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Lexi Thompson proved she was good enough to play on the LPGA Tour as a 16-year-old when she beat a strong field by five shots two weeks ago. She was granted membership Friday based on more than birdies and bogeys.

LPGA Tour commissioner Mike Whan approved Thompson's petition to become the LPGA Tour's youngest member effective in January, impressed with how the Florida teen handled herself in all aspects of tour life. (Callaway Warbird Iron Set
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"I've seen her at press conferences," Whan said. I've seen her when she played well, I've seen her when she hasn't played too well. I've seen her at pro-am parties. I've seen her when fans are coming up to her when it's maybe not the best time."

Her agent at Blue Giraffe Sports, Bobby Kreusler, said he expects the teenager to play about 20 tournaments next year, including some trips overseas.

"We have the luxury of planning a year ahead," he said.

Thompson, whose brother Nicholas played on the PGA Tour last year, has been building toward this moment. She qualified for the U.S. Women's Open at age 12 in 2007 at Pine Needles, and she was a runner-up by one shot last year as a 15-year-old at the Evian Masters, one of the richest events on the LPGA Tour schedule. (Callaway Warbird Iron Set
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Expectations are high, although they are not coming from the LPGA Tour.

"I don't feel the need to put pressure on Lexi to win or to carry the tour," Whan said. "She's a phenomenal talent. She's progressing at an incredible rate.

"If Lexi continues to win, it's going to be an exciting time for her, and an exciting time for us," he said. "But she doesn't have to carry any more weight than the weight of her bag."

Thompson is home-schooled, taking Florida-approved classes online.

Whan said her membership won't start until 2012 because there was no point in making her a member now. She is eligible for only one more tournament, the season-ending Titleholders on Nov. 17-20 in Orlando. This way, Thompson can start clean as a rookie next year.

He also isn't worried that he is setting a precedent.

Michelle Wie turned pro at 15, but didn't join the LPGA Tour until going through Q-school three years later. Whan said he has had a little more than a dozen requests from teenagers, either to join the LPGA or go through Q-school.

"I don't want young players who are freshmen and sophomores in high school contemplating whether to turn pro. I've said 'no' maybe 50 times and said 'yes' once," Whan said, skewing the numbers for emphasis. (Callaway Warbird Iron Set
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Instead, he pointed to Thompson's resume of playing on the LPGA Tour as a pro and as an amateur, and how she handles everything from the rigors of travel to dealing with sponsors and fans.

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Putting Lessons
First practice putting exercises by incorporating putting drills in order to improve your golfing skills. Putting drills will help you focus you on routines that become second nature and ingrained as a skill set.

'Drive for show putt for dough' as the popular adage implies. The prime focus when you have your line figured out and not to move your head while you putt. When standing over your putt with your eye on the ball and form the mental image of the path to the hole. Visualize - don't think speed, think distance. (Callaway RAZR X HL Irons
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Some pros even teach putting with your eyes closed to get a consistency feeling to your stroke. A simple drill of hitting a number of 10-foot putts with your eyes closed. This will help focus on the feel and off the mechanics of the stroke.

Don't lift your head to see where it wants to go and what line it's on. Concentrate on the spot where the ball was after impact rather than following the ball with your eyes. When you're not looking and pulling your body up you'll make more putts. After you hear the ball rattle around in the cup, then you can lift your head.

Practice Your Aproach Address

A minor yet important part of golfing instruction is your stance. Spend a little time during your practice session making sure you have a solid putting stance. Don't just go out there and start putting, but take time to positions yourself.

The simplest putting method is maintaining a straight back when your hands hang and swing directly under your shoulders. (Callaway RAZR X HL Irons
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If your hands are outside your shoulders (that is, farther from your body), it will take on a different stance resulting in an inside-square-inside stroke. Your stance should normally be the narrowest of any shot that you play usually no wider than your hips.

Get A Grip

Always check your grip. A consistent grip is important. Like the address position, this is an important part of putting that often gets overlooked and cause inconsistent results.

Your club works similar to a pendulum motion. Your arms should be relaxed and your grip light. A smooth one-piece action should be your stroke. When you move your arms backwards, the triangle created by your shoulders and the club work like a pendulum keeping your wrists stiff. Dropping your left shoulder gets the motion started.

Be sure that when you are closing your fingers you don't force the club into some angle of lie, of loft, other than its designed one. Experiment if you must by trying a lighter version of your normal grip.

