This article orginally appeared in the Spring 2017 edition of ClubLink Life. Ezine #8—For as long as Jordan Spieth steps on the tee box of No. 12 at Augusta National, I’ll bet he will suffer a little pinch of pain in his psyche. I'm also betting he'll get over it. The talented Texan has made a mess of the beautiful par-three in the last two Masters: in 2016, Spieth was leading when he dunked two shots in Rae’s Creek, made a seven and … [Read more...]
Golfers accused of being selfish–of course they are
I've always loved that European golfers are for more willing to tell you what they really think than Americans even though it often gets them in hot water. In explaining earlier this week why he has withdrawn from the Olympics, Rory McIlroy said that he really wasn't that interested and that he doesn't play golf with an eye to grow the game. Of course, for that display of candor, he was been absolutely hammered, particularly for the mortal … [Read more...]
“Really?” DJ hangs tough to win his first major. Finally
Dustin Johnson’s win at the U.S. Open was one of the weirdest and gutsiest in major championship history. In 30 years of paying close attention to golf, I’ve never seen a situation where a player didn’t know if he had the lead, was one behind or two ahead for the final seven holes of a major. Ultimately, he was penalized a stroke by the USGA once he finished the round, but it was moot because he had a four-shot lead. Of course, there’s … [Read more...]
Masters recap: Beware the emotional golfer and bad decisions
For students of the game, the 2016 edition of the Masters provided a cornucopia of learning, especially about the mental game. Beware the golfer drawing on deep emotions Part of the beauty of Danny Willett’s victory—in contrast to the ugliness of Jordan Spieth’s quad—was that his wife Nicole gave birth to their first child just before the Masters. To add to the synchronicity of the occasion, she was due on Sunday, April 10 but Zach was … [Read more...]
Open alchemist: Speith turns pressure to his advantage
We can learn a lot from 21-year-old Jordan Spieth as he considered the pressure he'd face today in trying to make history and win Open Championship for his third straight major this season. After his third round left him one back of the lead, Spieth showed in his post-round comments that he welcomes the enormous pressure and that, in fact, he uses it as fuel. "I don't look at it as a negative thing, I look at it almost as an advantage. … [Read more...]