The win comes after Coles notched up an authoritative victory at the Moroccan Classic in El Jadida on the first weekend in May, carding a final round 68 to finish four strokes clear of Australian Matthew Zions. His icy calm under pressure and very confident putting put him at the top of the Challenge Tour Ranking, ahead of fellow Yes! Man Edoardo Molinari.
Among Coles's first round mega-putts were a 15-foot putt on the first hole and a 25-footer on the 2nd. A bogey-free second round settled him down into a confident rhythm. And after a 'quiet' 3rd day, he marked his 4th round with a 15-footer at the 6th and several 10-footers so that the final fiver-footer at the 3rd playoff hole was a dead cert.
The 37 year-old Englishman from Hornchurch has been recieving putting instruction from putting coach Phil Kenyon. They recently met during the practcie days of the European Open at the London Club. Rob who lives locally took advantage of a week off from Challenge Tour to keep on top of the work they have been doing, as Phil was at the event to work with Henrik Stenson.
About vSWS
One of the new weighting system's earliest models gave Darren Clarke a rock steady nerve to help him to victory in the KLM Dutch Open last August. Since then, the system beat brand giants Acushnet into second place at the Golf Europe Product Innovation Awards in Munich in October.
Yes! Golf / Stealex have been greatly encouraged at the levels of interest in the vSWS by Tour players ever since the Dutch Open, and anticipate that the Moroccan Classic win will now presage more frequent appearances on Tour and a growing number of victories.
vSWS is a patented weighting re-distribution mechanism deployed within a specially developed aluminium alloy shaft. The design objective is to connect the golfer to the putter in a more visceral way than has ever been possible.
By inserting a fixed weight at a specific point in the shaft the system helps smoothen the golfer's acceleration profile in the down swing, producing greater distance control, touch and feel. At the same time, with a superior connection to the putter head the golfer can better control the consistency and the speed of the ball roll and hence the distance, as well as ensure the ball takes the correct break on the greens.
The feel of the putter with the vSWS is very different, but Rob Coles reports that he has had to make no major adjustments in his greens play as a result.
"With my putter being short it used to feel a little 'floaty' in my stroke," he explains. "Now it feels a lot more solid. I'm rolling the ball better with it and that brings consistency of pace. Meanwhile my work with Phil Kenyon has helped me be less technical on the course, and concentrate more on my set up."