Go With The Short Putts

How to break 80. Since your score is affected most by your putting skills, take time to master the short putt. After you have gained mastery of the short putt, put those same mental skills to use on longer putts. (Callaway RAZR X HL Irons
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Carpet Putting

Sam Snead said, "I figure practice puts brains in your muscles," and so by practicing your putting gives you a reliable consistent putting stroke. - Sam Snead won a record 82 PGA events and about 70 others around the globe. One can really be adept with the use of club following credible a golfing instruction.

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No matter what level of golfer we are, we often think we are doing one thing, when in fact we are doing something different.
The best way to check we haven't slipped into any bad habits is to give ourselves a regular reality check. (Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver
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You need a partner or a video camera with a tripod to do follow this simple golf tip and get a quick reality check.

We've found that the little 'Flip' video cameras are great. They are good value and they plug straight into a PC and play immediately - no downloading or editing / converting - just plug and play...

Start by hitting some putts, making sure your stroke is as normal as possible. You need to be checking what you're doing on the golf course so don't for example try a different grip!
Take video shots from the front, side, behind and even behind the hole (being careful not to hit the camera!).

Move onto hitting some full shots as well, but be careful your partner is at a nice safe distance and clearly don't film any shots from in front of you!

When you replay and review the video footage look out for the following as a minimum:

Your alignment - in particular the shoulders, but also pay attention to your feet
The ball position - is it in the right place? (Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver
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Your stance - with putting your head should be over the ball.

Your balance - particularly on the full swing. Are you moving onto the left side correctly?

The really good thing about this simple check is that you get instant feedback. Unless every time you practice you have a golf coach with you but if you can't get the feedback that you need this is a great way of substituting an expensive coach.

The camera never lies! As a PGA Advanced Golf professional I use my video camera a lot. Many of my students simply don't always believe what I am telling them until I show them on a video camera what they are doing. This includes very good golfers with single figure handicaps. Even golf professionals benefit from the occasional reality check including me.

I recommend you run a reality check around once a month with a friend. The sooner you spot an issue with your golf the easier it is to fix it, and the longer you leave it the harder it is to fix it. You'll find many more feedback drills on our golf putting lessons to make sure you're on the right track with your putting. (Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver
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Feedback is vital in all aspects of golf - make sure you are getting as much feedback as you can.

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Michael Hoey moved closer to giving Northern Ireland another big golf victory, taking a three-shot lead Saturday after three rounds of the Dunhill Links Championship.

Hoey built on the second-round lead he shared with England's Tommy Fleetwood. He shot Titleist VG3 Iron Set with Steel Shafts
a 6-under 66 at Carnoustie that put him at 18-under 198 in the $5 million tournament.

Northern Irishmen Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy - winners of the last two U.S. Opens - were in pursuit. McDowell had a third straight 67 and is in second place at 15 under.

"My short game was unbelievable, the best it's ever been," Hoey said. "I'm definitely getting all the breaks as well. Everything has just gone my way so far."

It wasn't all good news for the Northern Irish, however, with British Open champion Darren Clarke missing the cut at 5 under after a 70 left him 1 over.

Fifth-ranked Dustin Johnson of the United States - second behind Clarke at Royal St. George's - was the other high-profile name not to make Sunday's round after a 70 at St. Andrews left him 2 under.

Hoey, a former British Amateur champion ranked No. 271, is rarely mentioned in the same breath as his three compatriots. (Titleist VG3 Iron Set with Steel Shafts
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"He's a supremely talented player, always has been," McIlroy said. "For him, it's been a mental thing, but he obviously has a clear head and is playing very well."

McDowell was a stroke clear of South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen, who is alone in third after shooting 69 in his first competitive return to St. Andrews since his British Open triumph there last year.

McIlroy (66) was among a group of seven players at 13 under along with top-ranked Luke Donald and Simon Dyson, who both shot 63s at St. Andrews to equal McIlroy's course record set last year. Fleetwood was also 13 under after a 71 at Carnoustie.

With every member of the 168-man field having played the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns over the past three days, the 70 players to have made the cut will play St. Andrews again Sunday.

While Donald - the leader of the money lists on both sides of the Atlantic - birdied the last hole to match the course record, Dyson just missed shooting a 62 when his putt for a 10th birdie in his round came up 6 inches short at the last.

Dyson has won the Irish Open and the KLM Open in the Netherlands over the past two months, while also starring at the Vivendi Seve Trophy, and is putting his improvement in form down to giving up drinking. (Titleist VG3 Iron Set with Steel Shafts
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