Long-hitter Jason Kokrak shot a 67 in the Genesis Invitational’s first round on Thursday, despite a pair of bogeys on his card. Over the last 18 months, the North Bay, Ontario, native has racked up three triumphs and a slew of top 25 results, including a 17th-place performance at the Sony Open.
Kokrak acknowledged to correspondent Averee Dovsek this week that he had fallen out of the fitness regimen a few years ago, but that cardio and stretching had helped him climb the rankings and stay consistent. Kokrak said his strength off the tee comes from his 6-foot-4 size, not weightlifting, as part of a new relationship with Planet Fitness.
Kokrak told Dovsek, “I’m a taller guy with long levers, and that’s where much of my speed comes from.”
Stretching is almost as crucial to Kokrak as his switch to a longer putter, which yielded tremendous gains.
However, Kokrak’s stretching practice differs from that of the majority of other players. He performs almost everything with a wedge in his hand.
“I do the most of my stretching with a 60-degree or 56-degree wedge.” Before I start hitting balls, I like to stretch my shoulders and hips, quads, and hamstrings, and get my body warmed up,” Kokrak said. “Some guys don’t do it, but I’ve been doing it since I was a kid.” For a long time, I’ve been doing the same thing.
“I don’t remember who taught me this, but it was someone in college, and I’ve followed it throughout my career.”
