Avoid the three-putts, make the gimmes

More often than not, PGA Tour events are decided by putting contests. Sunday was no different. Matt Every won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by sinking a crucial birdie putt on the final hole, while Henrik Stenson let it slip away with back-to-back three-putts.

Here's Every's winning 16-footer:

So how do you do that? Relax your mind and your grip on the putter, for starters.

"Amateurs especially put too much pressure on themselves on long putts," Crumbley said. "You just have to give it your best roll and accept the outcome. Then try to make the next one, wherever it is. I see amateurs tighten up too much and almost always come up short.

"Read the putt, pick your line and at that point, focus on speed. Relax and just let it go. What's the worst that's going to happen? If you three-putt, it's because you missed the second putt, not the first one."

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Crumbley said don't be afraid to be more aggressive than timid, for several reasons.

"I'd rather miss it going by the hole than miss it short, because at least going by the hole I will get a free read on the break coming back," he said. "Hit it like you're trying to make it, and you never know -- you might make it."

So now you've left yourself with something a bit longer than a tap-in. Here's where Crumbley's other tip -- a drill you can do on the practice green to build your confidence when it comes to making those 6-footers with regularity -- comes into play.

"Pull the hole liner up so it's sticking up out of the ground, and practice hitting the hole liner with your ball," Crumbley said. "From 6 to 7 feet, you cannot miss."

Why? Crumbley said it's because your brain is used to thinking a solid target -- like the hole liner or another object -- is easier to hit than a hidden one, like a hole in the ground.

"It's psychologically 100 times easier," he said. "There's something about trying to get a ball into the hole that's harder than just hitting something."

Combine both tips and you should begin to see improvement when it comes to three-putts, Crumbley said.

"If you roll that first putt to within six feet, that's a makable putt," Crumbley said. "So pull that hole liner, practice, and I guarantee you'll never miss hitting the hole."