Quick wrists, a creative eye, fearlessness bordering on hubris. These are the hallmarks of an excellent short-game player on the PGA Tour. There is one trait, however, that doesn’t get talked about enough – one telltale sign of a player that treats the putting surface and its surrounding topology like a pool shark treats the felt:
A good mullet.
That’s Aussie sensation Cameron Smith gearing up for the start of the FedEx Cup Playoffs at the Northern Trust yesterday. He’s isn’t joylessly drilling 150 consecutive three footers like your favourite tour pro. He’s borrowing a page out of the Phil Mickelson Manual for Short Game Success and letting it fly, hair down, one hand on the wheel. Judging by the result, and Smith’s excellent season on the whole, it’s working.
Smith is currently 29th on tour in strokes gained around the green, putting him in the upper percentile of the world’s upper percentile golfers when it comes to making magic from bad lies, tough spots, and other assorted junk. So next time you’re struggling around the greens, suffering from a bad case of the skulls, the chunks, or even [whispers] the yips, don’t go scrambling for the YouTube tutorials or even our extensive instruction section. Do what Cam would do, and grow out your hair.
Boom! Problem solved.
