The first round of this year’s Houston Open is in the books, and if leaderboards are any indication of the quality of an event — and they are — then this tournament is going to be a great one over the next three days.

Former Ryder Cuppers Alex Noren and Tony Finau are tied at the top at 5 under along with potentially future Ryder Cupper, Aaron Wise as well as Tyson Alexander who only completed 17 holes before darkness. Between the three players at the top who completed their rounds, they made just two combined bogeys in 54 holes at a tough Memorial Park Golf Course, and there’s some distance between them and the rest of the best players in the field.

Let’s take a closer look at their first rounds and what to expect over the weekend in Houston.

The leaders

1. Tony Finau, Alex Noren, Aaron Wise, Tyson Alexander (-5): Gone are the low 60s scores of last week signifying an easy resort golf course that professionals can light up. Memorial Park Golf Course is a Tom Doak redesign and has proved to be tricky over its first two PGA Tour events. This one looks to be much of the same.

Wise has been playing terrific golf this fall and seems to have solved some of his putter problems, which could also be a problem for the rest of the fields he plays in. It’s been en vogue to suggest him as a potential breakout star this year, but there’s a reason for that — he’s a terrific ball-striker — and it’s looking at least now like it could be true.

“I feel like I’m getting there,” said Wise of the state of his game. “I’m pretty hard on myself, there’s always things I want to improve, but I feel like I’m well on my way. I feel like I’m in a way better spot than I was a year ago or two years ago. I just want to keep pushing and keep getting better and see how good I can get”

Finau has been one of the hottest players in golf over the last two months, and Noren has caught a bit of that heat as well — he finished second at the Barracuda Championship in July and T2 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at the beginning of October. Both are tremendous ball-strikers and Noren led the field in iron play on Thursday. I would be surprised if one of these three players didn’t end up winning the tournament.

Other contenders

T5. Zack Fischer, Ben Taylor, Keith Mitchell, Taylor Pendrith, Wyndham Clark, Mackenzie Hughes, Max McGreevy, David Lipsky (-4)

T13. Scott Piercy, Denny McCarthy, Brendan Steele, Maverick McNealy, Justin Rose, Marty Dou Zecheng, Joel Dahmen, Zack Fischer, Brent Grant, Trey Mullinax, Yechun Yuan, Ben Griffin (-3)

That’s a lot of names but not a lot of depth. Who’s the best player in this group right now? Mitchell? Dahmen? McNealy?

McNealy has probably been playing the best golf of anyone in this collection of players with four consecutive top-20 finishes after a missed cut at the Fortinet Championship to start his 2022-23 season. He drove it poorly on Thursday (only two golfers hit fewer fairways) but his immense short game kept a round together. If he gets it rolling off the tee, he could certainly jump up into contention on the weekend.

Dahmen, too, has been trending in the right direction. After a T37 at the Shriners, he finished T16 at the Zozo and T3 last week at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mayakoba. He was good across the board on Thursday, and it would give this tournament a bit of a jolt to see one of the more popular men in golf get his second career victory.

Sam Burns’ struggles

As one of the two top 12 players in this field, much was expected of Burns. Unfortunately he shot a 77 on Thursday and has only four golfers behind him on the leaderboard. Normally a strong putter, Burns lost nearly five (!!) strokes to the field on the greens on Thursday and put himself in a corner that’s going to be difficult to get out of.

2022 Houston Open odds, picks

• Tony Finau: 4-1
• Aaron Wise: 5-1
• Alex Noren: 12-1
• Taylor Pendrith: 14-1
• Maverick McNealy: 14-1
• Scottie Scheffler: 18-1

Normally I like to look pretty far down the board to find somebody with longer odds. However, I think one of the co-leaders is going to end up winning this tournament. I would simply sprinkle on those three and hope that Noren hits but not be disappointed if it’s one of the others.

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One of the biggest debates in the game of golf is about weight distribution. Some golf instructors teach their students that they should have their weight evenly distributed at setup. 

Other instructors say that the golfer’s weight should lean slightly to the front foot or the back foot. All this conflicting advice can be confusing, especially to newer golfers.

Should a golfer keep their weight forward at address or farther back until after impact? We take a closer look at this question in this article. 

After reading this, you’ll be able to decide if you want to try the weight-forward golf swing.

What Does it Mean to Have Your Weight Forward in Your Golf Swing?

Having your weight forward in a golf swing means that instead of having a 50-50 weight distribution at address, the golfer has at least 55% of his weight toward his front foot. 

This type of approach was made famous by Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett in their Stack and Tilt golf swing teachings. The Stack and Tilt method has helped many golfers (including some on the PGA Tour) achieve their fullest potential on the course.

