ROSE BLOOMS AS A PUTTER THANKS TO COACH DAVID ORR

FROM THE DAILY TELEGRAPH WEBSITE
By JAMES CORRIGAN
Justin Rose is “the most complete player in the world” according to the putting coach he plucked from obscurity to transform his touch on the greens.
David Orr believes the Englishman is finally on track to fulfil the extent of his well-trailed potential. Rose is competing here in the HSBC WGC Championship this week looking for the victory which would put pressure on the absent Rory McIlroy in the European Tour’s order of merit, the Race to Dubai.
In Orr’s opinion, McIlroy should be concerned as the sight of the finishing line now inspires his pupil.
“My new nickname him for Justin is ‘The Closer’ — it applies to his career as well as tournaments,” said Orr. “If you think about it, how tough a start did he get off to with all those missed cuts [Rose failed to make the weekend in his first 21 consecutive events as a professional] as a teenager?
"And now look at him, with how he’s starting closing the deal. I think he’s on the brink of having a wonderful middle and end to his career, just like a closer should.”
Certainly, Rose’s mood, after a staggering run of four events which has seen him win more than £2 million and emerge as one of the Ryder Cup heroes, is certainly different to the gloom which saw him enter the summer desperate for some form on the greens.
The previously unheralded American is to thank for that. A former professional, Orr calls himself a “mini Tour failure” with the mission to teach his students from his mistakes with the short stick.
Like most of the modern breed of coaches Orr looks deep within “the man” rather than “the player” and hence has the propensity to go over the top. “Justin is not the fifth best player in the world, but also probably the fifth best human being in the world,” he says at one point. But the positivity of his influence cannot be doubted.
Through his swing coach, Sean Foley, Rose made contact with Orr and arranged for two days’ tuition when he was at his lowest ebb in June.
“There was an obvious frustration in Justin in playing tee-to-green better than anyone else but not getting the results,” he said. “We had to figure what his tendencies were and build a plan. This isn’t something lucky or magical or the product of some secret or tip from me. Justin Rose is a great putter. The last month has shown that.”
The switch flicked in Atlanta the week before the Ryder Cup. “That’s where it all changed,” said Orr. “It’s not just that Justin is putting well, but that he’s putting well in the clutch moment. His problem used to be missing to the right and left-to-righters were particularly tough for him.
"But then, at the Tour Championship he had that 15-footer, downhill, left to right on the 18th for something like $850,000 [£530,000] — and he holed it.
“Then came the Ryder Cup and that singles game with Phil Mickelson. I can honestly say that even as an American when he holed those putts on 16, 17 and 18 to come from being one-down to win, I felt extreme joy for him.
"The most important one was the 30-footer on the 17th and yes, it was a left-to-right. Then he went to Turkey [for the World Golf Final] and beat the best players in the world, putting great.”
Orr is the director of coaching at an unfashionable North Carolina college and has worked only on the margins of professional golf. “I’ve actually coached Tour players for nine years, but none of the top guys,” he said. “I tell Justin all the time how grateful I am just to be able to work with him and for him letting me join the ride.”
In truth, the ride didn’t enjoy the most successful of starts. Orr travelled down to Rose’s home in Orlando and was dismayed by his first impression. Despite winning the WGC Cadillac Championship, his biggest title to date, in March, Rose was clearly in a mess on the moss.
At first I thought it would be a long process,” said Orr. “But then, on the second day when I saw how quickly he could adjust I recognised who he is as a talent.
“The biggest thing Justin’s learned is that he doesn’t have to be perfect. Most pros just tinker over and over, without improving and that was my problem. It’s about having a plan not the magic formula. Justin says he loves the science part of it but that just helps him better understand the lie.
"We changed his putter and a few other technical aspects but it was as much about returning to his natural instinct.
“He now has a better handle on it, seeing it’s a blend between the art and the science. He actually loves it now, because we still have so much improvement to make. It will be scary when he does. I told him last week, ‘I think you’re ‘the most complete player in the world’. Justin laughed and said someone else had the told him the same. To my mind, he’ll hear it more and more. ”
If Orr’s assessment is correct, he will soon have an entire fairway of heavyweights banging at his door seeking the same putting alchemy. They shouldn’t be surprised if he does not fall down at their knees.
“I don’t want to be a putting guru who goes to be every Tour event, I don’t want to join the circus, if you like,” says Orr. “Sure, I’ll help some other top players if they ask me. And I’ll always have time for Justin.”