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To those of you who do not follow golf, Tiger Woods is an extraordinary young man. He is just 26 years old and was in pursuit of a legendary record held by Byron Nelson which is; winning 11 tournaments in a row.
Whether he catches him or not, this is similar to Gretzky's 7 consecutive Art Ross Trophies (League Leading Scorer). Granted, we're talking about consecutive tournaments, not consecutive seasons, so lets compare it to his record of 255 points in one season (92 goals and 163 assists). Not only does it take supreme shot making skills, but physical endurance and the key to the whole thing is the mental capability of concentration and focus. These guys are (or were) in the zone!
You could be a trick shot artist. But, if you don't have the mental capacity to handle the pressure of competition grinding down to the 18th hole on Sunday afternoon after 4 days of golf and hours of practice, you are not going to be collecting a check on Sunday afternoon. There are hundreds of great golfers of pro tour caliber out there. But any one of them will tell you, "If you don't have it between the ears, forget it". (Anybody see "Tin Cup" with Kevin Costner?)
Woods had won six straight tournaments. He was attempting to break Byron Nelson's record at the 2000 Masters. Woods won the Masters in 1997 with a record 12 stroke win.
This would be like winning 6 straight team tournaments in six straight weekends. After you've won 6 straight, you'd be feeling pretty strong about your team and your game. Chances are you've picked up a good deal of experience along the way. So, you know about the pressure, the tough schedules, the physical demand and the mental games. Now go ahead and win 5 more tournaments in a row.
As long as Woods is playing golf like this, there is no need for anyone who missed Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan or Jack Nicklaus in their primes to lament on being born too soon.
Woods is the Michael Jordan, the Wayne Gretzky of his sport.
Like Michael Jordan, Woods has inspired talk of "best ever". And we'd best pay attention now because what we're seeing is a prophecy hurtling toward fulfillment. Woods may be just 26, but history seems to hatch with every swing he takes. Woods is an amazing compilation of skill, intelligence and poise. He has an unshakable ability to focus and to adapt. Consider for example, that Woods has played at this level for five full months and that the victories during this tear have come in wildly disparate (different) conditions and locations. Along the way, he has had a scintillating playoff duel with Ernie Els in Maui. He outlasted Spanish star Miguel Angel Jimeniz in Valderrama.
He's reaped big dividends from the risky sounding decision he made nearly two years ago to retool his swing with the help of teaching pro Butch Harmon, a process that coincided with his 18-month drought of only two tournament wins after his historic Masters victory.
Compare this to a power skating instructor changing your stride. Most of you have had power skating instructions of some sort. Do you have the patience to stick with your new technique for 18 months before seeing productive results?
Rather than be foolishly impressed with the awesome length of his shots, Woods says he has tooled back his swing for greater accuracy. And he's been a dramatically better all around player since then.
How much more do you practice your slapshot compared to your wrist shot, your snap shot or your backhand. This would be like Tiger practicing his drives but not his wedge shots or his putting. What percentage of your scoring chances are from the slap shot? How many times have you found yourself in close and couldn't deposit the puck right where you needed to?
Most tournament golfers will tell you the sport requires them to manage their emotions as much as the course or the shots themselves.
Manage their emotions… there’s a good one !
How many times have you wacked someone back for taking you out of the play or got into a little battle with a defenseman who's job it is to move you out from in front of the net?
One time, Woods missed a short birdie putt on a par 5 hole. In disgust, he whiffed his putter thorough mid air. He tapped the next one in, but he was now four shots behind the leader with four holes to play. A tough task to make up.
How many times have you missed on your initial shot and continued skating past the net while your rebound went right back out in front? Stopped and stood still
while waiting for a pass from a teammate, then refused to stay in the play.
On that next hole, Tiger went to the tee and went through his pre-shot routine. (All good golfers have a pre-shot routine of lining up the shot, envisioning what they want to do and the flight of the ball.) Then they step up and address the ball. Tiger did this. As he started his backswing, a car full of hecklers drove by screaming and honking the horn. Tiger froze, right in the middle of his backswing, stepped back from the ball, smirked a smile, regained his composure, and went through his pre-shot routine all over again. He then stepped back up to the ball, took his swing and knocked it right in the hole for a hole-in-one.
He could have very easily been irked by that missed putt, but good golfers know they have to put bad shots behind them immediately. He could have been "rattled" when a few hecklers tried to ruin his concentration. Instead, he maintained his composure, re-focused and then executed perfectly.
How many times have you abandoned your game and chased someone because they committed a penalty on you, weren't called for it, and you had to "even the score" and get him back? Ever had someone in the stands yell something out and you had to take the time to answer them back or respond with some childish gesture?
Woods cut the lead from 4 to 2 strokes in that little scenario and winning the tournament seemed inevitable to him now. Not only did Woods continue to play sensing that winning was his destiny, but his competition folded in the same way. After just four years on the PGA pro tour, Woods has a psychic advantage over his competitors that they are only starting to admit now.
Ever have a two goal lead late in the game, only to see the other team come back with two quick goals? Who would you say, has the psychological advantage at that point? The comeback team or the team who squandered the lead?
The lesson here is that nothing can be gained by allowing yourself to be rattled or distracted by your opponents, fans or even the officials. Your focus, mental attitude and determination is far more powerful than the response to your emotions. Tiger Woods figured: if he could get his low score to show up on the leaderboard, he could put the pressure on his competitors and force them to fold under the pressure. Golf wasn't considered that kind of sport, but hockey always has been. You have the power to improve your performance without even improving your current skill level.
Just decide whether you would rather have the psychic advantage or be the foldee.
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