Rory Finally Did It!!

As Brandel Chamblee called it, 'It was the most bi-polar round of golf probably ever seen'. This simply means during the round, there were so many great shots but also shots that were truly baffling. The most amazing part about this was that he had two double bogeys in the last round and still managed to pull out the win. It was truly an example of a guy that has so much talent who obviously works hard but also someone like all of us, battles with past traumatic experiences on the course. The moral of the story and the testament to his win that despite everything, he didn't give up and ultimately came out on top!

When Rory teed off he faced immediate adversity by not carrying his opening drive over the bunker. He then proceeded to make double bogey after this point. His start didn't surprise me given the enormity of the moment. He got behind on the leaderboard early against Bryson after two holes. What was impressive which showed you an insight into his mental fortitude was that on the 3rd he kept to his original gameplan to hit Driver up the narrow fairway instead of going into his shell and playing iron. He then hit a delicate chip shot to 12 feet and then proceeded to make birdie. Rory commented that this was key because it proved that he could bounce back from adversity with confidence and courage.

Then the bipolar element reared it's head again on the 13th after securing a three shot lead. He decided to play conservative which perhaps when against his aggressive instincts at the time and played two shots short of the water. This left him with a short pitch shot onto the green. He would of done the calculation at that time and thought if he just parred in, he would most likely be champion. This however backfired uncomprehendingly as he pushed his pitch shot into the water. This was astonishing from a player of his magnitude to hit such a shot.

What was incredible though which gave me goosebumps was the second shot on 15. He was over on the left with a tricky second shot. It required a massive hook and a perfectly played shot to hit the green. At this point he could of played conservative again and played up short of the water but this time, he went for it. This was really do or die as if he didn't pull it off, most likely his tournament was over. However he hit an amazing shot to 12 feet again.

There was however one more moment that baffled everyone when all he need was Par on the last. He had only a Gap Wedge in but then proceeded to push the ball into the bunker. He then splashed out of the bunker and somehow made bogey after missing a short putt. No one could believe it and we all thought he was going to miss out again. Somehow with whatever mental resolve he had left, he came to the playoff hole and nailed his Driver and hit his wedge to this time, 2 feet. He then finally did it!! This was quite incredible because the demons even over that short putt to win would have been going berserk.

This was truly a spectacular example of a man that never gave up!!

If you'd like to book a session in with myself and learn more about the mental side just contact me at David Waters Golf located at Emerald Lakes Golf Coaching Centre.