Alex Prugh shows what a little confidence can do
There isn't a sport in the world where confidence is as important as it is in golf. It is something I like to call the "Jason Gore Rule." Make some noise when you aren't really expecting to, and it might carry you to further success down the road.
Gore did it at the 2005 U.S. Open, when he was paired in the final group with Retief Goosen, going on to fire an 84, but warm the heart of millions of fans. After that, all he did was win three Nationwide Events, get battlefield exempted into the PGA Tour, and claim the 84 Lumber Classic that same season, his lone PGA win. Young Alex Prugh is using the confidence to make some early cheddar on tour, and after a 66 on Saturday at the Northern Trust Open, the 25-year-old Prugh might again finish in the top-10.
Last season, it was Webb Simpson, the rookie that came out hot and rode the confidence wave for a few weeks. Prugh is the 2010 version, and his two consecutive fifth place finishes, at the Hope and at Torrey Pines, have him 16th on the FedEx Cup points list and well ahead of the rookie pack that is hoping to be around for another season.
This week, at Riviera, Prugh is tied for eighth thanks to his exact same percentage each day in greens in regulation (67 percent), and that important word -- confidence.
Prugh might not be a household name, but he is doing exactly what any rookie would hope for coming out the gate ... have some early top-10s, make a check each week and avoid the end of the season stress.
