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July 8, 2019 - 6:00 am EDT 5 years ago

10 Insane Pro Backspin Shots

SwingU Staff SwingU Staff

Professional golfers have a knack for putting some serious backspin on their shots due to a combination skill and precision. In other words, two things most amateurs lack. 

While having the ball on a string is a blessing, it can also be a curse, especially when you don’t judge it correctly.

So if you’re sitting in your office wishing you could backspin to the weekend, take a look at 10 insane professional backspin shots, some excellent, some not so much.


Rory McIlroy

We kick off our insane professional backspin shots with this spectacular hole-out from Rory McIlroy on the par-4 seventh hole at the BMW Championship, the European Tour’s flagship event.

After hitting a towering approach, the four-time major winner ripped his ball off the fringe and then let gravity take over until it found its way into the bottom of the cup. What a shot! 

Jamie Donaldson

Jamie Donaldson ripped this one back quite a bit at the 2013 ISPS Handa Wales Open. In an obvious miscalculation, the Englishman flew this wedge to what appears to be miles too far past the hole. However, as soon as it hit the green, it went full spin cycle roaring past the pin on its way back, settling almost farther away on the other side. 

Jordan Spieth

Jordan Spieth showed his mettle during the 2015 Presidents Cup, throwing a wedge behind the hole and pulling the string on it to bring it back to within birdie range. 

Mike Lorenzo-Vera

 

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This tidy little hole-out comes courtesy of Mike Lorenzo-Vera while playing a European Tour event. The Frenchman judged the spin perfectly and zipped it right back in the hole for eagle. We’re not sure what’s better; the reaction or the mustache.

Bo Van Pelt

BVP jarred this beauty for eagle at the 2011 HSBC Champions after using the back of the 8th green as his own personal funnel. After judging the spin, he draws it backdown the hill on the perfect line hitting the pin as squarely as possible. Fortunately for him, it found the bottom of the cup.

While it’s usually easier to put backspin on the ball out of a bunker, this shot by Kevin Na almost defies the laws of physics. After flying the green, his ball basically does a U-turn, hits the accelerator and races back to the hole. We suggest you attempt to hit the green before trying a stunt like this! 

Jason Kokrak

 

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Jason Kokrak drained this wedge back in 2013 in textbook fashion. Knowing the ball would rip off the backboard behind the hole, he flew it far enough past the pin to give it a chance. Lo and behold, it caught the exact line and tracked on a b-line right into the center of the cup.

Marcel Siem

Another European Tour product, Marcel Siem flashed his spin game brilliantly on this hole-out eagle. Granted he may have landed it in the exact right spot, but that doesn’t stop us from marveling out how ridiculous the spin on this shot actually was. Don’t try this one at home!

Phil Mickelson

We throw this one all the way back to 1994 where a young Phil Mickelson was representing the U.S. at the Presidents Cup. With wedge in hand, Lefty went to work flying his ball directly over the pin and zipping it back in true Phil fashion almost shattering the flag stick. After all these years, it’s still surprising he didn’t ask his caddie to tend that pin.

Marc Leishman

There’s something about that pure contact out of a bunker that really gets the ball to dance on the putting surface. Marc Leishman used that solid contact to his benefit during the 2017 BMW PGA at Wentworth, nearly holing his fairway bunker shot.