Round 2: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
February 10 2012
7:30 pm
Wi finds his zone at 40
Interview: Charlie Wi
Charlie Wi addressed the media following his second round at Pebble Beach.
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — It took seen years and turning 40, but Charlie Wi has more self-belief in himself than ever has, and it’s showing in his play at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Wi, who has never won in 162 career starts on the PGA TOUR, shot a 2-under 69 Friday at Pebble Beach, moving him to 12 under and a three-shot lead heading into the weekend.
“I know I’ve got a good swing, and I’m a good putter, but I’ve always doubted myself a lot,” Wi said. “When things don’t go well, I always got down on myself very easy. I feel like I’m getting over that hump.”
He certainly has here. Through two rounds, Wi is tied for first in fairways hit having missed just two so far. He’s also third in the field in putting.
It didn’t hurt that he didn’t need the putter on the par-4 13th, where he holed out for eagle with a wedge from 114 yards.
For Wi, who had missed two of three cuts this season, it all comes down to confidence however. That’s why he sought out a sport psychologist.
Still, it comes down to Wi executing the shots.
“They can tell you if you don’t believe in yourself, doesn’t matter what they say to you, you have to do it yourself,” Wi said. “I’ve come to the conclusion I still doubt myself. But I feel like I am really comfortable with my golf swing.
“Before I always that that a little bit. Meaning I was trying to make it look so pretty on camera, where I was constantly working on golf swings during tournaments. I was almost throwing tournaments away because I was working on my golf swing.”
Wi isn’t sure how he got to this point, but he feels like he is moving in the right direction now.
“The next two days are going to be very tough because there are going to be a lot of demons and doubts,” Wi said. “But those are the challenges I’m looking forward to to see how I handle myself.”
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Charlie Wi is one of the last disciples of the vaunted Stack and Tilt. Charlie needs to win to prove the theory works.
Baddeley and Weir have both abandoned S and T. While others are no longer on Tour.
Time to put up or shut up.
Josh- you are mistaken and misinformed. S&T works with Troy Matteson, Bill Lunde, JJ Henry, Charlie Wie, Dean Wilson, and Brad Faxon. Mike Weir has come back to working with S&T. Baddeley was at his highest world ranking while working with S&T.
I was just going to say the Weir has gone back to the Stack and tilt…not that its working for him right now.
I’ve always liked Wi and his game…hope he keeps it up through the weekend…what course does he play tomorrow?
If a Golfer want’s to ruin his career, use the stack and tilt method, aka the reverse pivit.. It’s totally not the way to go.
Must be a surreal situation attempting your first win at a juncture like pebble beach. It looks beautiful. It’s on my bucket list for sure! Good luck to all over the weekend!
P.S. My boy rickie sure stunk it up today. Anymore double bogeys from him and I’m gonna freak out!
Charlie is a good guy and player but won’t win around pebble this week. I’ve looked at the list of players using stack and tilt, they may as well throw it .
Come on CC, Dean Wilson lost his card, ditto Eric Axley, the fact is both Badds who won the Northern Trust Open last year after leaving and I hear no reports of Weir going back. Lunde and Matteson?
I’m not seeing any top players here.
Wi needs to WIN.
Stack and Tilt is over.
Let’s go Charlie, step up your game and take the title.
Go Bears. Just do it Charlie.
Foley teaches the same method as bennett and plummer so I don’t think it’s “dead”. All good players use some of the basic principles of stack and tilt. They may not swing the way it is exactly prescribed by those two but they use some of what they teach.
Stack and Tilt is just Hogan with a dose of Byron Nelson. Its just the most efficient way to swing.
Critics of stack and tilt haven’t read the book and have no idea what they are talking about and how important this book is. These guys are 99% right and everyone else is just wrong. That is why everyone hates them. No one wants to be told their whole life’s beliefs were wrong and that they have no idea what they are doing.
Basically, it solves about 10 mysteries of the golf swing Hogan had figured out. Like keep your head centered , straighten your left leg, keep your arms low, bump forward, get the hands low and club through the bicep and then stand up left like a boxer throwing an uppercut to get the power.
