About 20 friends and family members clamored over the ropes to hug Lucas Glover as he ran down the steps and into the scoring area to their cheers.
Three of his four living uncles were present, one of whom had driven from Glover’s hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, early on Sunday morning.
Second cousins as well as aunts and cousins. A Charleston-based buddy traveled. The same goes for the man who oversaw sports information at Clemson, where Glover had played golf as a student.
Every man and woman understood the importance of Glover’s Wyndham Championship victory on Sunday. Glover pointed to the sky and that rainbow over Sedgefield Country Club seemed the appropriate homage to his grandfather, the late Dick Hendley, who would have turned 97 that day.
“He was my mentor and my hero, and he got me started playing. I made an effort not to dwell on it too much till the very end. I like to think that gave me the upper hand today. I still had to fulfil my obligations.” said Glover whose kids Lucan Jr. and Lucille were around to see him win for the first time.
Glover’s final-round 68 earned him a two-stroke victory, his sixth on the PGA TOUR since his professional career began in 2004, and qualified him for the FedExCup Playoffs. He had a strong ranking of No. 49 when he abruptly left Greensboro for Memphis and the FedEx St. Jude Championship after beginning the week ranked No. 112.
“We don’t yet have any plans, but we’ll work something out later. Yes, I should give this some time to sink in before returning to work on Tuesday or Wednesday.” Glover said smiling.
Truth be told, Glover’s decision to try a long putter in an effort to end what he matter-of-factly stated was a 10-year struggle with the yips in late May during the two weeks before the Memorial Tournament created the basis for Sunday’s well-liked victory. Since he put it into play, he has now enjoyed a win and three top-six finishes.
“Then, I decided that something would change. If the long one didn’t seem comfortable, I was going to attempt the left-handed one. I was that far along the road.” Glover stated.
Nothing I tried or practiced seemed to work. I was having burnout. It took me ten years to deal with it, not understand it, and not realize or understand how it was possible for me to suddenly lose all emotion over a 10-inch putt. It was annoying. I struggled with it for a while.
Glover said that his problems started when he four-putted the 5th green at Colonial Country Club in either 2013 or 2014. The 2019 TOUR Championship was one of the highlights for the 2009 U.S. Open champion when he also endured periods of intense suffering.
Brad Faxon, a former TOUR player, and current TV analyst who has long been regarded for his putting abilities, recently began training with Glover. When the results weren’t there, Faxon, who also counsels Rory McIlroy among others, offered the long putter, and Glover was past ready to make a transition since he hadn’t placed better than 36th in any of his first 17 starts this year.
“I just purchased one and asked the putter representative for Adam Scott’s specifications,” Glover recounted. We are almost the same height, I don’t care about anything else, and I’ll learn how to do this on my own.” Glover recounted.
This task required new motor abilities as well as a “whole new brain function.” He practiced standing in his garage while using the putter. Before playing in the Memorial, where he missed the cut but was happy with how the ball was moving, he spent ten days honing it on the practice green.
“My misses were just misses, not that horrible, awful, yippy stroke. It’s okay that way. It then became enjoyable for me to sort of teach myself when I discovered my tendencies with it. It was somewhat similar to the rule that states that if you want a TOUR player to practice more, offer them a new club so they can adjust to it and become proficient.” Glover said.
Glover claimed that because he has grown so accustomed to using the putter, he is now certain that the ball’s deviation from the hole was not caused by his hands on the club’s grip but rather by its speed or read. At Sedgefield this week, Glover finished just four strokes shy of par while making 24 total birdies, leading the field in putts made in regulation.
He feels rejuvenated by his newfound independence.
“The emotion I had today is different from what I had when I first started playing this game. A few years ago, I had a putt for 59 here but missed it and yipped the following one, shooting 61. For me, it has been a revelation. Sincerely, my head and brain. It’s enjoyable and has undoubtedly been beneficial.” Glover said.
At Sedgefield, it definitely showed.
