DeLaet tunes up for British Open
SASKATOON — First it’s the Graham Slam. Then it’s off to another British Open.
PGA Tour player Graham DeLaet is about to embark on a second go-round at golf’s majors.
First off the tee blocks is the 2014 Open being played July 17-20 at Royal Liverpool in England.
DeLaet is no longer a golf major noob (rookie) going into such events blindly.
“It will help,” DeLaet said this week in Saskatoon, where he has been visiting friends and family prior to the Graham Slam charity fundraiser event Tuesday and Wednesday at Riverside Country Club.
“Now that I’ve kind of got my feet wet in the majors, I know what to expect and I also know, going in, that it really is another tournament.”
Saying that, DeLaet hopes to be swinging his clubs with a different mindset when he arrives in England.
“I’ve put too much pressure on myself, trying maybe a little too hard, instead of letting go and kind of just playing golf, which I do every week,” said DeLaet, 32, of Weyburn, Sask., who makes his home in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, Ruby.
“That’s the plan for the next couple of majors here and finish off strong: to prepare like I would prepare every week—obviously these tournaments mean more — but to treat them just like any other event.”
DeLaet made the cut in the 2013 Open but finished a disappointing 83rd. Since then, he has missed the cut in the PGA Championship, the Masters and, most recently, the 2014 U.S. Open.
“That’s the whole thing too — it’s not going over there to try and make the cut,” stressed DeLaet.
“It’s going over there and trying to be part of the golf tournament, and being in the hunt ... ”
As Canada’s top golfer, DeLaet has played in 17 events on the PGA Tour this season.
He’s made the cut in 13 of them, earning $2,085,787 along the way, to put him at No. 26 among the Tour’s money leaders.
He’s 27th in the FedExCup standings with 971 points.
He is ranked No. 35 in the Official World Golf Rankings, placing him among the top golfers on the planet.
Still, he’s not totally happy where his golf game is, but he’s been around the golf course to understand the ups and downs.
“The last month, month and a half, I haven’t been playing as well as I would have liked but that’s part of the game of golf,” said DeLaet “... But I’ve been doing this for a long time and I understand you can’t play well for 12 months of the year.”