Another weekend of golf and more examples of players not playing well down the stretch. I have the utmost respect for professional golfers and their skill level. What still amazes me is how experienced players still have trouble finishing the job for a win. The Bridgestone WGC showed that Phil Mickelson is still a long way from being the best player in the world. He was given a great opportunity to win his first World Golf Championship event as he held at least a share of the lead the final 4 holes. What did he do? He bogeyed 3 of the last 4 holes to finish 2 shots back of Vijay Singh. He blocked crucial tee shots that all lead to bogies. Working with Butch has improved the look of his swing, yet I still haven’t seen the benefits of the changes when it matters most, at the end of a tournament.

Vijay wanted to give the tournament away as he looked confused and “jabby” over his short putts. Vijay has worked with a “Mental Game Coach” and has mentioned the importance of breathing and calming himself down. Again, getting coached hasn’t lead to mastery. Tiger is the only one who has come close to mastering the game. He has improved in all areas and his mental skills allow his physical skills to go on automatic. Phil and Vijay are as physically talented as Tiger, yet they have mental interference that gets in the way of allowing these high level skills to be shown.

It will be interesting this week of the PGA as the players will be challenged by narrow fairways and slick greens. The time without Tiger was to show the world that other players could also show greatness. Unfortunately, we just get reminded of how difficult the game truly is and how far Tiger is ahead mentally of the competition.