[okie]

I no longer play tournament golf (a return is in the makings though)so take this with a pinch of paprika! The paradox of tournment golf is that the shot at hand is the most important thing in the world...once executed it is IMMEDIATELY demoted to the LEAST important shot! You have to care enough to PREPARE and have courage enough not to CARE once the shot is executed. Never evaluate your talent based on a poor shot. Note where Tiger made par from on 18 yesterday! Or how about the birdie Mickleson made on the 1st during Thursday's round. It is called composure. Thinking about what is past, or what may happen in the future inhibits our ability to maintain composure (which in my estimation is the twin of confidence) I remember watching Mark McNulty get up and down for par from hundred yards on 5 different occassions during the same round! He is normally a very accurate driver as well. He did not bat an eyelid in the process! Not too get too personal, but, if you have a significant amount of self-worth, esteem, acceptance etc, wrapped up in your performance tournament play will simply grind you into a fine powder! I know this from painful experience (as do a lot of the wannabee-neverweres out there!) If you do not enjoy the process of turning an 82 into 78, or a 78 into a 75 (because we always want to shoot 66!) then there will be a great deal of frustration (a product of unrealistic expectation.) After years of reflection my best tournament round was a level par 71! I hit three greens in regulation...I fought for every bit of it! Normally that would have probably been a 77, or 78. I have scored lower numerous times, but that day "I got it" in terms of what the game is all about. The old line of it is how many, and not how applies. Most people know it but still neglect things like

1. Short game
2. Properly fit equipment
3. Course knowledge
4. Game plan
5. A committment to play one shot at a time (no matter how ugly those shots are that particular day!)


Like in terms of money supply there has to be an equilibrium between deflation (this is super important) and inflation (I don't give a rip!) Typically, disappointment then spurs us on, as opposed to wears us down. If Tiger fails to win this weekend he will be even more dangerous for the remaining majors! Focus on the process and let the results be what they are. You may not always be proud of your scores, but you can always be proud of your preparation and determination to committ to the process! How does a pro come back from 15 cuts missed in a row? Well, those that are too heavily invested sometimes do not!


Parting thought: TGM is indispensible, but I think as Homer Kelley did that mechanics should be worked on indoors hitting into a net. I am to the point where I am either playing golf on the range, or actually teeing it up for real. I save the all important machine check-ups for inside! I simply cannot ignore the pre-emminence of the ball and target outdoors. Outdoors I focus on targeting, alignments and....crush it!