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| Adam Scott |
But, truth be said, this is not really so as there are several important and interesting tournamants to be played on the PGA Tour and the European Tour towards the final part of the year.
On the PGA Tour the Play-Offs will determine the winner of the rich FEDEX CUP and the final Race to Dubai tournaments will determine the winner of the European Tour Order of Merit.
However, as a Mental Golf Coach and a keen observer of the world golf sceen, I believe that some important conclusions can be drawn from the four 2013 Majors.
Play the final holes in the Present Moment (Adam Scott). the creative ideas of a great Mental Golf Coach (Justin Rose), the value of a great short game (Phil Mickelson), and rigorous and conservative shot planning (Jason Dufner), are techniques and behaviors that allowed the aforementioned players to win the 2013 Majors.
Play the final holes in the Present Moment (Adam Scott). the creative ideas of a great Mental Golf Coach (Justin Rose), the value of a great short game (Phil Mickelson), and rigorous and conservative shot planning (Jason Dufner), are techniques and behaviors that allowed the aforementioned players to win the 2013 Majors.
Below are my 8 mental conclusions covering the Majors of the year.
THE MASTERS: Won by Adam Scott
1. The winner, Adam Scott, has to be credited with overcoming his 2012 British Open disaster where he abandoned the Present Moment and suffered severe "mind/body desynchronization" when he probably "thought" that with two bogeys in the final four holes he would win. Big mistake, also, to "think bogey", because in all probability his Unconscious Mind understood that it was fine to make four in a row.
But at this year´s Masters he made sure not to make the same mistake and this was made clear by Scott at Butler Cabin when he said: "This time I made sure I stayed in the Present Moment and I just took it one shot at a time".
2. Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day both made basic mental errors that cost them dearly.
Snedeker by telling the press , the evening before the final round, that he would be disapointed if he didn´t win, just encouraged an excessive conscious effort and the dreaded "reversed effect" of Conscious Autosuggestion. The more you consciously try and acheive an objective, the lower the probability of achieving it. The Unconscious Mind interprets this excessive effort as a sign of difficulty and it evoques the distinct possibility of failure. What ends up happening, as a result, is a "psycho-motor" breakdown and the player can´t seem to hit good golf shots.
When Jason Day had three holes to go, in the final round, he was leading by two. Clearly he "left" the Present Moment, just like Scott did in the 2012 British Open, and lost mind/body synchronization to bogey 16 and 17 to lose by one.
3. Angel Cabrera did everything right and didn´t win a second green jacket because he was unlucky, and, as I like to say, because the golf hole is just plain too small. His chip on the first playoff hole and his putt on the second didn´t drop by a question of millimeters.
US OPEN: Won by Justin Rose
4. A great performance from strong minded Justin Rose, who works with Gio Valiante, the excellent Mental Coach from the USA, for some years now.
Rose prepared mentally before the US Open by repeatedly watching a Star Wars mini video, given to him by Valiante, where the hero is told that he has to "Do, or do not. There is no try".
Interesting fom the Mental angle because it´s true that to try evoques the possibility of failure.
The second thing Justin did was to repeatedly review a photo of a tunnel that his wife had given him some years back. And acording to his caddie to be in the tunnel was to plan, execute and then forget each golf shot.
Again very interesting because this is an excellent analogy for staying in the Present Moment.
BRITISH OPEN: Won by Phil Mickelson
5. Something quite incredible happened to Adam Scott at this year´s British Open, played two months after his Masters victory:
On the 12th hole of the final day he managed to get into the lead........and, again, for the second year in a row, he shot four bogeys in a row, this time to lose any chance well before the final hole.
My theory is that the incredibly strong emotion of losing last year´s British Open with four bogeys on the four final holes got "chiseled in stone" in Scott´s Unconscious Mind. And, a year later, in almost identical circumstances his "golfing recorder" simply led him to repeat the same disaster.
6. Mickelson displayed a marvelous short game throughout the entire British Open, but most especially on the final day.
And which was Mickelson´s best shot ?
In fact, it wasn´t one he did at the British Open at all.
It was his extraordinary wedge shot, from a tight lie, from 30 yards, on the first playoff hole to win the Scottish Open the week before the British Open.
