Paul Waring on why he used driver from the rough on a par-three
"We've done it once or twice but didn't really practice it much this week, so just surprised I actually hit it to be fair!"
By Ali Stafford
Last Updated: 15/10/20 8:07pm
Paul Waring produced a moment of creative genius to get himself out of a tricky situation during the opening round of the Scottish Championship presented by AXA.
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The Englishman had reached the turn in 32 after finishes his front nine at Fairmont St Andrews with four consecutive birdies, only to pull his tee shot at the par-three 11th wide of the green and into the rough.
Waring appeared to have little hope of getting up and down, only for him to ditch his wedge in favour of a driver to punch his ball through the thick grass and onto the putting surface.
His unusual shot selection worked in some style as he stiffed his second shot to inside four feet, before rolling in the putt for par to continue his blemish-free start to the round.
"I couldn't get the club on to the back of the ball," Waring told Sky Sports. "There was a massive tuft of fescue grass behind it and then I had a gorse bush behind that.
"I put driver into the back of the stance just to try and pop it forward. To be fair, me and my caddie looked at it and he came to the same conclusion, that it was a driver or three-wood. It's not one we practice every day, but I'm glad to pull it off!
"I've used it before in Asia out of Bermuda grass. It works quite well around some of the greens, when you can't quite the club on the ball, to pop it forward. We've done it once or twice but didn't really practice it much this week, so just surprised I actually hit it to be fair!"
Waring added back-to-back birdies from the 14th but dropped a shot at the 16th, before double-bogeying the par-three next after electing to use three-wood rather than a long iron or wedge.
"I hit a great shot in to 17 a yard short and it rolled all the way down into a muddy divot right down the bottom," Waring added. "I couldn't get a wedge onto the shot, so I just tried to get three-wood up the hill.
"It's one of those shots where if I didn't quite get it would've ended up back at my feet, which is cardinal sin number one, so I just guaranteed the strike to try and get it up the hill and obviously hit it a bit too hard."
Watch the Scottish Championship presented by AXA throughout the week live on Sky Sports! Live coverage continues on Friday from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf.
