How to Win the ‘Big One’
by Tami Matheny
Recently I wrote a blog ‘Point by Point’ about Angelique Kerber’s historical upset of Serena Williams. Fast forward two months to the Masters. Jordan Spieth was in the driver’s seat to change his name to Mr. Masters. He had led the most prestigious golf tournament from the first tee and now he was 9 holes away from his 2nd straight victory with a 5 shot lead. 5 shots with 9 holes left. Any of us would like the odds there.
Then it unraveled. While Spieth ran into all types of challenges, Danny Willett (about as well known in the golf world as Kerber was in the tennis world) took advantage of his “opportunity”. I mean he was 5 shots behind with 6 holes to play and stroke by stroke he managed a 3-shot win.
Most of the media has focused on Spieth’s meltdown which cannot be contradicted but hats off to Willett. To stay focused one shot at a time on golf’s biggest stage, to have no bogeys on the final round, and to close with a final round of 67 is no small feat.
The common component I observed in Kerber and Willett’s upsets was their shot by shot focus. They stayed in the present moment and focused on what they were doing as opposed to what their opponent was doing. The key to achieving our goals in sports is to focus on only what we can control and use our thoughts and energy only on those things.
Figure out what is in your ME Circle today. Figure out what you can control and put your focus there. Determine what you can control within your competition, and focus on it. Your opponent’s performance does not control your performance. Once you have the proper focus, success becomes more achievable.