It is not under the tiger, and it should not be under you, either (if you want to get better)

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There are a few topics that I avoid on this site:

Writing about current events
Hoping for the Tiger train
Tell you what tour players are doing and how you can copy them to get better at golf

Many other golf shops do this well, and I am glad they allowed it. I am going to partially delete all these rules because I believe that this topic is so essential to your development as a golfer. It's about Tiger Woods and a seemingly unimportant finish to the American Open on Pebble Beach.

Tiger has nothing to prove

At the moment in his career, Tiger seems to be primarily focused on two things – golf-free golf and continuing to create away from Jack & # 39; s record. He is experimenting with a shorter schedule that is suitable for both. Through the American Open, he has only participated in 9 PGA Tour events this year and he is unlikely to score 15 before 2019.

With 82 wins from the PGA Tour, adding a few more to the list will not make the needle move much from a historical perspective. It's pretty many majors or busts.

People had high expectations of Tiger on Pebble Beach (including myself), but somewhere during the second round all the signs indicated that he did not win the tournament. It becomes clear that Tiger's body cannot get loose enough so that he can control the ball as he is used to when the weather is cooler.

When he finished on Sunday, many viewers noticed that he was wearing KT Tape around his neck, of which Tiger confirmed that it was a nagging injury since March that seems to get worse in the cold. I watched some of the recordings earlier in his round and after six holes he was +4 and looked miserable. He could not check his distances, and you could see that he was not feeling well physically.

Tiger could have easily packed it, shot down somewhere in the mid-1970s & # 39; 70 and left the tournament with another missed opportunity. But then he did what he always did. He dug deep inside of himself and managed to move six to his remaining 12 holes to shoot a 69 and close for a respectable T21.

Whether he knew that this could be his last major tournament at Pebble, or that he was trying to mentally prepare for his final shot of 2019 in The Open – he ground it.

142 reasons to never give up

From February 1998 to May 2005, Tiger Woods never missed a part. He managed to reach the weekend for 142 straight tournaments and I believe it is one of the most impressive records in all sports. For anyone who looked at Tiger obsessively like I did, you remember the magic of the border line. There were many Friday afternoons where he was playing terribly, and he could easily have given up like many tour players do. But he always found a way to close with a few birds and get it done. He was proud of it.

In my opinion, Tiger & # 39; s ability to keep busy doing laps and grinding a score is one of the main reasons that he managed to win so many majors. He knew he was building up something much more meaningful on those Friday afternoons and would use that experience at a later date.

If there is something I learned when I looked at Tiger & # 39; s career, that is his grain. I will never hit a golf ball like him. Virtually the only thing I can imitate from his game is his ability to never give up and keep trying.

Until I am blue in the face

I have discussed this topic in many different ways in recent years. I will continue to do this until I am blue in the face because it is so important. For too long I was a golfer who would give up my lap at the first sign of trouble. I have also walked around many players who succumb to the same problem.

Recreational golfers are not looking for greatness and history like Tiger does, but many of them want to know how they can improve in the long run and lower their scores. Every round you play is an opportunity to learn and build something better along the way. When you give it up and pack it mentally for today, it's a missed opportunity to improve.

The most difficult thing about golf is to stay involved and keep trying when things don't go well. I go through this fight myself all the time. We all have rough spots during a round and hit embarrassing shots. But I can guarantee to anyone reading this that if you make it a habit to never give up your rounds (or at least the majority of them), you will become a better golfer. You must find a way to tell yourself:

It is not a big deal; it's just golf
You are there for fun, keep your chin up
But how many holes you have left, you have to make some mental reset and find a way to challenge yourself

This is much easier said than done, but it is the truth. Like I said before, you can't go both ways if you want to get better. If you are a golfer who wants to have fun and do not even want to score, there is nothing wrong with calling you a bad day, forgetting the golf and enjoying your walk. But if you want to get serious, you have to find a way to keep your head in the game. For me, I am committed to going through my routine before every shot. I know that if I can, there is a much greater chance that I can save the round. If I can't save the round, then at least I can be proud of the fact that I didn't give up. That habit has served me well, and I know it can help you too.

So if it is not among the greatest (or second largest) golfer of all time, you can fall in the sand and grind it.