Jon Rahm won The Masters yesterday by four shots over Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. There's no doubt that Rahm has been on an absolute tear to start off this year and the revolving door or Rahm/Scheffler/McIlroy at world #1 has been fun to watch. Everyone on the PGA TOUR is miles ahead of the average golfer in terms of golf skill - however there are many things that the average golfer can adopt in their game to lower their scores and move closer to the golfer they wish to be. This week we'll take a look at one thing each day that you can take from Rahm's performance at Augusta and apply to your own game.
Monday: Mentality
Jon Rahm started The 2023 Masters with a four putt. Four putts from 48 feet. Did he beat himself up? Did he call himself a f*ckin' idiot and allow it to ruin the rest of his round or tournament? No. He made a double bogey after hitting the green in regulation then reeled off 9 birdies to finish the round in a three-way tie for first.
Do you berate yourself in your head (or out loud) when you do something you deem as "f*ckin' stupid" on the golf course and allow it to ruin your round? How many times after a double or worse do you write off the round and start looking for the cart girl? I realize people play golf for different reasons and not everyone plays to put the lowest score on the card possible. BUT - if your goal is to improve as a player and put a priority on scoring then you need to give yourself a break.
The next time you're out on the course and you do something you consider "stupid" or think you're better than making a simple mistake try to take a few deep breaths and focus on the next shot. Rather than making a mistake and thinking about how you've just killed your round try this - think about how you're going to save par or bogey rather than making double or worse. A bad shot is not an automatic death sentence for your score on the hole. It's an opportunity to make a really great par and keep a round going.
Without looking at Masters.com for the stats - how many double bogeys did Rahm make over 72 holes? Hint - it's at least one.
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