One former PGA Tour player has shared an important tip that should help amateur golfers on the course.
People often speak about the physical or technical aspects of golf, but many forget that the mental side is arguably the most important.
It’s usually that which separates the good players from the great ones, rather than anything to do with talent or ability.
Here is one mind trick amateurs can use in pressure situations, which even helped an ex-professional beat Tiger Woods in his prime.
Nick O’Hern shares mental approach he used to beat Tiger Woods
Australian golfer Nick O’Hern was recently asked for advice on how to stay calm and composed on the golf course.
Especially in difficult moments, like on the first tee or with a putt to win a match, it can feel almost impossible to stop the situation from getting the best of you.
Well, O’Hern shared an excellent golf tip that he and his caddie used to deal with the pressure of playing against the great Tiger Woods.
“Well, the fortunate thing for me, the first time, was that I had a big lead on him, and he never really came back into it,” he shared.
“The second time was the hardest because I had a big lead, and he brought me back to square with two to play. But again, it was the same old thing.
“I remember walking off that 17th hole, it was a par five, and he goes, ‘Jeez, the Aussies are doing well in the cricket, aren’t they?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, they are playing pretty good.’
“So I forgot about everything else and ended up birdieing the hole to go 1 up, and I ended up beating him in extra holes because he birdied 18. It’s in those situations that, if you start thinking about the moment, it becomes too big.
“So, you’ve got to make the moment small, in a way, and the only way to do that is to distract yourself and distract your mind between shots. Over the ball, you know it’s important. You’ve got your pre-shot routine to focus on, and away you go.”
Nick O’Hern beat Tiger Woods more than anyone else
O’Hern had a successful career on the PGA Tour, European Tour, and PGA Tour of Australasia, where he won two events.
He also had a top-10 finish at the 2006 US Open and top 20s at the 2005 Open Championship and 2006 Masters.
But O’Hern’s biggest achievements were probably beating Woods at the WGC Match Play tournaments in both 2005 and 2007.
He won 3 and 1 in the first meeting, and the second after 20 holes. To this day, he is the only player to beat Woods more than once in matchplay.
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