Have you ever stood over a shot that meant something to you and felt nerves? Were you afraid to draw the club back? Maybe you couldn’t even move? Did you feel your heart pounding? Any dedicated player knows that feeling. It doesn’t matter if it is for a quarter, $5, or to win the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

I wonder what Jennifer Kupcho was feeling when she hit the first tee shot. She said winning the event would rank second to winning the NCAA championship. I’m not sure if she still felt that way when she made her final putt in the tournament. That putt was for a birdie to cap off her round of 67. She played the last six holes at five-under and won by four.

Monumental.

Her playing partner Maria Fassi said, “She’s not afraid to be great, and that’s what makes her great.“

I like that. Not afraid to be great. How many of us can say that about ourselves?

Perception  

What is your perception of pressure?  Do you embrace it or avoid it? What if you could learn to focus on the task at hand and pull off golf shots on demand?  Wouldn’t that be fun?

If you can learn to practice with a mindset that embraces pressure, you will learn to play well when facing it.

Start by practicing and gaining the skills you need to create good golf shots. Make sure you are aware of what you are doing to create those shots.

Process

Make sure you know your process and create a pre-shot routine. This process will help you hit shots under pressure. Your process should be the same whether you are hitting balls in the golf dome or hitting the final shot on the 18th hole to win the club championship.

Why? Because your brain cannot tell if you are pretending or doing it for real. Once you get your system down, your brain will recognize it and will become familiar with it.  It will then become more second nature to produce.

If you watch the final round of any PGA Tour or LPGA Tour event, you will see players doing the same pre-shot routine on every shot.You can time them. The best players in the world do the same thing over and over again. It is only when they start to back off shots that the viewer becomes aware that doubt, apprehension and fear are rising in their head. Watch closely. It is so evident once you see it once. If a player continues to do this on the last few holes, the mindset has changed from pursue to protect. Caution. The voice in the player’s head is giving a warning: beware.

Produce

Be aware when you start to second-guess yourself. You are opening the door to doubt, apprehension and fear. Be sure to take the extra couple of seconds to ask yourself if the shot you are planning to hit is one you can pull off. Is it the right decision?  If it is, commit to it. Do your routine and produce the shot.

The more you practice putting pressure on yourself, the better you will get at it.

Sportsmanship

One of the best things we can all learn from the two women in the last group of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is how they were complimenting and high-fiving each other all day long. “I think both of us just wanted to send the message that golf is about having friends, and to be out there with her, we were cheering each other on, and that’s kind of how golf is supposed to be,” Kupcho told reporters. “And to make it look fun. It is fun. So, to make it look that way for everyone watching, I hope it encourages people to pick up a club and go play.”

Embrace the Privilege of Pressure

1 Real players work their whole lives to have the opportunity to be under the gun. To be in the last group. To have the opportunity to win it all.

2 Remember, when you are under the gun, you are the person controlling the trigger.  Be sure you don’t shoot yourself.

3 Jennifer Kupcho never let up on the gas pedal. Playing the last six holes at five-under is staying in pursuit. She was on a mission to win. She wasn’t afraid to be great. And, that is why she is.

Cindy

Feature Photo:  Jennifer Kupcho reacts on the 16th green during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (Photographer – Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Originally published in The Buffalo News.