Stumble It!So who gave up on him?
Who thought there was no way he’d come back after three shots dropped in two holes and clearly in more pain even than yesterday?
I’ll confess I was one of the doubters and yet once again he came battling back in true Tiger style.
But what sealed it obviously was that putt. And what sealed his genius for me personally was what he said about it. What he said is one of the absolute key skills to develop in your putting i.e. the ability to not care about the result but only focus on doing your best. I deal with this extensively in my soon to be launched ebook because it is so important and it is the thought process that all the truly great guys have.
Here is what Tiger said was going through his mind before the putt.
“Make sure you stay committed to it – make a pure stroke. If it plinkles in and plinkles out it doesn’t matter as long as I make a pure stroke.”
There is true genius in those two sentences. And if you can bring that into all parts of your game you will see a substantial difference in your scoring.
And if you didn’t watch my Tiger video link yesterday then make sure you do today:
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I have to admit, I really wanted to see Rocko win yesterday, but never doubted Tiger would make that putt. His focus and will to win is so intense. But for me, it was hard to pull for Tiger yesterday watching him struggle, and become visibly frustrated and having no fun, while at the same time watching Rocko just enjoy himself, and shaking off his missed putts for birdie and par like it was no big deal. Not sure it’s in the cards for Rocko to pull off a win today, but somebody’s got to break Tiger’s streak — someday. But I’m not betting against Tiger.
Thanks for sharing the “putting tip” here and for leaving a comment on my blog where I was sharing my struggles with those short ones. Since posting that, I’ve really made some huge improvement by just picking a spot to putt to, focusing on that spot mentally while relaxing physically, then making a good stroke, and letting go of how it plinkles.
I just re-watched his round this morning and was again amazed at how clutch the guy is. His best two shots of the day, the last two. We should all realize we are living in a time of greatness. And while I’m pulling for somebody, anybody to give him a real run for his money (maybe Rocco today?) I’ve gained more respect for him this week with the injury than in any of his other majors.
Thanks for the comments on my blog John – you are one of my inspirations.
That Tiger video is amazing. Very inspiring.
You’re absolutely correct about the putting. It’s way too easy to be overly concerned about the outcome.
Still waiting patiently for this ebook!
Great post and great putting tip.
What a fascinating US Open. Truly incredible. Like The Artful Golfer I wanted Rocco to win but how can you argue that Tiger didn’t deserve it.