This shot, in my view, was key for Mickelson´s confidence since he had a terrible three putt on the 72´nd hole at the Scottish and wound up in a playoff that never should have happened.
If Phil had lost the Scottish Open after this "collapse" on the final Green, I dont think he could ever have won the British Open the following week. This great wedge shot, and his great Open short game and putting come directly from this unbelievably good shot.
One of the key behaviors I constantly recommend to my clients is an intensive short game practice program. Nothing strengthens the mind and our confidence more than a great on course short game and Phil Mickelson is living proof of this.
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Won by Jason Dufner
The Mental key to winning tournaments at the highest level in world golf is CONFIDENCE.
And, in my opinión, confidence can only be acquired via three strategies:
Strategy A.
By intensive and continous practice of shots. Hopefully, with at least 50% of this practice happenong on a golf course.
Strategy B.
By using a Mental Method and it´s associated techniques and behaviors during the hours before we tee it up, and for the full time that we are on the course, in order to achieve a calm, clear and confident state of mind in order to perform at our best when pressure hits.
Strategy C.
A combination of A. and B.
7. I have no doubt that Jason Dufner used strategy C. to brilliantly win the PGA Championship 2013.
Dufner´s driving a iron play were simply outstanding.
Always in the center of the fairway with his driver and incredibly good irons to the green. On several ocasions he was only left with tap in birdie putts thanks to his wonderful irons.
For sure this is due to his great work and intensive practice with Chuck Cook his excellent swing coach. (Strategy A).
And on the final day, in the lead, Jason Dufner excelled in one of the most important behaviors of a successful Mental Method. His shot planning, and course management, was close to perfect. He was smart and conservative. On the green he usually only faced uphill putts and his second putts were almost always tap ins. (Strategy B.)
PLAYERS STRUGGLING FOR MAJORS
8. My final conclusión is that Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk were not able to overcome the Law of Reverse Effect (or Reverse Effort) of the Conscious Autosuggestion theory.
Most probably they were all just consciously trying too hard. They want Majors too badly. And by trying too hard, the exact oposite of what we want so dearly is achieved.
A big mistake because, as I explained in the case of Brandt Snedeker at the Masters, this Law states that excesive conscious effort is only interpreted negatively by our powerfull Unconscious Mind by "thinking" that the task must be very difficult and that the chance of failure is very high.
This contradiction of ideas ("want to win"/"it´s very difficult") produces the psycho-motor breakdown that explains bad swings, high scores and choking in these situations.
As long as these top players dont learn how to "trick" their powerfull Unconscious Minds with smart messages of diminished effort, they will NOT win Majors.
It´s going to be fascinating to watch the 2014 Majors.
Most probably a couple of young players will win Majors next year, but, by far, the most interesting aspect of next years´ big tournaments is to see whom of the big players learn the lessons of Mental Golf and make great comebacks.
THE MASTERS: Won by Adam Scott
1. The winner, Adam Scott, has to be credited with overcoming his 2012 British Open disaster where he abandoned the Present Moment and suffered severe "mind/body desynchronization" when he probably "thought" that with two bogeys in the final four holes he would win. Big mistake, also, to "think bogey", because in all probability his Unconscious Mind understood that it was fine to make four in a row.
But at this year´s Masters he made sure not to make the same mistake and this was made clear by Scott at Butler Cabin when he said: "This time I made sure I stayed in the Present Moment and I just took it one shot at a time".
2. Brandt Snedeker and Jason Day both made basic mental errors that cost them dearly.
Snedeker by telling the press , the evening before the final round, that he would be disapointed if he didn´t win, just encouraged an excessive conscious effort and the dreaded "reversed effect" of Conscious Autosuggestion. The more you consciously try and acheive an objective, the lower the probability of achieving it. The Unconscious Mind interprets this excessive effort as a sign of difficulty and it evoques the distinct possibility of failure. What ends up happening, as a result, is a "psycho-motor" breakdown and the player can´t seem to hit good golf shots.
When Jason Day had three holes to go, in the final round, he was leading by two. Clearly he "left" the Present Moment, just like Scott did in the 2012 British Open, and lost mind/body synchronization to bogey 16 and 17 to lose by one.
3. Angel Cabrera did everything right and didn´t win a second green jacket because he was unlucky, and, as I like to say, because the golf hole is just plain too small. His chip on the first playoff hole and his putt on the second didn´t drop by a question of millimeters.
