A Closers Mindset

Among championship caliber athletes, one of the most admired skills is the ability to close out at the end - the ability to put an end to the competition, to finish up and win. Jordan had it, Elway had it. In today's sports world, nobody is looked up to more as a dominant finisher than Tiger Woods. NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett on the subject: "The mental aspect is what separates golf from the rest of the sports world, and that's why there's no doubt Tiger is the most admired person among other athletes...At that level, physical ability is a given, but the thing they respect most is the ability to get there mentally when it matters most. That's what puts someone above the rest." It seems like putting away a victory in the end would be easy, but it takes a finely tuned mental game to do it. The pressure of playing from ahead or from being in a position to win, to control one's own destiny, can be crippling. Ever present in the athletes mind is the question, What if I fail? It is the ability to put oneself above the fear that separates champions like Tiger from the rest. In a sport where competitors have nothing to blame besides themselves for failure, golfers are especially vulnerable to such thoughts.

Mental toughness in clutch situations is not specific to the event; rather, it stems from the strength of the athlete's sense of self. Valuing oneself as someone only as good as the next golf shot is almost guarantees failure. Sport psychologist Dr. Gio Valiante explains: "If you're basing your confidence on what other people are going to think of you, or how you're going to appear--it's a recipe for choking. Attaching your status and your self-worth to a shot in golf creates the type of fear that paralyzes. So we go into ego-avoid mode, which is the mental equivalent of prevent defense. Rather than hitting shots at a target, you're hitting shots to avoid embarrassment." Valiante's comments reinforce the importance of process vs. goal orientation: The best mental outlook is to focus on the process by which success is obtained, not on the success itself.

So how good is Tiger at closing out victories, at performing his best when it matters the most? When entering the final round of a tournament in which he has led, Woods is an astounding 40 of 43, a winning percentage of .930. Clearly, Tiger has found the mental edge for choke-free performance.

See the rest of ESPN's report on choking here.

The Fusion of physical skills with superior mental game

Suzann Pettersen, second on the LPGA money list, provides the perfect example of the advantages gained when ideal physical skills are paired with an improved mental game. The 26-year old Norwegian had previously been vulnerable to mental collapses, with only one bad shot possibly ruining a round. Pettersen found herself constantly dwelling on her mistakes instead of visualizing a positive result of the next shot. While many viewed her defeat in April's Nabisco Championship a collapse, Pettersen displayed her advanced mental game by viewing the defeat as a positive: "Teeing off on the last day on the leader board, that's where you want to be in every major in every tournament. That's how you build experience, and that's how you build your game.'' After viewing tape of her performance, she saw her own mistakes and was able to make improvements, primarily in her pre-shot routine. Pre-shot routines are essential for golf success, and usually involve a set of actions repeated before every shot intended to focus the player on the current shot, calm the nerves, and visualize success. Pettersen's revamped mental game was a huge success: She captured her first major tournament victory in June at the LPGA Championship.

Check out the whole New York Times report here.

Psyching ourselves out: Golf's unique mental game

It may be thought that the slower pace and lack of traditional 'defense' may make golf easier mentally than other sports. In fact, the opposite is true. The delay between shots can serve to build mental pressure and nervousness, according to Florida sport psychologist Dr. John F. Murray. Golfers on the course have no form of outlet for accumulated mental stress, and there aren't any teammates who can provide support. Dr. Murray elaborates: “ So much of their time is getting ready for a shot, and there are more mental factors that can distract you or also help you and be a positive. There is more potential for being stressed, but also for being prepared.” In a traditional "reactionary" sport, such as basketball or tennis, the speed of competition and importance of reacting without thinking can serve to minimize time an athlete spends overthinking their play. However, in golf, competitors have "nowhere to go but think about what might happen." With so much time spent walking up to the ball, all a golfer has to think about is the next shot. Furthermore, while fear of failure is an issue in all sports, it is magnified in golf. A golfer can only blame him or herself for failure, since no one is defending them. Throw in the added stressors of spectators, pressure situations, and course conditions, and the importance of a strong mental game in golf instantly becomes clear. Some important skills necessary to counteract the mental pressures of golf include positive self-talk, visualizations, and self-relaxation or clearing exercises.

Read the rest of the New York Times article, including more notes from Dr. Murray, here.