Did you watch the final round of the US Open last week? Were you hiding behind your cushion with everything crossed in the desperate hope that Rory Mcllroy would not put us, and himself, through the same pain we endured only a couple of months ago as we witnessed him blow a four-shot lead in the final round of the Masters?
What a turn-around! The forlorn figure that had so vividly and embarrassingly disintegrated under the huge expectation and pressure of being in such a big lead at Augusta had transformed into a very different individual. Mcllroy, at only 22 years of age, was showing us all how to come to terms with failure and to bounce back stronger.
Listening to Mcllroy’s interviews before, during and after his first Major win, it was very evident how he had accepted his Masters setback as a key event in his development rather than as a huge blow to his aspirations. He had clearly set about learning how to deal with the same situation next time he encountered it
The fact that the opportunity to put his new learning into practice came in the following Major was probably a surprise to all of us, and perhaps even to himself. In such a short space of time, Mcllroy had learned not only how to cope with pressure, but to actually thrive on it.
His strategy was to change his mindset so that instead of being haunted by the fear of losing his lead, he focused instead on winning. Simple!
