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Improved putting is Kokrak’s next goal
Photo
Warren JFK graduate Jason Kokrak lines up a putt during the Nationwide Tour Championship in Charleston, S.C.
By JOHN BASSETTI
bassetti@vindy.com
While warming up for a pro-am on Monday at TPC Scottsdale, Warren JFK High graduate Jason Kokrak was able to reflect on his short work week in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in LaJolla, Calif.
“The greens were tough to putt on because there was poa annua and they were a little soft,” Kokrak said of the invasive grass at last week’s tournament. “And they [the greens] had a lot of spike marks.”
Poa annua, sometimes spelled poana, is an annual bluegrass species that grew back after the south course’s greens were renovated in 2001 by Reese Jones in preparation for the 2008 U.S. Open Championship. Some of the pros aren’t comfortable with it because, as the day goes on, the poa annua grows tiny buds that can cause the ball to go ‘off line’ when hitting sensitive putts. At that point, a putt must be hit firmly.
Kokrak’s latest outing that produced scores of 74 and 73 bumped up his PGA Tour experience total to eight rounds, but it’s all part of the learning process for the rookie.
“I’m three tournaments in and I’ve gotten a couple things worked out,” Kokrak said. “It’s just if we can get the putter rolling a little bit better.”
As any golfer knows, the games has its good parts and not-so-good parts.
“I’m hitting the ball well, it’s just I’m not scoring. Any golfer knows that they go through the ups-and-downs where, if they’re hitting it good and not scoring, it’s going to come back around and they’re going to start scoring.”
While the greens and spike marks were an issue at Torrey Pines, Kokrak didn’t have any defense for his putting shortfall during the Humana Challenge at LaQuinta.
“The week before I was just mis-reading putts here and there and just not getting the ball in line — just not putting well,” Kokrak said.
He continues to do well on his drives.
“Yeah, I got a new driver in the bag last week and I hit it really good, but it’s just that I couldn’t get anything straightened away on the greens,” he said, clarifying that the Torrey Pines picture, in general, was a “fantastic golf course.”
What’s in store at the Phoenix Challenge?
“The ball’s going to roll a little bit farther out here, so I’m not sure how far it goes yet. We’ve got to work that out. Other than that, it’s just another golf course: 18 holes with the same-sized holes; it’s just whether you can get it in the hole fast enough or not.”
Will the drier climate means he holds back on his swing?
“It just depends on the course. I’ve never played any of these golf courses before, so it’s kind of a learning curve for most of the rookies out here. It’s a little bit tougher in that respect, but it’s just another golf course.”