Though 90% of a golfer’s weight should be on their front foot at impact, many golfers struggle with hanging back too much on their back leg. This leads to decreased power and inconsistent contact. 

By starting with the weight slightly forward, it is easier to transfer the rest of the weight at impact.

Yes, to ensure maximum distance and a fluid swing, there must be a proper weight transfer during the swing at some point before impact. 

Golfers who have too much weight on their back leg at impact are swinging with their upper bodies only. It’s nearly impossible to hit the golf ball a long way if you’re only using half your body.

 

Pros of the Weight Forward Golf Swing

There are lots of advantages to adopting a weight-forward golf swing. Here is a list of some of those benefits.

Consistency

When a golfer addresses the ball with his weight slightly forward, it ensures that a proper weight transfer will take place during the downswing. 

This results in more consistent contact since the weight forward swing is less reliant on timing. Consistency means everything in the game of golf.

Perhaps the most important factor to playing better golf is being able to hit the ground in front of the ball at the same spot every time. This ensures that the golfer will hit the ball first and then the ground. This leads to more powerful, more accurate shots on a more consistent basis. 

Limits Head Movement

Do you know what will throw off a golf swing worse than anything else? Having too much head movement during the backswing! Starting with your weight slightly forward helps the golfer keep his head still during the entire swing.

Folks that start with a 50-50 weight distribution at address often shift lots of weight to their back leg during the backswing. This makes the head move too much and causes the eyes to bounce. 

All that movement makes hitting the golf ball flush much more difficult.

Helps Cure Slices

The majority of amateur golfers struggle with a wicked banana slice, especially with the longer clubs in the bag. Many things contribute to a slice. One of which is an improper weight transfer (hanging back).

Starting with the weight slightly forward makes it easier for the golfer to take an inside-out golf swing. This type of swing path will turn that nasty slice into a slick-looking baby draw. A draw will come in handy on most golf courses.

Cons of the Weight Forward Golf Swing

As most golfers know, there are positives and negatives to every type of golf swing. Here are some of the cons of adopting a weight-forward golf swing.

Feels Weird

Most folks do not want to try the weight-forward swing simply because it feels weird. Many golfers played other sports as kids and were taught the weight must go back and then forward. As we all know, old habits are hard to break. 

For example, most baseball hitters start with their weight tilted toward their back leg and then explode that weight toward their front leg during their swing. While this works great in baseball, it’s not the best approach for most golfers. 

Nevertheless, lots of golfers do not wish to change this approach because it feels so natural to them.  

Lower Trajectory

Some golfers who have tried out the weight forward golf swing say that it lowered their ball flight. 

While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially with the longer clubs like the driver, it can be detrimental when hitting your wedges. Most golfers want to hit the ball as high as possible with their wedges to increase their chances of landing (and staying) on the green. 

A common fix is to play around with your ball position in your setup to see if that gives you a higher ball flight. Lots of golfers find that if they move the ball back just a little in their stance, it helps improve the trajectory of their shots.

Common Golf Swing Weight Shift Problems

Hanging Back

We already mentioned this one a few times but we’ll list it here as well. This is when the golfer shifts their weight to their back leg during the backswing but never shifts it to their front leg during the downswing. 

This robs the golfer of lots of precious clubhead speed and limits their distance quite a bit.

No Weight Transfer

This problem is not as common as hanging back but it still plagues some golfers. This happens when the golfer starts with a 50-50 weight distribution and the weight doesn’t shift at all before, during, or after the swing. 

Again, this leads to a decrease in power and a golf swing that just looks painful and stiff.

Swaying

Swaying is another common weight transfer problem and is usually caused by overswinging. This is when the golfer rares back (usually with the driver) and tries to kill the golf ball. 

When the swaying occurs, the weight transfer is so severe that the front foot may even come off the ground for a split second. This makes consistent contact with the golf ball nearly impossible.

Here’s who should give the weight forward golf swing a try:

• Golfers who struggle to make consistently solid contact
• Folks who are constantly fighting a slice
• Golfers that have a hard time completing a proper weight transfer
• Golfers who tend to sway, hang back, or make no weight transfer
• Newer golfers who want to simplify the golf swing

 

Drills to Help You Practice Weight Transfer During Your Swing

Toe Tap Drill

Here’s a fun drill that doesn’t require any special items. When practicing your swing at the driving range, try to do a toe tap with your back foot while completing your follow-through. This is a great drill to do as part of your warm-up before a round of golf. 

If you can complete this move without losing your balance, you’ve got the proper amount of your weight forward at impact. If it takes you longer than a second or two to complete the toe tap, you probably have too much weight on your back leg at impact.  

