By Tiger Woods
with Pete McDaniel and Mark Soltau
Under normal circumstances I aim for the middle of the green from fairway bunkers. There are times, though, when I have to go for the flag, and that requires knowing how to shape a shot out of the sand.
The key, of course, is the lie. It helps if the stance is fairly level, with the ball sitting cleanly. The latter is critical to imparting spin on the ball to curve it. If it's a green-light lie, then I approach the shot like I would a normal fairway bunker shot, except I rehearse my intended release before I step into the sand.
Once in the bunker, I play the ball toward the middle of my stance to promote ball-first contact. For that same reason, I grip down the same amount as I dig my feet into the sand, maybe an inch or half inch. I set my feet slightly open for a cut shot or slightly closed for a draw. Then I swing along my stance line. Here's where the proper release comes in. If I want to fade it to a pin tucked on the right portion of the green, I hold off the release a millisecond. To hit a draw, I release the club naturally.
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