Below is a great blog post by Pat O'Brien.
Pat O’Brien is the teaching professional at Lakewood Country Club in Dallas. He’s the putting instructor to 2007 Masters Champion and numerous other professionals and accomplished amateurs. Pat developed his passion for learning and teaching through his friendship with the late Payne Stewart. He can be contacted though his blog at www.patobriengolf.com, or by calling 214-316-5303. To learn more about O'Brien's teaching, you can purchase his
Pat O'Brien On Putting DVD.
ZACH IS BACK
Congratulations to my long time friend Zach for his victory at historic Colonial. It is so cool to have his name up on that Wall of Champions, and also cool that he is only one of eleven people to ever win both the Masters and Colonial. It is a pretty impressive list to join!
(I apologize for the quality of the picture)
It was obviously great to be there and witness Zach in action. When I spoke to him before the round on the putting green, I could tell he was calm and ready to go. When he hit a nerveless flop shot from 30 yards out of the rough on the first hole to about 6 feet, I knew that he would be in the mix.
All week, we talked about being calm and to start allowing things to happen, especially on the greens. He has been guilty all year of trying to make putts. There has been nothing wrong with his technique; he just wants to make the Ryder Cup team so much and he also knows that he is hitting well enough to contend often. So, even at that level, guys get too results oriented and don't let the game come to them.
He has received the same message from everyone on his team- Mike Bender, his swing coach, and Morris Pickens, his mental coach. As I have said before, I feel very blessed to be part of such a great team, with Damon Green, his caddy, and Chris Noss, his strength coach. We are all on the same page with our message, and no one is more important than the other. It is very refreshing.
Remember, there is no try in golf. Try equals tension. There is only allow. The calmest guy is the one who usually wins on Sunday. You could see that in Zach. That man has no fear, and he absolutely wants the ball at the end of the game, so to speak. When you get under pressure, be aware of the tension and anxiety that you are carrying and let it go. Don't think about being calm, FEEL it. The flag says it best-
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