Friday, May 9, 2008

A New Phase

I have never been more excited to be a professional golfer than I am right now. I started my morning off helping some fearless, junior Taiwanese players on the driving range. Then I hit a bucket of majestically-soaring shots, had lunch and am now heading out to the course for a match. There are a few select players my age on the PGA Tour. Sergio Garcia, the leader at this week's Player's Championship, won 6 times on the PGA Tour by the time he was 25. There are many highly-skilled, professional golfers in the world. A fact I have discovered first hand since coming to Asia. Some are younger than I, most are older, but few actually accomplish the dream they set out on. The sheer odds of winning on the PGA Tour in a professional's lifetime being incredibly minute. Most players get distracted, or lose their passion; burnout. Some pros are held back by lack of funding, others by lack of confidence or skill. Some of these roadblocks used to phase me, even until as recently as the last tournament. Every day in which I practice properly and prepare productively, my passion, confidence, drive and mindset improves. These fears have waned dramatically in a short time period. Ultimately, to win on the Tour, you must be fearless. Ridding your subconscious of these tensions is more imperative than working towards your perfect golf swing. "90% of golf is mental...and the other 10% is mental," said Chi Chi Rodriguez when asked to reveal the secret to winning. These fears that have made my stomach timid or my hands tense in the past are beginning to fuel my passion for succeeding. This is why I am more excited and a better pro golfer today, than any other day in my career. This is why I am on the verge of something highly coveted and very special.

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