How A Cack-Handed Golfer Ended Up On The PGA Tour

If you stand on a driving range at any tour event there will be plenty of similarities in how players grip and swing the club. There will be the same drills and the same outfits but, if you were to look a little closer at this week's Shriners Children's Open at TPC Summerlin, you'll spot a university player using a cross-handed grip.

Patrick Welch is a fifth-year senior at the University of Oklahoma and he is playing this week on a special exemption after his win in a collegiate event in Las Vegas in March. The 22-year-old also, needless to say, has plenty of game having been named in two All-American teams.

He started gripping his clubs left below right as that's how he held a baseball bat – bizarrely he bats lefty but plays golf right-handed –and he stayed with it despite plenty of advice to the contrary. His dad, who sadly passed away last year, tried when he was 5 but was quickly met with plenty of resistance and Welch has since gone from strength to strength.

Swing your swing.

Currently sitting at No. 11 on @PGATOURU standings, @VincentPWelch’s unique cross-handed swing will be sure to turn some heads @ShrinersOpen 👀 pic.twitter.com/2kUuDZIqme

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 4, 2022

Another interesting aspect of Welch is that he also wears two gloves so he's even easier to spot. The bottom line, though, is that he can play. His results have been so impressive that he is now the World No. 44 on the amateur rankings and now he will be making his PGA Tour debut.

After that win in March he said: "I don’t think I’ve ever had this feeling. Ever since I started golfing, I’ve always wanted to make it to the PGA Tour. To have this opportunity means the world."