The Back Nine: Watch and Learn

The US Women's Open begins today, and world no. 1 Lorena Ochoa looks to add another major, while Annika Sorenstam hopes to win another major in her last year on Tour.

Average players can learn a lot from watching the women's game - they play to similar lengths off the tee and similar yardages into greens - but I don't think we give them their due.

Here are some thoughts from our pro's - Chad Johansen of Blackberry Oaks in Bristol and Emily Barkoozis of Cantigny Golf in Wheaton
CJ: People don't know how good those girls are. They don't hit it as far. They're not blasting driver and hitting wedges like the (PGA) Tour is. They're keeping it in the fairway."

EB: "The difference between the men and the women is the club they're hitting into the green. If I play the championshp tees at any professional course - or any of the girls on tour, Annika, Ochoa - they'd be hitting 3-wood and 5-wood's in over a man's 7 or 6-iron. That's the reason why there's more tee box. It's not the "ladies tees", it's just a different yardage."

CJ: "They're not going to have a knee problem like Tiger Woods. They're just smooth tempo and get it out there 250 (yards). But their short games are phenomenal and they putt unreal. I personally don't think they get the respect that they should."

on the number of LPGA Tour players hitting the fairway over 70% of the time...CJ: "They concentrate so hard on getting it in the fairway, where the guys on tour - they even say it - 'I'm going to hit driver everywhere and hit it as far as I possibly can so I can hit a wedge out of the rough' because they're so much stronger. That's a disadvantage to the women. They want to keep it in the fairway because the shot out of the rough isn't as easy for them because they don't have the strength. That's why I think that stat is so high."

EB: "Tempo, I think, for the women on tour, it's a huge difference (from the men). These are also girls that are also very small and short compared to some big, athletic person and they're still getting a lot of yards off their shorter, slower swing. But their short game is nice. The women have a nice, slower tempo and have a nicer feel to the game."

what is something the average player can take away from watching the Women's Open this week?
CJ: "The tempo. There's no question about it. Tempo for sure. If people can watch their tempo and use it in their own golf swing, they're going to hit the ball. If I could go up and down my driving range all day and tell people to swing smooth, it'd be amazing how much better every single person would hit the golf ball.

That and I'd look at their putting and chipping. Everybody wants to come out and hit golf balls. ... I'll go a whole week and I'll only see three people come and chip and pitch and putt. Three people. And we sell probably 150 range tokens in a week. Then they're complaining that they're not improving. That tells you right there."

EB: "Course management. And after watching what the men did (at the U.S. Open)...it's never over until it's over. And never give up. Any time you watch an event and you watch the leaderboard, it could be anybody's game and you can't give up."

To see the differences in the Tours, visit the PGA Tour's stat page and the LPGA Tour's stat page.