Making A Charge

As you probably saw yesterday, Webb Simpson made a charge to come back and win the US Open.  Although it wasn't really the best way to win (because of Furyk's couple of bad holes), he is still the US Open champion.  Simpson got off to a decent start, shooting a total of five over par on Thursday and Friday.  But it was his weekend play that brought him back for the win.  Simpson kept his head throughout the weekend and never gave up.  Even though he was still three over after Saturday, he kept playing his game and pulled out a pair of 68's on Saturday and Sunday.  This is the kind of weekend play that wins tournaments.  There are a lot of people who can play well on Thursday and Friday, but playing well in the weekend crunch time can be a different story.

Simpson stayed very calm throughout his round on Sunday.  It seemed he never really worried about what his score was, but simply thought about hitting his shot.  He was even incredibly calm as he was seeing the footage of McDowell missing his putt to tie Simpson and force a playoff.  He knew he had won the tournament and still showed hardly any emotion while his wife was going crazy.  It was because of his ability to stay calm and play his game under the huge pressures that he won this major.  He never gave up, and that led him to his great rounds over the weekend.  I would suggest that you try to stay in your game in the same way Webb Simpson did this weekend.  Never giving up is key to consistently playing well.  You're not going to hit every shot like you want to, but when you don't give up and keep playing your game you will play better and more consistently throughout your round or tournament.

On a side note, I would like to say that when you watch these golf tournaments, don't study their swings.  Instead, study the way they play the course and how each player differs in attitude.  Study the way they keep themselves calm under pressure, because that's what is winning their tournaments.  Having a perfect swing may be nice, but keeping calm under pressure and playing your own personal game is even better.

Keeping Your Head

When you're playing in a big tournament or in any situation with a lot of pressure, things can go very wrong very quickly.  My problem is on the green or the first tee shot.  I get really shaky hands and it's hard to control the ball and have my relaxed swing.  The best things that I have found to cure this are some kind of drink and a couple of distractions.  I have found that if I have a nice cold drink to swig on just before I hit or even in between shots, I will be more relaxed when I get to the ball.  I really cannot explain why this is or how it happens, but it works for me.  I think it has something to do with anxiety, because I have read that caffeine makes anxiety worse so I try to stay away from that.  But also in that same article it said to try to stay very hydrated to avoid anxiety problems.  Using this information, I try to stay away from sodas before and during my round and stick to some water or Gatorade.  I think it simply gives me a feeling of refreshment, which helps me calm down before I get ready to hit the ball.

I also mentioned that it is useful to have a few distractions in your round, to get your mind off of the pressure surrounding you.  I have found that if someone tells a joke (someone like your caddy or playing partner) and I get a little laugh out of it, it will distract me enough to where I'm not that nervous anymore.  I even used to play games on my phone while I was walking down the fairway in some of my college tournaments.  It really all depends on who is playing in your group.  As soon as I meet my group, I try to make a few jokes and lighten the mood a little bit.  Usually, this will get some sort of response from your group members and your round will be full of funny jokes or just chatting about whatever.  If that doesn't work, then I try to stick to my games while walking down the fairway, because it keeps me in a good mood while I'm playing.  I challenge you to try to find something that will keep you in a happy mood while you are playing your round, because that is the key to keeping your head and staying relaxed under pressure.