Compleat Golfer’s playing editor reflects on the hard work he put in after a confidence-shattering shot in Abu Dhabi.
It would be remiss of me not to reflect on my performance at the Dubai Desert Classic. Finishing second at an event like that, with the strength of field it had, is something to be incredibly proud of. However, it wasn’t all plain sailing to get to that position.
There was so much that happened behind the scenes that the TV coverage won’t show you. It’s not a case of teeing up in the week and sinking the putts to climb up the leaderboard.
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Let’s start by going a week back to the Abu Dhabi Championship in late January. Leading up to that event I felt fantastic. I was rested and ready to fire. My confidence was high and the game felt as solid as ever.
The first round was close to flawless. I played solid with almost no errors at all, signing for a two-under 70. Rory McIlroy had posted a 64 and eventual winner Tyrrell Hatton a 65. I was in good company. The second round was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
On the opening hole of that round, a 374m par four, I fatted a wedge shot from 70 metres. I probably hit it 20 metres. I felt my entire brain switch off. My rhythm was gone. My confidence? Gone. I was on the back foot. I ended up shooting six over par, signing for a 78 and missing the cut by a few. I won’t lie, I was rocked. I went to my hotel room and just sat there thinking ‘wWhat the hell just happened?’
The next morning it was time to fix things and grind. There is only so much reflecting one can do in the hotel room. Now it was time to get back to work. Real hard work. My caddie, Teagan Moore, and I hit 589 shots. You know what? The longest was 90 metres. I worked on my wedging for seven hours straight. I hit a two metre by one metre divot patch. I was working on feel, technique and most importantly … confidence. It’s really amazing how strong the mind is and what confidence can do for your game.
After that session I felt back to where I needed to be. In Dubai I hit some of the best wedge shots of my career and played some beautiful golf. Was it flawless golf? No. Was it my best golf? No. But what it was, without any doubt, the performance I’ve been most proud of in many years.
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I worked through what could have potentially been a catastrophic mishap in my season. I put my head down and got through it. That’s what makes me so proud of that performance. That grit and determination helped me again in Dubai, where I was three over after six holes in the final round. I could have given up and finished 30th, but I didn’t. I put my head down and went to work, clawing back every possible inch. And the reason I could do that is I knew I had put in the work, and I was ready to fight.
I finished alone in second, behind Paul Casey, after I’d shot rounds of 70, 67, 66 and 72, for a 13-under return for the week. I played in the penultimate twoball with Sergio Garcia and he made 73 in that final round.
During every season there are a few shots that define your year. The fatted wedge in Abu Dhabi could have sent my season on a downward spiral, but I chose to work my way out of it. It really does go to show that nothing can replace hard work. As Ben Hogan always said ‘Trophies lie in the dirt’.
