The secret to playing well in the wind? Shriners contenders share strategies

PGA Tour players don’t often play in extreme conditions — especially during the Fall Series — but this week’s Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas is a rare exception.

On Friday, tee times were postponed by four hours because of high winds, which occasionally gusted at 50 mph. And once play eventually got underway, the conditions continued to be extremely challenging.

Still, many players managed to post rounds under par, despite the stiff breeze. So what’s the secret to finding success in the wind? For many top contenders, it comes down to one attribute that has nothing to do with the swing: attitude.

“It was tough,” said Davis Thompson, who fired rounds of 66-68 (-8). “I mean, I knew it was going to be tough. I just tried to have a good mental attitude about it. And, yeah, just tried to go hit a lot good golf shots and give myself a lot of looks.”

As a resident of Sea Island, Ga., Thompson said he’s accustomed to playing in the wind. But there’s a strategy, too, he said.

“I mean, the goal when it’s windy is hit as many greens as possible and give yourself as many looks and just know that par is going to be a great score,” he said. “Just try not to press and chase flagsticks. When you do that it can just ride the wind into a short-sided area or a hazard. Yeah, just staying patient and trying to hit a lot greens.”

J.J. Spaun fired rounds of 65-69 (-8) to launch himself into contention.

“I think that’s kind of a key to playing in these kind of blustery conditions, is hitting the ball solid,” he said on Friday. “That’s the only way you can really control your ball, and I did a really good job of that today.”

Like Thompson, Spaun emphasized the need to be accepting of the difficult conditions.

“You definitely have to be kind of easy on yourself or like I guess compassionate,” he said. “You don’t want to get too frustrated because the ball just got gusted from a 30, 40 mile an hour gust dead right into a bunker and now you’re dead trying get up and down.

“It’s happening to everyone, so I think you just got to do your best trying to play smart,” he continued. “It’s almost like you’re thinking more of your misses on days like this, especially with the wind being so high. So, yeah, I just tried to roll with that mentality. Just tried to plug along throughout a long day. Ended up pretty good.”

Greyson Sigg, who posted rounds of 67-69 (-6) concurred.

“You just got to take it one shot at a time. I know that sounds pretty cliche, but there is really nothing you can do,” he said. “I think the lead 10-under and we were dealt a pretty tough hand in this wave. I mean, you just hit the best shot you can and hit the best putt you can and just add them up at the end of the day.”

Fortunately, the forecast is much-improved for Saturday, when the remaining players will finish the second round and the third round will begin after the cut is made. Temperatures will rise into the 70s, and wind speeds are expected to max out at 15 mph.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.