The book is great because it blows away all these confusing theories that are just wrong about the golf swing. Like Tiger’s book’s advice to keep your right knee the same position as address while you turn you left shoulder over it is just wrong. The idea of extending back to get the weight behind the ball is wrong. You turn.
Their fault tree is excellent, as is the concept of shot cone.
The main thing wrong in the book is they shouldn’t have said dont let your weight go back. It coils back around on the low Hogan plane. Thats apparently why Baddeley left. The other big thing they dont emphasize enough was how important swing plane coming down is. You dont want to overshift the hips forward if it messes up the plane half way down. And there is no discussion of rhythm in coordinating the ‘bump’ forward with the hips and hands with the ‘hit’ of the stand up move. But these are just nitpicks for the amazing thing they did in solving the mystery of the golf swing for all time.
Ben & Byron , u talk a good game, what time are u off at pebble ?
HOPE MCILROY COMES THRU TOMORROW; he certainly didn’t look like this great superstar most people are predicting… he can’t afford anymore crashes on his resume. hate to see it effect his love live as well… If he can’t perform under pressure maybe caroline will be taking a look at tiger. he’s single and there were good reports about his performances outside the course. he is very lucky westwood can’t putt or this tourny would be over. cheers.
What is crazy is all the blind hate towards S&T. Phil Mickelson hits it all over the damn map and Butch Harmon gets a free pass. Why is that? Players change coaches all the time, but everyone has a hard on about Baddeley leaving. His world ranking is still not as high as it was when he was with S&T.
yeah, He’s 22 y/o, the reigning US Open champion, he just finished 2nd and he’s 2 strokes off the lead after 3 rounds this week. He won his second to last tournament last season, had an outside shot at the R2D going into the final event. You’re right Hao, his future looks bleak. Time has run out on Rory, how can anybody still hope to develop their game when they are only about 6 months away from their 23rd birthday.
I can understand why tiger couldn’t take down rock!! the guy is 36 yrs and nearing the end of his career and nowhere near his best obviously. but can you please explain why this next great superstar RORY after leading the first day failed to do so, even after 3 days he was within 2 strokes of robert should have been close enough to get the job done.hoey gave him a start and beating at st andrews over last 9 holes, he led at dubai and got run over,near lead in hsbc that kaymer won and failed.he led the tourny in dubai that quiros won $2 fav after 2 rounds and choked {same tourn next week} then the biggest choke of them all the masters,led by 4 strokes and shot 82 final round. on the positive side won the u/s open. Iam realy trying to understand where you guys are comming from? but it’s difficult.
Rock is 34, hardly too young for a 36 y/o to track down but your real difficulty in understanding Rory is that you are comparing him to Tiger Woods. Compare him to Mickelson or Els or Tom Watson and you’ll see that Rory compares very favorably to that standard. To follow his collapse at the Masters with a resounding win at the US Open shows incredibaly reslience.
Good luck on the weekend Charlie,hope you and Mark get your first win.
All of you that knock the stack and tilt, which tour do you play on?
it all comes down to the flat stick. A man that can putt is a match for anyone, a man that can’t putt is a match for NO one.
I know all the Woods lovers were “predicting” Rory would choke at the US Open. Those weren’t predictions, they were sharing what they wanted to happen not what they thought would happen, then they get on their soap boxes and tell people not to hate Tiger but they think it’s okay to despise Rory and virtually every other golfer out there. Rory is in contention after 3 rounds again this week and that is becoming the norm for him, it is extremely rare for a 22 y/o to contend as frequently as he is beginning to contend. If he can win a second major before he turns 26 and I think he will, he is well on his way to a great career.
Job 1 for Rory is to conquer Augusta, especially the 10th. Once Rory has achieved this task, Rory should then purchase the cabins adjacent the 10th f/way, regardless of cost, set up a little “home away from home” for himself and his family. Sort of a base camp from which to work whilst abroad.
Thanks Jason. Haha, not this year, maybe next year if fall goes right for me