The teacher in me is always looking for opportunities to learn and quite honestly there are few better ways to do so than to learn from (and emulate) the best. That very factor was the prompting for my series, What you can learn from the Pro’s.
The much anticipated return of Tiger Woods to competition in 2012 turned into an engaging battle between Woods, Rory McIlroy and the largely unheralded Robert Rock. At the beginning of the final round most of the pundits were of the belief that it was going to be another Woods coronation but Rock had other ideas – He made five very timely birdies (including two in the first three holes and one on the hardest hole on the course, # 14) and three bogeys for a 2-under par final round of 70 and in the end a pretty “easy” victory with a score of 13-under par. Kudos Robert Rock for a career performance; one that I am sure will be one of the highlights of his career.
So, what can we learn from Robert Rock’s and Tiger Woods’s performances this week?
- Anything is possible with hard work, focus and belief: Just nine short years ago, Robert Rock was working as a club professional and teacher at The Swingers Golf Centre in Lichfield, England. He came to the fore as a touring professional with impressive performances at the 2003 Benson and Hedges International Open and the PGA Championship on the European Tour and he parlayed those performances into full playing privileges on the 2004 European Tour. From there his game has steadily developed and with his victory in Abu Dhabi, he has become a top contender for qualification to the 2012 European Ryder Cup Team. Teaching golf and working as a club pro in 2002 to beating Tiger Woods head-to-head and contending for Ryder Cup selection in 2012; surely that is proof that anything is possible if you are focused, determined and if you work hard on the right things?
- Stay in the moment and stay out of your competitors’ games: Rock did a tremendous job of not getting too wrapped up in the mayhem that accompanies Tiger Woods at golf tournaments. An increase in media attention and larger more boisterous crowds are typical of a grouping with Woods. That is not to mention the Tiger on the prowl and competing for a title... Everybody knows that Woods is liable at anytime to hole a chip, or make a long putt, or hit a recovery shot worthy of the highlight reel and just take a golf tournament by the scruff of the neck. As a result it is very easy for his competitors to become engrossed in Tiger and his antics, often at the expense of their own games. Rock did a wonderful job of staying focused on his game. As far as I was able to see, he did in fact not even watch Tiger hit shots. He also stayed in the proverbial present inordinately well. He made a huge birdie on the fourteenth which did not even elicit an emotional response from him. The first time he let his guard down was when he had marked his ball on the eighteenth after leaving himself a couple of inches for the title.
- When in trouble think clearly: I hate to mention it but Rock could quite easily have done a Jean van der Velde on the final hole of the tournament. He hit his tee-shot onto a sandy area inside of a water hazard on the right side of the eighteenth hole. The shot was on and he could’ve hit his second shot out of the hazard but there was a certain amount of risk involved, risk that could have turned very bad very quickly. Instead, he considered his options, took his time, and made the savvy decision and dropped the ball (under penalty) into the fairway and progressed from there, thus eliminating potential disaster and all but wrapping up the title.
- Stay committed to what you are doing: Tiger Woods is a prime example of remaining true to what he is doing and resisting the temptation to be influenced by results or critique. In any endeavor but especially in golf, commitment is crucial to success. Tiger is completely committed to the swing changes he is making and he reinforces that all of the time with his words, his actions and his deportment.
- Changes take time to become habits: The truth is this; an overnight success normally takes years and years of sweat equity. Too many people think that changes will settle overnight and they will be an improved player the following day or the following week. Learn this from Tiger, arguably the most talented golfer on the planet, and his swing travails; it takes time to develop and new habit and sadly at times, one needs to take a step backwards to be able to take a few steps forward. The key is to embrace the fact that it takes time to become completely comfortable with change.
Set goals and keep working and dreaming; play your game; be smart under fire and stay committed to whatever you are doing. I am sure that if you do these things you will become more successful in the long haul.
Play well and enjoy our great game.
