I’ll readily admit that my favorite golf tournament to watch is the British Open that starts Thursday. There’s nothing better than waking up early in the morning, turning on the TV and watching the wind, weather and course play havoc with scores and make the world’s best players have to be both creative and a bit lucky to win.
Steve Siebold, a former professional athlete and a mental toughness coach who works with professional athletes, is the author of the book, “177 Mental Toughness Secrets of The World Class.”
Siebold was one of the first to predict last year during an interview on The Golf Channel that Tiger Woods’ career was not finished, as some were projecting, because of his off-course issues as well as physical problems. Woods has won three times on tour this year and leads the FedEx point standings.
Now Siebold has his 10 reasons that Woods could end his drought in the majors and win this week. Here they are (whether you agree or disagree is up to you):
n Less than a year ago, Woods was ranked No. 58 in the world. With three victories already this year, Tiger is ready to capture his first major since the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods’ talent never left him; it was his confidence that disappeared. Now that he knows how to win again, he’s not going to stop!
n Woods is walking the golf course again like he owns the place, and with that sense of inner arrogance that all great champions possess. He expects to win every time he shows up and you can clearly see it in his body language. On the physical plain he has perseverance, on the mental plane he has toughness and on the spiritual plane he has artistry like no other athlete.
n There’s still one more title that Woods needs to capture: Sam Snead’s record of 82 career wins. It’s not a question of will it happen, but when will it happen. World-class performers like Woods are obsessed with goals and their minds are like guided missiles, always adjusting and correcting to maintain accuracy towards the target.
n Missing the cut at The Greenbrier was the best thing that could have happened to him. If he was riding his high horse from his victory the week before at The AT&T National, this is a reality check that will have him better prepared to take on Royal Lytham & St Annes.
n A key trait of the world class is their ability to determine what they want and how to get it. You can see it in Tiger’s eyes and in his walk that he finally believes he cannot fail. He’s finally able to turn any vision he has into a reality again – just like the Tiger of old. No one else on tour can do that, not even Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy or Rickey Fowler.
n What most people don’t understand is that the stress and struggles Tigers endured since 2009 have only made him that much tougher. He’s hard-wired through years of world-class programming to focus on a vision and persevere at any cost. He doesn’t understand what giving up is and he’s proving that right now.
n Royal Lytham & St Annes isn’t an extremely long course, but with greens that are very undulated, putting is key.Tiger’s putting has been incredible. If you recall, he didn’t have a single three-putt at The AT&T.
n Woods has been focusing on compartmentalizing his emotions. In other words, he is able to manage multiple problems and maintain emotional control while solving each problem individually. That means when he’s on the golf course, he’s only focused on one thing: winning golf tournaments. It’s a skill that takes time to learn, but he seems to have it mastered now.
n What most people don’t realize is that world-class performers like Woods always expect to win regardless of what they are up against. In Tiger’s mind right now, he expects to win The Open. Call it positive brainwashing, programming, affirmations training, auto-suggestion – whatever label you choose. Champions like Tiger call it their ace in the hole.
n Love him or hate him and whether you believe he’s back or not, Tiger Woods is still Tiger Woods, and he intimidates the heck out of his competitors and will continue to wow golf fans all over the world for a very long time to come. A bet against him at The British Open is a bad bet.
A bad bet? Not sure I would go that far. Just like I am not sure I would call Wood’s putting “incredible” overall this season. However, I do agree with Siebold about Woods’ mental toughness and that he once again believes he can win and that’s why going into the British Open, a lot more of us have to believe he might be able to win as well.
Steve Siebold, a former professional athlete and a mental toughness coach who works with professional athletes, is the author of the book, “177 Mental Toughness Secrets of The World Class.”
Siebold was one of the first to predict last year during an interview on The Golf Channel that Tiger Woods’ career was not finished, as some were projecting, because of his off-course issues as well as physical problems. Woods has won three times on tour this year and leads the FedEx point standings.
Now Siebold has his 10 reasons that Woods could end his drought in the majors and win this week. Here they are (whether you agree or disagree is up to you):
n Less than a year ago, Woods was ranked No. 58 in the world. With three victories already this year, Tiger is ready to capture his first major since the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods’ talent never left him; it was his confidence that disappeared. Now that he knows how to win again, he’s not going to stop!
n Woods is walking the golf course again like he owns the place, and with that sense of inner arrogance that all great champions possess. He expects to win every time he shows up and you can clearly see it in his body language. On the physical plain he has perseverance, on the mental plane he has toughness and on the spiritual plane he has artistry like no other athlete.
n There’s still one more title that Woods needs to capture: Sam Snead’s record of 82 career wins. It’s not a question of will it happen, but when will it happen. World-class performers like Woods are obsessed with goals and their minds are like guided missiles, always adjusting and correcting to maintain accuracy towards the target.
n Missing the cut at The Greenbrier was the best thing that could have happened to him. If he was riding his high horse from his victory the week before at The AT&T National, this is a reality check that will have him better prepared to take on Royal Lytham & St Annes.
n A key trait of the world class is their ability to determine what they want and how to get it. You can see it in Tiger’s eyes and in his walk that he finally believes he cannot fail. He’s finally able to turn any vision he has into a reality again – just like the Tiger of old. No one else on tour can do that, not even Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy or Rickey Fowler.
n What most people don’t understand is that the stress and struggles Tigers endured since 2009 have only made him that much tougher. He’s hard-wired through years of world-class programming to focus on a vision and persevere at any cost. He doesn’t understand what giving up is and he’s proving that right now.
n Royal Lytham & St Annes isn’t an extremely long course, but with greens that are very undulated, putting is key.Tiger’s putting has been incredible. If you recall, he didn’t have a single three-putt at The AT&T.
n Woods has been focusing on compartmentalizing his emotions. In other words, he is able to manage multiple problems and maintain emotional control while solving each problem individually. That means when he’s on the golf course, he’s only focused on one thing: winning golf tournaments. It’s a skill that takes time to learn, but he seems to have it mastered now.
n What most people don’t realize is that world-class performers like Woods always expect to win regardless of what they are up against. In Tiger’s mind right now, he expects to win The Open. Call it positive brainwashing, programming, affirmations training, auto-suggestion – whatever label you choose. Champions like Tiger call it their ace in the hole.
n Love him or hate him and whether you believe he’s back or not, Tiger Woods is still Tiger Woods, and he intimidates the heck out of his competitors and will continue to wow golf fans all over the world for a very long time to come. A bet against him at The British Open is a bad bet.
A bad bet? Not sure I would go that far. Just like I am not sure I would call Wood’s putting “incredible” overall this season. However, I do agree with Siebold about Woods’ mental toughness and that he once again believes he can win and that’s why going into the British Open, a lot more of us have to believe he might be able to win as well.
