CHASKA, Minn. – Transfer over Ed Fiori.
A brand new “The Grip” is taking maintain in golf, and his identify is Garrett Engle, a rising senior at Chattanooga who performed 25 holes – the longest match of Wednesday’s Spherical of 64 on the 124th U.S. Beginner – earlier than getting previous high-schooler Henry Guan.
To listen to Mocs head coach Blaine Woodruff describe Engle’s grip: “It’s fairly robust, mainly break up grip, however he simply barely connects his proper pinky and left index finger. He’s acquired a number of management over the face, and the face doesn’t actually open an entire lot. It stays fairly sq. by the hit for a very long time.”
Woodruff and Engle’s teammates have all tried to copy what Engle does however to little success.
“It’s exhausting to hit a golf ball that means and never hit it straight left,” Woodruff provides.
However Engle has made it work his entire life. It’s how he first picked up a golf membership. And whereas some instructors over time supplied to assist him change it and some faculty coaches requested him to ditch it earlier than an extending provide, Engle stayed true to his roots.
When he signed with the College of Oklahoma, Engle was Pennsylvania’s top-ranked junior and extensively thought-about a top-15 recruit nationally. However he broke his left collarbone earlier than his freshman 12 months, misplaced his recreation and his confidence, and didn’t hit a shot for the Sooners.
“I’m a really inventive golfer, and I form of misplaced a few of that,” Engle mentioned.
Engle entered the portal after his first season. On Engle’s go to to Chattanooga that summer time, Woodruff, who had simply gotten the job after beforehand serving because the assistant for Pepperdine, knew instantly that he wished Engle on his crew.
“What I beloved about him was that he was completely different,” Woodruff mentioned, “however he additionally knew who he was and was OK with that and believed in that.”
Added Engle: “It was good to see that he believed in me.”
Whereas Engle unlocked his creativity and helped the Mocs to a shock look on the 2023 NCAA Championship, he took a step again as a junior. He beat simply 12 gamers ultimately 12 months’s U.S. Beginner at Cherry Hills, and people struggles bled into the autumn, the place he logged three begins, not cracking the highest 25 in any of them and putting exterior the highest 50 twice. He was out and in of the beginning lineup final spring, although he did present some indicators of a turnaround on the Western Intercollegiate, the place he tied for ninth.
The true shift got here earlier this summer time on the Dogwood Invitational; Engle received. A couple of occasions later, he completed runner-up on the Porter Cup.
Two enormous confidence boosters.
“I proved lots to myself at Dogwood that I can do that,” Engle mentioned. “Now I form of need to show to everyone that I can do that at this stage.”
Engle posted a pair 1-under rounds in stroke play, one Monday at Chaska City Course and the opposite Tuesday at Hazeltine, the place he doubled a par-5 but in addition made an eagle. Towards Guan, Engle carded simply two pars by the primary 11 holes, but he led by as a lot as 2 up and was 1 up on the flip.
Engle confirmed off his inventive aspect on the par-4 tenth gap, the place he threaded his second shot by a 1 ½-foot hole within the bushes, over some water and with OB lurking, to arrange a hole-tying bogey.
A double by Engle on the par-4 sixteenth gap allowed Guan to even issues up, and the rating would keep that means for an thrilling couple extra hours.
Guan acquired up and down on the primary additional gap, ripping a 40-yard wedge shot again just a few toes and incomes a conceded par. That pressured Engle to make from 7 toes, which he did.
On the fifth, Engle had Guan on the ropes, solely to whiff a shortie for par.
Then on the sixth, Engle, miffed about what had simply occurred, missed a drive means proper and was fortunate to get his second shot right into a greenside bunker. What he confronted subsequent was a downhill shot, short-side and with water observing him from throughout the inexperienced; it was a shot that Engle, along with his closed face, wouldn’t have been in a position to hit a pair years in the past.
“It’s not essentially due to the grip, but it surely’s simply tough to get the membership to sit down proper for it to open,” Engle defined. “As soon as I used to be in a position to form of persuade myself that you would be able to lay it flat, I’ve achieved lots higher with it the final 12 months, and I’ve form of unlocked the flexibility to hit photographs, particularly after I’m below stress.”
Engle clipped the shot completely, and the ball caught a chunk of the opening. Engle referred to as it the shot of the day as a result of Guan adopted by sinking a 15-foot par putt to remain alive.
Lastly, although, on the par-5 seventh, Guan made a deadly mistake, chipping by the inexperienced and right into a bunker, leaving Engle with the flexibility to play a conservative chip from 10 toes and lag his birdie putt near seal the win. He’ll now play Arizona’s Zach Pollo on Thursday morning.
“After gap 1, I used to be like, that is most likely going to go a great distance,” Engle mentioned. “So simply hold my wits about me and hold preventing.”
And maintain on robust.
