Craig Lee and Dean Robertson went into a sudden death playoff after the pair finished tied for first at 17 under 275 at the Gleneagles Scottish PGA championship this past weekend. Robertson had a round of -10 on Saturday to catch Lee at the beginning of the fourth (4th) round.
Craig Lee, who plays between the European PGA tour and the Tartan Tour, found himself leading in each of the first 3 rounds, and again at the top of the leaderboard in the final round as he picked up a couple of birdies on the opening three holes while Robertson stumbled to a pair of bogeys.
By the 13th, Lee was three shots ahead and seemingly on course for the title, when Robertson mounted a spirited late rally and hauled himself back to the front. After Lee had dropped a shot at the 14th to see his lead cut to two, Robertson fashioned birdies at 15, 16 and 17 to edge into a one stroke lead playing the last. The destination of the championship took another twist on the 18th as Lee holed a 20 foot birdie putt to force the play-off.
Robertson then proceeded to top Lee with a 30′ bomb of a putt on the first playoff hole.
"I thought I’d maybe done enough after 13 holes but Dean produced a great run and really upped the pace," admitted Lee, who consoled himself with second place. "It’s disappointing but I’ve had a great week and I’m delighted with the way I am playing lately."
Lee, 29, gathered headlines worldwide a few weeks ago touting his improved play after switching to Feel Golf’s "Full Release" performance grips on all his clubs.
In a subsequent interview, this is what Craig Lee had to say regarding his play since using the new "Full Release" grip.
"I was introduced to the Feel Golf Full Releaseâ?¢ grip by Mike Smith, Feel Golf’s European Tour rep. I used the grip on two of my four wedges for about two weeks and felt very foreign at first and I was unsure of them. However, it didn’t take long before they felt very natural and my game became better. I loved the control of the wedges with this grip and so I put them on all my clubs. Since putting the (Feel) grip on my irons, wedges and woods I have more control of the ball flight, accuracy and find it very easy to manipulate the club head through impact and have more fun shaping the ball. With the grip being thinner in my left hand and the feel of the club being in my fingers where it belongs, it has given me greater confidence to shape the shot I want."
"Within about two weeks of switching to the "Full Release" grip I had a run of good form. I won two Pro Am’s, the Tartan Tour Order of Merit tournament, and I continue the good form and placing in the top 5 since."
"I got beat this past weekend in the playoff at the Scottish PGA Championships at Gleneagles. But, with a 17 under par total and the only player to shoot four rounds under par, I have continued my good form thanks to the Feel Golf "Full Release" grips. I can’t see any reason to change back to a conventional grip and wish I’d found these grips long ago."
Craig Lee has a State of the Art Teaching Center located in Stirling Scotland. He and his staff offer instruction to all skill levels.
To Contact for Instruction: All Golf Swing Centre, Stirling Enterprise Park, John Player Building, in Stirling, Scotland.
Contact:
Lee Miller
info@feelwedges.com
877-934-7387
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