Sand Wedge Drill

This drill can feel a little bit weird at first, but it’s an excellent one to do to make sure you’re transferring your weight at the right time. The nice thing about this drill is it provides you with some immediate feedback on your weight transfer. Here’s how it works:

• Place a sand wedge underneath the heel of your back foot with the shaft pointing toward the sky
• Hit a normal shot with a different golf club
• The sand wedge should start to fall to the ground before you even make contact with the ball. This is because, during a proper weight transfer, your back heel will lift slightly.
• If the sand wedge is hitting the ground a couple of seconds after impact, you are just a tad bit late in completing your weight transfer

Medicine Ball Throws

For this drill, you’ll need a small medicine ball that weighs anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds. One like this will work just fine. Here’s a brief step-by-step guide to this drill.

• Line up as if you are addressing the golf ball
• Instead of a golf club, hold the medicine ball and pretend it is a golf club
• Complete a normal golf swing
• Release the medicine ball at the impact point of where the golf ball would be
• Study how far the medicine ball goes
• If it goes quite a long distance, you are transferring your weight properly. If it doesn’t travel very far, your weight transfer needs more work

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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Talor Gooch will take a one-shot lead into the third and final round of the LIV Golf Invitational Boston after the 30-year-old American shot a second round 65 at The International to take his total to 12-under-par.

Gooch, who has been one of the most consistent performers in the series, with top-10 finishes in the previous three events he has competed in – as well as two team wins – sits one shot ahead of LIV Golf debutant Joaquin Niemann, who matched Gooch’s 65. Dustin Johnson moved into solo third after shoot a second round 63.

In the team standings, 4 Aces, whose team includes Gooch and Johnson, is at 22 under and has a three-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson’s Hy Flyers, with Iron Heads another stroke back.

Gooch, who shot a 63 in the opening round, started his second round with a bogey before playing flawless golf for the rest of the way, missing just one fairway and two greens. “Both days have been really good,” Gooch said. “I’ve been able to get off the tee really well, and when I do that, especially out here, you’re going to have opportunities.”

Johnson, whose 63 matched the lowest score of any player in a LIV Golf event to date, said” “I’ve been playing solid every week. Each round I’ve felt like I’m doing the right things. Eventually it’s all going to come together. Today was good at times, but I still made quite a few mistakes. My game is definitely in good shape and I like the direction it’s heading in.”

Niemann also had chances to go lower, but missed several short putts, including two lip outs on consecutive holes.  “I’m playing my best golf,” said the Chilean. “I hit the ball amazing off the tee, and hit it pretty close with the wedges. I’m actually putting ok, but I just can’t quite see the breaks. If I can make a few putts tomorrow, it’s going to be a good round.”

First round leader Matthew Wolff dropped back into a share of fifth following a second round 69, while LIV Golf debutant Anirban Lahiri moved up to fourth thanks to a 65 to go with his earlier 66 to sit on -9. Cameron Smith, the highest ranked player in the field, added a 69 to his first round 64 to share 8th place on  -7 with five other players.

While LIV Golf has broken new ground for professional golf in many areas, it created another first on Saturday when tournament officials allowed players to wear shorts during the second round given the extreme temperatures in Boston. Of the 48 players in the field, 40% took advantage of the new rule and ditched the trousers, including Phil Mickelson, who was one of the driving forces behind the relaxation in the dress code, which will apply to all events going forward.

“This has been a long time coming in the game of golf,” said Mickelson. “I think it just takes a disruptor like LIV to get things done. They’ve been leading in many ways, and I’m very happy that they are leading in this particular area. I hope for the players’ sake the [PGA] Tour follows suit. I think it’s good for golf. It feels good, and it’s more comfortable, especially when we start getting into some hot temperatures.”

Sergio Garcia was another player who took advantage of the relaxed rule. “I’ve been wanting to wear shorts in tournament play for a long while,” the Spanish star said after shooting a 64. “I think it’s just another step forward towards getting more connected with the fans, making the game younger, fresher. I’m glad that we all decided to take this step forward.”

Dustin Johnson was among those who stuck with trousers, although only, it seems, for the sake of continuity. “Pat [Perez} texted me last night and said, ‘Are we wearing shorts?’ and I texted back, ‘No, we’re going to wear pants,’ so I think we all wore pants,” Johnson said. “It was only because I think if we would have started or known before the tournament started, we probably would have worn shorts, but in the middle of the tournament I don’t like switching it up. I’m going to wear pants again tomorrow, too.”

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said: “Coming from Australia, I’ve always felt comfortable wearing shorts to play golf. We did a survey among the players a couple of weeks ago about wearing shorts for tournament rounds and there was a strong positive response to it. The time was right. LIV is the future of golf and we just want to open it up and make sure the players are as comfortable as possible.”

For the full leaderboard, click here. To watch a live stream of the final round, click here. 

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