine was a low-handicapper and had been, in the past one of my favorite short putters. He could make an 8-footer for money if he had to. He finally got the yips at 50. He could not get up on his feet. He tried to put cross-handed. He tried long putter. He tried putting while looking at the hole rather than at his ball. He tried to put left-handed and cross-handed. It didn’t work. He finally gave up on golf. It was no longer fun. 50 years ago, when we were playing with balata balls and persimmon trees, a teenage golfing buddy bought a case “chip yips.” This was back in the days of balata woods and balata. He was an excellent junior player, and a helluvan athlete. He almost drove the ball onto a green at par 4. Then the yips came. He shanked the one to the left, then walked over to it and shanked again. He was just beginning. The same thing happened again. Then again. He was almost at the divot where his second shot was hit, and he was about to hit his sixth. He had missed it all the way around. He finally gave up and putted the ball onto the green. Funny? It was not funny back then and it wasn’t funny Sunday when Graham DeLaet witnessed it. DeLaet signed autographs for children after his round. He managed to smile and give a high-five to a few of them. So I knew that I would be writing about him and wanted to interview him. I asked him for a quick interview. He said, “Not now.” He said, “I have to pack up.” He’s not wrong. *** Tour rookie Cody Gribble won Sanderson Farms Championship in his second start. Mississippi Today’s sports columnist is Rick Cleveland. Check out his columns as well as his Sports Daily blog. Reach Rick at rcleveland@mississippitoday.org.