I had come off 3 putting from 18 feet, hitting my first putt about 12 feet. This was my 2nd double bogey of the day through 12 holes, and my other was a 1 ft tap in miss. I was playing about as well as I can with a 41 front from the blues at Lederach. I hit a nice 3 wood on 13 to put myself 175 out on a dog leg left. I’m on a bit of a slope and chunk a 5 iron into the brush. Drop. Chunk a Pdub over so now I’m 40 yards out. Next I over hit the green into a trap. Duff sand shot 1. Get out and 3 putt for a 10. On the rage meter I flew past mad and was in hysteria / delirious.

As much as I try to stay calm in these situations, it’s impossible. Even when you tell yourself to be cool, you’re not. On my bad SW shot from 40, I Shee smashed twice and my playing partners could only watch in agony. There is nothing, literally nothing, that can make you feel better when the wheels are coming off in golf. It’s torture. I’m not an angry person but when your expectations are not matching the performance, it’s difficult to overcome the sinking feeling that your brain surrenders to. You hold onto the wheel as tight as you can hoping the crash isn’t that bad.

Why do I get mad about a golf round that has no purposeful outcome in my life? I don’t know. It’s an inner feeling. The point of the post is that even when you know that this is happening, being able to control it is what champions are made of. The poker term tilt is real, and even the best players, who are well aware of tilt, and can say they are not tilting, still tilt. Being able to control the level of tilt is the key. I’m still not quite there.

I’ll be betting big on the Chiefs today and hopefully Nelly Korda can hold the LPGA. Good luck!