My New Deal

I had a refreshing idea after my disappointing performance at The Greenbrier Classic. Maybe, just maybe, I thought, I will be okay even if I don't achieve my season-long goal of finishing in the top 125 on the Fed-Ex Cup Points List. You see, for my entire golf career, every tournament I have played and every practice session I have had has always been about improving and preparing for bigger things. Winning and "moving up" have always been important, but the thought each week was to get better and prepare myself for the big opportunities that I knew were ahead of me. This year, however, I have seemingly approached every week as a do-or-die opportunity to earn coveted Fed-Ex Cup Points. I have had no patience with myself through poor play and have had no sense that simply improving is an accomplishment. I am trying so hard to achieve my outcome goals that I have lost touch with the process that has always allowed me to be successful. My refreshing thought this past weekend at The Greenbrier has turned into a new plan for the rest of the year, and I can't wait to get after it!

I am going to treat the rest of the PGA Tour season as preparation for whatever lies ahead. My current standing on the Fed-Ex Points List assures me a spot in the Web.com Tour Finals--the four-event playoff series at the conclusion of the Web.com Tour's season which awards PGA Tour Cards for the 2014-2015 season--so as a great worst-case scenario, I will have a chance to regain my PGA Tour card in that manner. With the remaining weeks of my rookie season on the PGA Tour, I am going to have the thought to get better each week and prepare for whatever great opportunities lie ahead. 

So what specifically am I going to do differently? I am going to prioritize my Map Goals and commit to following them. I have a confession to make. I have become so consumed by results that I can't remember the last time I thoroughly completed my Map Goals. My Map Goals are the engine that has driven my steady improvement throughout my professional career. When following them, I have focused, efficient, tournament-like practice as well as quality workouts to keep my physical fitness in competitive shape. My Map Goals allow me to have successful weeks even when my on-course results aren't what I want. In short, following my Map Goals leads to steady improvement, which in turn helps me feel prepared for anything that lies ahead. 

I am going to really commit to staying disciplined and focused on my Map Goals each week. My wife and my sister are my Map Goal accountability partners and are going to check on me at the end of each week. I don't want to let those two down! (By the way, if you are new to my blog, my Map Goals can be found under the "Goals" tab at the top of the page, and you can read a full description of why I call them "Map Goals" in a post published in May.)

I am a process guy. I believe that the results are a product of having a good plan and executing it. For some reason, I have let the bright lights (figuratively) of the PGA Tour get me away from my plan. I am going to get back to my process, make steady improvement my target, and let the results take care of themselves. 

I still believe that my outcome goals are important and attainable, but outcomes cannot be my focus. I'm heading to the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois, and I'm going to take care of my process and get better this week.

Thank you for hanging with me through that long post, and thank you for believing in me. Keep it here for good reports throughout the week. As always, great things are coming!