US OPEN: Won by Justin Rose
Rose prepared mentally before the US Open by repeatedly watching a Star Wars mini video, given to him by Valiante, where the hero is told that he has to "Do, or do not. There is no try".
Interesting fom the Mental angle because it´s true that to try evoques the possibility of failure.
The second thing Justin did was to repeatedly review a photo of a tunnel that his wife had given him some years back. And acording to his caddie to be in the tunnel was to plan, execute and then forget each golf shot.
Again very interesting because this is an excellent analogy for staying in the Present Moment.
BRITISH OPEN: Won by Phil Mickelson
5. Something quite incredible happened to Adam Scott at this year´s British Open, played two months after his Masters victory:
On the 12th hole of the final day he managed to get into the lead........and, again, for the second year in a row, he shot four bogeys in a row, this time to lose any chance well before the final hole.
My theory is that the incredibly strong emotion of losing last year´s British Open with four bogeys on the four final holes got "chiseled in stone" in Scott´s Unconscious Mind. And, a year later, in almost identical circumstances his "golfing recorder" simply led him to repeat the same disaster.
And which was Mickelson´s best shot ?
In fact, it wasn´t one he did at the British Open at all.
It was his extraordinary wedge shot, from a tight lie, from 30 yards, on the first playoff hole to win the Scottish Open the week before the British Open.
This shot, in my view, was key for Mickelson´s confidence since he had a terrible three putt on the 72´nd hole at the Scottish and wound up in a playoff that never should have happened.
If Phil had lost the Scottish Open after this "collapse" on the final Green, I dont think he could ever have won the British Open the following week. This great wedge shot, and his great Open short game and putting come directly from this unbelievably good shot.
One of the key behaviors I constantly recommend to my clients is an intensive short game practice program. Nothing strengthens the mind and our confidence more than a great on course short game and Phil Mickelson is living proof of this.
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP: Won by Jason Dufner
The Mental key to winning tournaments at the highest level in world golf is CONFIDENCE.
And, in my opinión, confidence can only be acquired via three strategies:
Strategy A.
By intensive and continous practice of shots. Hopefully, with at least 50% of this practice happenong on a golf course.
Strategy B.
By using a Mental Method and it´s associated techniques and behaviors during the hours before we tee it up, and for the full time that we are on the course, in order to achieve a calm, clear and confident state of mind in order to perform at our best when pressure hits.
Strategy C.
A combination of A. and B.
7. I have no doubt that Jason Dufner used strategy C. to brilliantly win the PGA Championship 2013.
Always in the center of the fairway with his driver and incredibly good irons to the green. On several ocasions he was only left with tap in birdie putts thanks to his wonderful irons.
For sure this is due to his great work and intensive practice with Chuck Cook his excellent swing coach. (Strategy A).
And on the final day, in the lead, Jason Dufner excelled in one of the most important behaviors of a successful Mental Method. His shot planning, and course management, was close to perfect. He was smart and conservative. On the green he usually only faced uphill putts and his second putts were almost always tap ins. (Strategy B.)
PLAYERS STRUGGLING FOR MAJORS
8. My final conclusión is that Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Jim Furyk were not able to overcome the Law of Reverse Effect (or Reverse Effort) of the Conscious Autosuggestion theory.
Most probably they were all just consciously trying too hard. They want Majors too badly. And by trying too hard, the exact oposite of what we want so dearly is achieved.
A big mistake because, as I explained in the case of Brandt Snedeker at the Masters, this Law states that excesive conscious effort is only interpreted negatively by our powerfull Unconscious Mind by "thinking" that the task must be very difficult and that the chance of failure is very high.
This contradiction of ideas ("want to win"/"it´s very difficult") produces the psycho-motor breakdown that explains bad swings, high scores and choking in these situations.
As long as these top players dont learn how to "trick" their powerfull Unconscious Minds with smart messages of diminished effort, they will NOT win Majors.
It´s going to be fascinating to watch the 2014 Majors.
Most probably a couple of young players will win Majors next year, but, by far, the most interesting aspect of next years´ big tournaments is to see whom of the big players learn the lessons of Mental Golf and make great comebacks.
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