LRTO: McLachlin ready to showcase new swing

RENO - A different Parker McLachlin is back to defend his Legends Reno-Tahoe Open championship.

McLachlin, who won last year's event by a whopping seven shots with an 18-under 270, has struggled this season. In 19 starts, he's made just seven cuts and has three top-25 finishes.

Andres Romero, Kevin Na and Charley Hoffman appear to be three of the favorites entering today's opening round at Montreux Golf & Country Club. Na and Hoffman are the highest ranked players here at 20th and 29th, respectively. Another guy to keep an eye on is part-time Reno resident Scott McCarron, who lost in a playoff at the 2004 RTO.

Don't count out the 30-year-old McLachlin, however, who is certainly happy to be at a place where he enjoyed the biggest moment of his golf career.

"Just coming back and reliving a few of the good memories that came with the many birdies and eagles that happened last year, it was sure fun. And it's nice to come back to a place that gives you those good vibes.

"I've never experienced anything like that (being defending champion). It's been fun, even just the players, too. Everybody just saying, 'Hey defending champ, you know, take it easy on us this year.' It's a fun atmosphere to come to."

A day after winning here last year, McLachlin completely revamped his swing in part because he didn't like the way he finished last year's tourney. He finished with a 2-over 74 on the last day after shooting a tournament-best 62 in the second round. But the silver lining was that the win afforded McLachlin time to tinker after he earned a two-year exemption.

"You can relate it to the struggles I had on Sunday with my golf swing last year here," McLachlin said. "That was to me the third time I had been in the lead or contending in a PGA or a Nationwide event that I did not feel like my swing held up under the pressure.

"Fortunately, I had a six-shot lead, and my short game was pretty good, or else I may have lost the lead last year as well. But with the performance that I had with my swing on Sunday last year, it just spoke to me."

McLachlin said he wants a swing that will put him in contention seven or eight times a year.

"I knew there had to be a better way, a more efficient way to swing the golf club," McLachlin said. "And so basically the day after this tournament

ended was when I started looking for someone who could build a golf swing for me that would help get me in the top 50 in the world."

That somebody was Sean Foley, who was already working with golf pros Sean O'Hair, Steve Ames and Hunter Mahan. Also, he recently picked up Trevor Immelman.

"I was practicing a bit with Sean O'Hair, and we started talking and so then Sean Foley and I started working together at the end of last year," McLachlin said. "We talked on the phone quite a bit. And I had done my research on him and he did his research on me."

Admittedly it's been a struggle at times for the defending champ. He played well at the Mercedes Benz Championship and the FBR Open, winning a combined $153,000 with two top-25 finishes. However, he missed the cut 11 of his next 14 tournaments before nabbing another top-25 at the U.S. Bank of Milwaukee event.

"This is the year that's going to set me up for the next 10 years," McLachlin said. " You can't really stay at home for three or four months and just work on it on the driving range because that's not going to hold up under pressure.

"So, yeah, I feel like I'm turning a corner. I feel like I'm looking forward to the last, the ending part of this year and hoping that that will be a good kickstart for next year."

McCarron has played very well this season, and he would like nothing better to win for the first time since the 2001 BellSouth Classic.

"I'm driving it pretty darn straight; third in accuracy," McCarron said. "I feel like I wake up every morning I'm going to hit the ball pretty good. It's a nice feeling. I'm playing very well.

"I have pretty much the same swing (as before elbow surgery in 2006). I just can't quite go after it the same way. I've learned a lot. I've taken

ownership of my swing, understanding my swing. Before I relied too much on my teachers like Jim (Hardy) to fix me when I was off."

Nobody knows this course better than McCarron, and he hopes he can turn that knowledge into a win.

"I think I've only played here once or twice leading into this tournament," he said. "So it's difficult to say that I have an advantage coming in. But I've certainly logged more rounds here than probably anybody else. And with that being said, sleeping in your own bed and having some friends and family around, I think it certainly can be an advantage."

McLachlin said a key is driving the ball well and with accuracy.

"I think it starts with the driving but it's a combination of driving the ball in play and then putting the lights out," McLachlin said. "If you can put the ball in position off the tee, that gives you control of the spin with your iron

shots. You really have to be dialed in on your distances."

McCarron said it's more about putting.

"It's not so much driving, because, again, it's very wide quarters we get to hit off," he said. "It's second shots and it's reading these greens. I don't know what the statistics are, but these greens have got to be the toughest greens to putt on Tour.

"Putts look like they're breaking one way, they go the other way. You've got to have a lot of knowledge. We've played here enough years that guys are starting to figure that out."