Wow. That's about all I can say. Just finished watching Jordan Speith amaze on the back 9 at the final round of the British Open Golf Championship to earn his 3rd Major Championship just shy of his 24th birthday.
Speith is, by far, the professional golfer who I admire most. Furthermore, he is the professional golfer from whom Bulldogs and athletes everywhere, can learn the most from on how to compete. I have been watching him closely since he sprung onto the scene in 2015, and I have seen one thing that separates him from all of his competitors--- He bounces back from his setbacks better than any professional athlete I have ever witnessed.
Speith is far from perfect. He makes mistakes like all of us do. But it is how he bounces back from those mistakes that really shows us all of the importance of mentally moving on after setbacks. He has the ability to turn the switch and leave his mistakes behind him. He always seems to think forward and never dwells on his most recent setback. It is what makes him a champion and we can all learn from it. Dr. Greg Dale, Director of Sport Psychology at Duke University, calls it the 3 second rule. Never allow yourself to think about a mistake on the playing field for more than 3 seconds. That mistake cannot drag you down if you don't let it. Jordan Speith has obviously mastered the 3 second rule.
Today was amazing. Speith started the day with a 3-shot lead over Matt Kuchar and he really struggled on the front 9- bogeying 4 holes while only recording 1 birdie. Those are not the scores that win you a Major Champion ship. But that wasn't the low point. That came on the 13th hole where he hit his drive about 100 yards off target, had to use a shot on a drop and then scrambled for yet another bogey- dropping him out of 1st place for the first time this week. But then, like he has done so many times before, he bounced back- Big Time. He played the next 4 holes in 5-under par (birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie)- an unheard of feat- including a near hole-in-one on 14 and 2 giant one putts. Twitter was blowing up that he was going to blow the tournament after the bogey on 13, but they underestimated his ability to play his best after a setback. That is what he does. And it is what we should all learn from him.
This wasn't just today. A couple other great examples:
2015 Masters- Final 2 rounds where far from perfect. He had 7 bogeys and a double-bogey, but he NEVER followed a bogey with a bogey and three times he followed up a bogey with a birdie or two.
2015 US OPEN- After a rough patch in the 3rd round where he went plus 5 in an 8 hole stretch, he rebounded to play his best golf- playing the next 23 holes in 3 under and earning his 2nd Major Championship.
Pretty amazing stuff. The kid gets better when the going gets rough.
As for our Bulldogs, there are few platforms in life that provide as many
opportunities to react to mistakes, disappointment and loss than the high
school athletic experience. Not only are
these a part of the game, but in high school athletics these setbacks are
taking place in the public arena. It may not be in front of the world to see like Speith's venue, but, your friends, classmates, parents, teachers
and community are all there witnessing your mistakes. This fact certainly magnifies the impact that
they have on you. When you experience failures and errors in most other areas
of your life, they may not provide as powerful an opportunity to react and
learn as when your mistakes are on exhibit for so many sets of eyes to see. The significant social presence which high
school athletics has, adds greatly to its long-lasting impact. Basically-
learning how to react to mistakes and setbacks on the high school athletic
fields can make a huge difference in how you grow as an adult.
So, I hope we can all take a page out of Jordan's playbook on how we need to leave the past in the past and always look forward to our next play. That is the only one that counts.
In closing, I remember watching former President Jimmy Carter talk to a church group on the Sunday morning after he received a devastating cancer diagnosis. I wrote down the quote that stuck with me the most that day and I think it is an appropriate way to end this blog entry-
“So if you have a setback, accept it. Analyze
how much of it is our fault and set a higher goal than you ever had before….and
strive for that one.”
Jimmy Carter- 39th President of the United States
