The secret to playing well in the wind? Shriners contenders share strategies

PGA Tour players don’t play often extreme conditions – especially during the fall series – but this week Shriners Open for Kids IN TPC Summerlin IN Vegas is a rare exception.

On Friday, meeting hours were delayed by four hours due to strong windswhich occasionally burst at 50 mph. And after the game finally got under way, the conditions continued to be extremely challenging.

Still, many players managed to make sub par rounds despite the strong breeze. So what is the secret to finding success in the wind? For many top contenders, it comes down to an attribute that has nothing to do with the swing: posture.

“It was tough,” said Davis Thompson, who shot 66-68 (-8). “I mean, I knew it was going to be tough. I just tried to have a good mental attitude about it. And, yeah, I just tried to hit a lot of good golf shots and look at myself a lot.”

As a resident of Sea Island, Ga., Thompson said he’s used to playing in the wind. But there is also a strategy, he said.

“I mean, putt in the wind hit as many greens as possible and give yourself as many looks as you can and just know par is going to be a great score,” he said. “Just try not to crush and follow the flag sticks. When you do this, the wind can simply go into a short-side zone or a hazard. Yeah, just staying patient and trying to hit a lot of greens.”

JJ Spaun shot 65-69 (-8) to enter the contest.

“I think that’s kind of the key to playing in these kind of crazy conditions, is hitting the ball hard,” he said Friday. “That’s the only way you can control your ball, and I did a really good job of that today.”

Like Thompson, Spaun emphasized the need to accept difficult conditions.

“You definitely have to be kind of easy on yourself or I guess compassionate,” he said. “You don’t want to get too frustrated because the ball just got blasted 30, 40 miles an hour right into a bunker and now you’re dead trying to get up and down.

“It’s happening to everybody, so I think you just have to do your best and try to play smart,” he continued. “It’s almost like you’re thinking more about your losses on days like this, especially when the wind is so high. So yeah, I just tried to roll with that mindset. Just trying to connect during a long day. It ended up being pretty good.”

Greyson Sigg, who posted rounds of 67-69 (-6) agreed.

“You just have to take it one shot at a time. I know it sounds pretty cliché, but there’s really nothing you can do,” he said. “I think the 10-way lead and we had a pretty tough hand in this wave. I mean, you just hit the best shot you can and hit the best shot you can and just add them up at the end of the day.”

Fortunately, the forecast is much improved for Saturday, when the remaining players will complete the second round and the third round will begin after the cut is made. Temperatures will climb into the 70s and wind speeds are expected to reach up to 15 mph.

Editor of Golf.com

As a four-year member of the inaugural class of varsity golfers at Columbia, Jessica can put away anyone on the tee. She can also drive them in the office, where she is primarily responsible for producing print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Issue, which debuted in February 2018. Her series The original interview, “A Round With,” debuted in November 2015 and appeared in both magazine and video form on GOLF.com.