(May 30, 2006) – A Yes! Golf Putter won the BMW Championships 2006 at Wentworth in the hands of an Englishman for the first time since Nick Faldo’s record-breaking fourth title in 1989, with a five-stroke lead (69).
The victory has taken David Howell from 17th position in the Official World Golf Rankings into the top 10 for the first time in his illustrious career. As Howell birdied the 2nd, 4th and 5th holes, his playing partner Jimenez must have looked on enviously as he himself went on to bogey the 6th.
The C-Groove Callie is a slightly ‘toe-down’ blade putter with a 355gm head weight, and – of course – the revolutionary concentric C-Grooves invented by Harold Swash. Remember, this is the putter that famously saw off Tiger Woods at the HSBC Champions Tournament in Shanghai November 2005, and saw victory as well in the BMW International Open in August last year.
The C-Groove putter has concentric grooves machined into its face at two exacting angles. When the apex of the grooves strikes a golf ball, says the manufacturer, the ball is held onto the face of the putter for a fraction of a second longer than is possible with a smooth-faced putter. This ‘dwell time’ helps to improve the roll characteristics of the ball, by lifting it out of its resting place while simultaneously causing the optimum topspin on the ball almost immediately. This rolling action starting so early in the roll of the ball toward the cup reduces skid and deviation, and this combination makes for consistently more accurate putting.
In independent testing, it was shown that the C-Groove putter reduced skid and increased forward rotation on the golf ball in the initial stages of the putt. This early rotation is crucial, in light of the fact that missed putts on the putting green are due primarily to skidding, back-spinning and even bouncing as a result of putter-face impact.
The BMW Championships has a special place in the sights of Tour players as a flagship event with a lot of cachet.
"I suppose I never think great things are going to happen to me, but they seem to keep happening at the moment," Howell told interviewers after his win. "I am overwhelmed by winning the BMW Championship – it supersedes everything else I have done, even beating Tiger in China. This is as big as it gets on The European Tour. Outside the four Majors this is the one to win."
Contact:
Dominic O’Byrne
O’Byrne Communications
+44 (0)113 255 4114
dominic@obyrne.co.uk
Peter Allison
Yes! Golf (UK & Europe) Ltd
0845 601 5778
peter@yesgolf.co.uk
