I am sure many of you were watching the US Open this past Sunday and what a great finish it was. I was watching the Open with my son and of course we discussed every move the players were making and how we can learn from them. I feel there was a very important lesson that we can all take away from the open.
One of my philosophies for the students I work with is to always stick with your routine no matter what the situation is and to only worry about the things you can control. When Furyk came to the 16th tee he did not stick with his routine and he did worry about the things that were out of his control. The USGA decided to move the tees up 100 yards on that hole and it freaked him out a little. He did not know what to hit and he became totally distracted. So then not being 100% focused and in the moment he stands up there and hits a huge hook. From there he got very nervous and had to step away from almost every shot coming down the stretch and as a result this was a deviation away from his normal routine. As a result of these mistakes Webb Simpson went on to win the 2012 US Open by staying patient and he just kept plugging away until he was on top of the leaderboard.
I want to encourage every golfer no matter what level of player you are to have a good routine for every shot and do not go away from that routine under any circumstances. I also would like to remind everyone to only worry about the things you can control on the golf course. Golfers can control getting the proper yardage, pulling the right club, staying in your routine, and your emotions. You cannot control the golf course set up, the weather, your playing partners and their behavior, etc.
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