Two Ways to Win

Els Wins British Open

Congrats to the Big Easy! Ernie Els has been playing well lately.  He had a feeling something special could happen.  It did. He deserves the victory at this year's British Open with a birdie on 18 as an exclamation mark.

There are two ways to win any event.  
1. Go beat the competition
2. Let the competition lose

Ernie let Adam Scott lose.  And lose Scott did. He definitely choked his brains out.  This is a guy that wins when he's ahead.  However, with his first major victory sitting in front of him, the pressure obviously was too great.

Scott was four shots ahead with four holes to play.  He bogeyed them all and this was after eight straight holes with nothing worse than par.   He was fighting back tears as the enormity of his meltdown sank in.

Els started the final round six shots behind and just like that he was hoisting the Claret Jug for his 4th major championship.

Yes...Adam Scott choked.  Will he rebound?  Will he shake off this devastating loss and move on to the heights so many experts have believed and expected?  I hope so.  He's a great talent.  He's a good guy.  I believe this will make him better.  Time will tell.

"I'm a little numb at the moment," said Els. "It was my time for some reason."

Yes, Ernie...it's your time.

Mark Wilson wins the Humana Challenge in Partnership with the Clinton Foundation. It’s his third victory in 13 months (all with unusual final days) and the fifth of his career. He birdies the 18th hole on Sunday to garner his prize. Most important to note: " I was at peace," stated Wilson. This is the reaction from most Zone performers when they report they had a feeling of a "purposeful calm." Congratulations Mark!

A diamond is not a diamond without pressure. Over millions of years, the pressure of the Earth turns a decaying fossil into coal. Just like this phenomenon, the pressure of this week will turn a few competitors into the “diamond” of their sport. At the beautiful East Lake Country Club just outside of Atlanta Georgia, the FedEX cup Tour Championship will culminate with 30 competitors chasing the ultimate season-ending prize.

Who will respond to the pressure? Will it be the world’s number 1 player Luke Donald? Will it be Matt Kuchar, the local hero from Georgia Tech? Or will it be a seasoned veteran like Phil Mickelson or Ernie Els? Will it be Charles Howell III who a major continues to elude him and was born just down the road in Augusta? Will Steve Stricker recover in time from a tournament ending injury at the BMW Championships? Or will it be a young gunslinger like Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley or Rickie Fowler?

Pressure will squeeze talent to the surface. Who will turn their lump of coal into a 10 million dollar diamond?

Across the pond at Killeen Castle in County Meath, Ireland, The Solheim Cup featuring the United States team versus the best players from Europe will be played. Will the pressure of playing for your country cause you to crack? Or will the pressure of the most prestigious event in women’s golf bring the trophy home?

Why do we watch professional athletes compete when the money is on the table? It’s to see how they react to the pressure that we face every day playing for $20 skins when we only have $10 in our pocket.

Stay tuned. We’ll see who turns a lump of coal into a diamond.

Why Luke Donald is #1 in the World?

Luke Donald has talent. He works hard. Here’s how he became #1.

“I’m the best golfer in the world.” That’s a bold statement for anyone that doesn’t have a legitimate claim to this title. How can you even think this thought when you’ve only won one PGA Tour event and that was a rain-shortened 54-hole victory?

If I gathered all of the PGA Tour players in a room and asked them, “Will the world’s #1 golfer walk up on stage?” most would look around to see who was going. Probably only a handful at most would walk to the front. In fact, if you look to see who’s going up there, then it’s definitely not you.

Typically you think about a goal or dream as something you will achieve in the future. Not Luke Donald. In 2006 Luke Donald started thinking about himself in a different way. He became what he wanted before it would happen…the best golfer in the world. The process started by saying, “I’m the best player in the world today.” If he would post the low round for the day then it was without a doubt he was the undisputed, quantifiably best player in the world for the day. Period!

Soon after this daily routine began, Luke would take it to the Honda Classic. “I’m the best player in the world today” was on his mind throughout the first round on Thursday. With the low round his statement was validated…for the day. When the event was over and the refrain had bounced in his mind hundreds of times, the championship was his. Now the seeds of confidence began to take root.

Belief began to take seed. Within a year it would sprout into expectancy. Finally after 60 months of relentlessly pursuing excellence, expectancy grew into a sense of knowing. Now…”I’m the best golfer in the world” is for real.

There are two ways to the top:

1. Work your way up
2. Just go there

You must be it long before you get it. Luke Donald was the #1 golfer in the world in 2006. His ranking just hadn’t caught up yet.

The Moment of Truth

You just played five hours of great golf. As the sun is setting, all eyes are on you as you approach the 18^th green. There before you is a 10-foot putt. It is straight in. You’ve made similar putts a zillion times. But this one is different. It is at this moment in time that champions are born. Sink this putt and the coveted trophy is yours. Roll your ball into the front of the cup and your name will be literally etched into the walls of your club. It is the putt you’ve been waiting for nearly 10 years. Six times over the last decade the club championship was within your grasp. Six times you faltered as the last round of golf wound down.

Never have you been so close. Make this one putt and your legend will be made. Your half dozen runners-up trophies will not matter. You will no longer be a bridesmaid. Chasing the man that has defeated you over and over again has been your greatest challenge. Now your next move will decide your fate. It will determine the champion or the non-champion. This putt is the moment of truth.

We’ve all had moments like these. One of two things will happen.

1. You start to feel tightness in your chest. Your awareness of the crowd is heightened. The future is prevalent in your mind. The past begins to creep in from your last decade of failures. As you reach for your putter your hands perspire. Your throat slowly begins to close. Breathing becomes labored. The putt appears like a downhill 30-footer. You will question the read. Uncertainty of the speed you will need to execute the putt will be prevalent. The butterflies will take over your stomach. Doubt will encircle the green. It will find you before you putt.


2. You immediately detach from the outcome. Your breathing decreases to 6-8 breaths per minute. A purposeful calm feeling arrives. As you reach for your putter your eyes widen and dilate. The cup appears to be larger than ever before. Everything seems to be in slow motion as the scenario is surreal. There are no thoughts of the future or the past. Your hands are comfortable and in control. You know you will drain the putt.

Pressure situations can bring out the best in us. Focusing on the task at hand is your only option for success. Clear your mind of any past or future thoughts. See only a toothpick-sized target within the cup. Breathe deeply and slowly before addressing the ball. Mentally repeat to your self the refrain….”I drain”….”I roll solid” as you see the ball go into the cup in your mind. Soften your grip. See the toothpick-sized target one last time. Now breathe through the roll of the ball and finish the stroke.

And when it’s over you will feel relieved. You will feel excited, elated and overjoyed. You are the champion! Nice putt on 18. You made it look so easy.