Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansan Bryce Molder, who performed at Georgia Tech to much acclaim — achieving rare four-tme All-American status — struggled throughout professional career for 11 years before achieving his firat PGA Tour win the 2011 Fall Series Frys.com Open.

He’s continued his solid play in 2012 by being in contention half a dozen times. The improvement in his game is borne out statistically in the greens-in-regulation number, where Molder has jumped from 108 last year to No. 7 this season, meaning he's had more looks at birdie.

And, as most anyone around the game knows, Molder possesses a good enough putting stroke that all he needs is a look at birdie to go low.

Molder, one of three Arkansans in the field at the Zurich Classic this week in Avondale, La., outside New Orleans, was interviewed on Golf Channel’s “On the Tee” on Wednesday and discussed his progress.

“I went through really a tough stretch early in the year last year where I wasn’t hitting it well,” he said. “I couldn’t find the greens or a fairway. I grinded it out and the rest of the season was good and I carried it over into this year.

“What’s fun is, I feel like I’ve been making it to Saturday more times than not, and when I do I've been playing really well on the weekends. I feel like it’s just because I’ve been able to settle down and I know when my putter gets hot, it gets really hot, and so I just have to give myself enough chances and enough time to let it get hot … I feel like in my game is getting to the point that, just give me enough holes and I’m going to get up there near the lead.”

Molder’s game has taken an upturn during the past four years after he started to work with swing guru Mike LaBauve in Arizona, where Molder maintains a home. Much was expected of Molder straight out of college, but swing changes then left him struggling.

He said Wednesday that knowing where rock bottom is, worrying that he’d never get out of the abyss, yet then being able to climb out to compete weekly at age 33, has bolstered his confidence.

“To have that piece of armor is great because everybody is going to struggle," he said. "As we’ve seen, everybody is going to struggle with this game at some point. You’re going to have to figure it out. To know that I’ve been through that has been rewarding.”

The swing he uses, Molder said, would look the same to everyone at a distance. But one area where he’s focused recently is hitting 7-irons at varying distances (from 130 to 175 yards) on the practice tee and then taking those positive thoughts to the course.

The main area that received LaBauve's attention when Molder began seeking his tutelage four years ago was getting his swing position back “to neutral a little bit” instead of trying to draw the ball for extra distance to keep up with bigger hitters. Now, in year four, the work is showing up in accuracy and the improved greens-in-regulation.

“It’s been a fun journey,” Molder said of his time with LaBauve. “It’s been just a nice progression and we’ve got a pretty good hold of where things need to go.