The old swing feel that could save this PGA Tour rookie’s job

If Joe Highsmith ends up keeping his PGA Tour card, he’ll be able to thank an old swing feel – and his college coach for giving him the idea.

Highsmith hit 18 of 18 greens in regulation on Saturday at the World Wide Technology Championship, a ball-striking clinic that led to a 7-under 65 and vaulted Highsmith into a tie for fourth, one shot off the lead shared by Justin Lower, Carson Young and last week’s winner Nico Echavarria.

Highsmith’s stellar play couldn’t be coming at a better time, either. He entered the week at El Cardonal, the Tiger Woods design in Los Cabos, Mexico, ranked No. 126 in FedExCup points, just a spot shy of retaining fully exempt PGA Tour membership for next year. That’s better than where Highsmith was a few weeks ago, when he began the fall series outside the top 150.

In his first 20 starts as a rookie, the 24-year-old Highsmith missed 13 cuts and posted just one top-20 finish, a T-6 in Puerto Rico, an opposite-field event. He then opened the fall with a solid T-13 showing in Napa before tying for 55th at the Sanderson Farms.

That’s when Highsmith experienced a breakthrough.

A 2022 graduate of Pepperdine, Highsmith frequently chats with his college coach, Michael Beard. With Highsmith frustrated by a two-way miss all season, Beard suggested that Highsmith go back to an old swing feel – “a pull cut,” as Highsmith, a lefty, describes it.

Highsmith’s results since that conversation: T-6, T-16.

“Now, I have a one-way miss generally versus playing the entire year with the ball going both ways,” Highsmith said Saturday night via phone. “… I got my swing in a place with the pull cut feel that gives me a one-way shot pattern.”

There is no ShotLink this week, so strokes-gained metrics are non-existent, but Highsmith does lead the field in greens hit (49 of 54), is tied for first in driving accuracy (41 of 42 fairways) and is second in driving distance (312.5 yards). He’s also top 25 in putts per GIR, a byproduct of some setup changes Highsmith also tweaked in recent months.

Highsmith’s bogey-free round on Saturday marked his third in his last two events; before that, Highsmith hadn’t posted a blemish-free round since the Puerto Rico Open in March.

“Entirely thanks to Beard,” Highsmith added.

On Sunday, Highsmith will look to keep the good feels going. He’s only played 11 Sundays on the PGA Tour this year, though he’s coming off a final-round 65 in Las Vegas, so Highsmith is capable of playing offense down the stretch.

“If you go out and like try to protect, whatever, you just get absolutely lapped,” Highsmith said. “I know tomorrow I still have to make seven, eight, nine birdies just to finish in the top 5 or whatever. Yeah, it kind of keeps you aggressive and all that. There’s nothing to hold onto because you’ll get passed by the guy in 30th. Looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully keep it going.”

And hopefully, in Highsmith’s case, lock up his card.