Sergio Garcia is fast becoming as good a shotmaker as his mentor, Seve Ballesteros.
By controlling the trajectory of his ball at
16 on Sunday, he made a critical birdie

ANALYSIS
THE WINNER of this week’s U.S. Open at windswept Shinnecock Hills will be the player who controls his ball flight as brilliantly as Garcia did on Sunday at Westchester. On the third and final playoff hole of the Buick, Garcia’s knockdown from 90 yards out led to the winning birdie, but more impressive to me was the punched five-iron he played on the 204-yard par-3 16th during regulation.
He kept his tee shot under the wind, and the ball wound up eight feet from the hole. He drained the putt to get into position to win.

The Tip

Wind Up? Hit the Knockdown Shot
TO HIT a low (a.k .a. knockdown) shot, you must have total control of the club, so choke down slightly. Take no more than a three-quarter-length backswing (inset) because the longer the backswing, the higher the ball flight. Finally, abbreviate the length of the follow-through (left) because the shorter the follow-through, the lower the ball’s trajectory.