US PGA tips: Copy Vijay's soft hands

Soft hands: Vijay Singh takes a light grip on the club at address

It's all set up for a great final day at the US PGA Championship at Hazeltine after a fascinating third round in which the chasing pack got a little closer to hindering Tiger Woods' charge towards his first major of the year.

The World No.1 started with a four-shot lead and played steadily to retain a lead but the combination of a Korean (Y>E>Yang) and an Irishman (Padraig Harrington) are now within two shots with the Swede (Henrik Stenson) and American Lucas Glover two further behind and still in with a chance.

Tiger swings hard during the third round

It was a strange day for Woods. He started playing the magnificent
controlled golf he has done for the first two days. looked to be
protecting a lead playing for the centre of most greens
and trying to avoid making mistakes. He was executing this perfectly for the
front nine but others were making some birdies and getting closer.

From being very comfortable, Tiger hit a number of ragged shots but used his
incredible short game to recover and finally hit two great shots to the 18th and missed the chance to extend his lead to three shots with a putt from eight feet.

So what can club golfers learn from watching yesterday's story unfold?

For me, Vijay Singh, Tiger's playing partner, was they key. The big Fijian is probably 'the softest golfer in the world.' I don't mean that in a derogatory way but when he's swinging
well he hits it longer, straighter and closer to the hole than anyone else
in world golf - including Tiger.

It's obvious that there is no tension in his hands because he rests the club on the ground in his address routine and doesn't move it until the swing starts. I'm sure you - and almost every other Tour player - has some sort of pre-shot waggle of the club in an attempt to release the tension before executing the shot.

But Singh's freedom from tension allows him to hit shots on line and the right distance time after time. Only Colin Montgomerie can I recall having a similar technique - and he won eigfht order of merits on the European Tour! And it's no coincidence that both players have exceptional rhythm because of the soft, tension-free feel in their hands and their swing and both have had long and consistent careers.

Harrington's grits his teeth in determination

Holding on to tightly might be the most common mistake all golfers make.

When you're playing this week, try to feel that the club is resting in your
hands at address and as you swing the club, feel that soft grip for as long as
you can in your swing, making sure you turn your body through to the target.

Your clubhead speed will increase, resulting in a better and more consistant
strike. Imagine your arms and the shaft are a piece of string with a weight on the end working
freely around your body. This makes it much easier to make a good pivot and
keep your balance. After all, it is a golf swing, so let the club swing.

When Vijay remembers how to hole those short ones again - as he did when he used the belly putting with that shoulder-squaring left below right grip - we'll be watching him challenging again.

Andy Raitt is a former European Tour pro, attached to St Georges Hill Golf Club in Surrey and currently leads the PGA Southern Region order of merit.