Watching the PGA Tour event in Boston reminds me of the shift from playing for par (majors) and having to go low or go home. The tour this year has set up courses more difficult than in recent years and this week it seems to have gone back to a few years ago when shooting close to 20 under is needed for a win. I like the balance between tough golf and going low golf. The course set-up will dictate how these players attack the course. At the TPC Boston the course played soft and there were driveable par 4’s and reachable par 5’s that allowed the players to not only make birdies, but string together many birdies in a row. Momentum in golf is very important and when a player can make a birdie and know there are many more opportunities to come a player’s confidence increases. The confidence feeds more aggressive play, which leads to more birdies. When Mike Weir opens the tournament with a 61 it shows the rest of the field that this week is about playing for birdies, instead of protecting against the high number. It is interesting that when one player goes low it creates a belief in the other  players the possibilities of also going low. When a player now steps on the first tee with a birdie mentality he will go for it early instead of “feeling” his way into the round. I think it is cool to see the best players push the envelope and challenge the 60 barrier.