| Never give up until you're in the clubhouse. | | | | surgery relatively recently. Did this pressure get |
| Well, Tiger's back with mixed results this season. | | | | to him? Who knows? |
| A lot is spoken about the man and as he is the | | | | But it is the Arnold Palmer Invitation a couple of |
| best in the World, it is understandable. | | | | weeks before that fascinated me more, |
| The problem with that is that there is always an | | | | particularly as I watched the start of the last |
| air of expectation. Look at all the great | | | | round and listened to the commentary. Going into |
| sportsmen throughout the years and you will see | | | | the last round, Tiger was 5 shots behind Sean |
| that unless their careers were cut short for | | | | O'Hair and the commentators had not exactly |
| one reason or another, they all lost at some | | | | written off Tiger, but he had to claw back |
| point, yet we still expect them to succeed every | | | | five shots just to match Sean. And if you didn't |
| time. But if they did, wouldn't sport be predictable | | | | know, Tiger did just that and birdied the last hole |
| and boring? | | | | to win by one stroke. I do not think we will ever |
| The flip side of being the best is playing the best. | | | | know what went through the players' minds, but I |
| Who, reading this, would not like the chance to | | | | can't help but wonder - did metal attitudes have |
| play against Tiger Woods? Or play tennis against | | | | something to do with the result? |
| Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal? It would be | | | | I would not put any player down, but did Sean |
| the chance of a lifetime. | | | | O'Hair perhaps think "Oh no, I'm up against |
| If you are lucky enough to be in that position, | | | | Tiger"? Did Tiger just not give up until he had |
| mind games will come into play in a number of | | | | won the last hole? I would suspect that Tiger's |
| ways and how you handle them will affect the | | | | attitude was just to play out of his skin and go |
| outcome of the game, so let's have a look at | | | | for it. He could almost say to himself that he had |
| what can happen when you play one of the PGA | | | | nothing to lose being 5 shots down and |
| players. | | | | coming back from injury. If you look at the |
| Thought one - he's better than me and I'm going | | | | scorecards, you will see that |
| to lose. The pro - I'm a pro and the better player | | | | Tiger's last round was his best and it was Sean's |
| so I will win. Thought two - he's better than me, | | | | worst round of the tournament. I can't help but |
| but I've got nothing to lose. The pro - I am | | | | think that maybe, just maybe, the pressure got |
| better than him, so I can't afford to lose to him. | | | | too much for Mr O'Hair and Tiger's "never give |
| Which state of mind is most likely to produce the | | | | up" attitude had a bearing on the final result. If it |
| upset? Yep, number two. | | | | did, it goes to show how much your state of |
| I have said before the mental game is such a big | | | | mind can affect the outcome. Again, we will |
| part of the game of golf (and sport in general) | | | | never know, but what would have happened if Mr |
| that it is worth reiterating. At theend of the | | | | Woods had gone into the last round with the |
| game, you have to look to yourself and be able | | | | attitude of "I won't make up five shots"? Makes |
| to come away from the course and be able to | | | | you think, doesn't it? |
| say to yourself that you gave it your best shot. | | | | Another bit of archive footage I saw from a |
| Who can account for a mis-hit shot on a | | | | couple of years ago was of Ernie Els. He had |
| par three than ends up in the hole, by fluke? But | | | | landed in the very long rough just past the green. |
| if you come away pleased with your | | | | He chopped down on the ball to get it out and it |
| performance you are the winner, no matter | | | | scooted across the green into straight into the |
| what the score says. | | | | bunker opposite. I did not see the outcome of |
| So why the tile "never give up"? I refer back to | | | | the bunker shot, but if that can happen to a Pro, |
| where I started;talking about Tiger Woods. This | | | | it can happen to your opponent. |
| year at the US Masters Tiger ended up joint | | | | All in all, I think this is a lesson to us all, never to |
| sixth. There was much anticipation and he was | | | | give up until you are in the clubhouse. |
| the favourite to win, despite returning from | | | | |