Danny Willett, Jordan Spieth & Rory McIlroy's new insight?

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silmcoach
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Danny Willett, Jordan Spieth & Rory McIlroy's new insight?

Post by silmcoach »

After four weeks out of the game due to injury Rory McIlroy has returned with a new insight. He is quoted as saying that when you're playing week in, week out and thinking about winning ... you get so wrapped up in what your doing ... you forget there's a bigger wider world out there. ... win a golf tournament or not, people are going to get up Monday morning and go to work and do their daily things and honestly not a lot of people care. He says it may mean a lot to him and people involved in golf, but in the big scheme of things its not life or death. ... only a very small percentage of the population really care. That, he says, is something he can bring into the game. [McLean, R. (2015) City A.M. Issue 2,440 13 August (p.24)]

McIlroy's comments are perhaps those of an individual stepping back from his main role in life [temporarily due to injury] and reflecting upon its value. Is he right to think only a small percentage care? Not sure what he means by that being something he can bring to the game. Watch this space.
silmcoach
Greatest wealth - happy heart, peace of mind :D
silmcoach
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Danny Willett, Jordan Spieth & Rory McIlroy's new insight? Follow up

Post by silmcoach »

To follow up on whether Rory's new perspective is something he has brought to the game or not we can review players' comments after the Masters at Augusta yesterday Sunday 10th April 2016:

Looking back on the third day Rory says, "It has been a tough weekend. Probably went out a bit too tentative, not playing my game, which in the end cost me. I was a little too far back. Then today again [Day 4], the front nine, I should have been aggressive out there, but was hanging onto my shots. Another disappointing week here, and the waiting continues I guess." [Perhaps a little too much thought went into his game, as he says, not playing the game.]

Peter Allis comments, "Thing is with golf you've got time to think, and that's a killer. You've got to control your imagination."

Jordan Spieth, who lost the game on the back 9, says that on the 12th [where his ball went way up in the air and fell short] "that ball flight has come up a lot this week on par 3s. I'm not getting around my body enough. Just put a bad swing on it at the wrong time. Probably should have gone to the drop zone where we knew the yardage. [Next on the thirteenth] Just compounded my mistakes, just a lack of discipline and hit it over that bunker coming off two bogeys, instead of recognizing I'm still leading the Masters by two strokes. Four birdies in a row on the front nine, I knew that even par was good at least by one shot, and sometimes that makes it hard. You go away from the game plan I was using on the front nine and you just play a little too conservative. I just put a little weak swing on it three in a row and all of a sudden I'm not leading anymore." [Perhaps again, a little too much thinking, less just playing the game.]

Looking back he's disappointed, but he has no doubt they [the team] have that closing ability, there's no doubt about that. " But it was a very tough thirty minutes that I hope to never experience again," says Spieth.

For the winner, Danny Willett, asked what was going through his mind walking up the eighteenth, he replied, " I honestly couldn't say, happiness, exhilaration." Asked how difficult was it to control his emotions when he realised he was in the lead he replied, "It's a tricky one, it's not like we crept into the lead. When he [Spieth] dropped four shots on the one hole it was a bit of a weird one, I was lucky enough to just keep my head on and keep focussed, and kept going ahead, and made a great swing at 16." [That is, he just kept playing the game rather than thinking about winning.]

Paul Azinger explains that Willett pounced on the 16th. "It was obvious at that point the board had shifted and he [Willett] was two points clear, and he put that 8 iron in there, that's a massive 8 iron, and he used his adrenalin to his advantage, blasted that beautiful draw in there, and then made a tough putt."

Guess that's playing the game rather than thinking too much - and perhaps why he won the Masters! Willet remained in the "Flow-state" not allowing thoughts of winning to interrupt the unconscious flow of skill and intuitive performance.

The Masters 2016 - BBC 2 i-Player - Accessed: 11 April 2016
silmcoach
Greatest wealth - happy heart, peace of mind :D
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