There's only one way to prepare for a major.
Take a break from the grind. Relax a little. Decompress.
Get away from the early-late/late-early rat race. Don't worry about making another cut. Or a weather delay. Or getting here from there. Or being worn down by another long week when you're facing an even longer one.
Think about -- this week at least -- heading up the coast highway for a drive. Or to the beach for a little surfing or, if you're Geoff Ogilvy, for a little splash around.
Notice there was no mention of putting down your clubs.
We're with Jack. And Tiger.
Don't play a tournament the week before a major. Jack never did it in his prime; Tiger rarely does now.
Instead, play your way into the major on your terms. Get there a week or 10 days early and work your tail off on the range and the greens. You've probably been there a couple of times already, but it's time to learn the major side of this course. You know the USGA's Torrey Pines isn't going to play like Torrey Pines in January.
Get the feel. Put in the work. Take breaks. You can't play 24/7.
And if you have a GulfStream or Citation at your disposal -- again, see Jack, Tiger and a few others -- work for a few days, then head back home and spend time with the family. By all means, carve out your practice time and stay loose. But that's relatively stress-free considering the alternative -- grinding over a putt for money or points.
Jack showed us the way. He changed the way we think about playing your way into a major. He was confident in his game. He knew that he would be a step ahead of the guys who hadn't seen how the torture test was shaping up. And he knew he wouldn't really know that until Thursday's first round anyway.
Tiger has simply kicked Jack's plan up a notch. Like Jack, he goes into a major with a major outlook -- clear, uncluttered mind, good focus and the shots he needs already in his bag. That's worth more than one shot a round, don't you think?
Yes, there are other ways. Other mindsets that fit other players.
But this one? Who can argue with 31 majors -- 18 for Jack, 13-and-counting for Tiger?
Not me. |
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I wouldn't advise playing seven straight weeks like Kenny Perry. Oh, wait. He doesn't particularly like Torrey Pines, so he is playing this week's Stanford St. Jude Championship in Memphis, Tenn., and watching next week's U.S. Open on TV.
Still, there is something to be said for coming into a major championship on a competitive high, and that's why I think playing the week before is the way to go.
You can only hit so many balls on the range. You can only try to replicate that high fade you need on the 15th hole so many times before repetition gives way to resolution. And not even the linoleum in your kitchen can duplicate those lightning-fast greens.
Not to mention, there is nothing like being in the hunt to get the juices flowing.
Even Tiger Woods -- talking Monday about returning to competition at Torrey Pines two months after knee surgery -- cited the importance of the competitive flow and rhythm of a tournament. You don't get that sitting at home with the wife and kids.
Few players have Woods' otherworldly focus, too. How many times has a player come to a major venue too early and gotten so caught up in the hoopla that by the time the first tee shot is struck, he's toast? Why put that kind of pressure on yourself?
Granted, there have been just 10 players who have won the week before a major and then gone on to make it two in a row. And an equal number have won the week following a major breakthrough.
Of the last 28 U.S. Open champions, 13 -- including the normally reticent Jack Nicklaus in 1980 -- have played the week prior to the major. That hasn't always forecast success, with four missing the cut, although an equal number did ride top-10 finishes to the title.
Corey Pavin came the closest to double-dipping on the U.S. Open, losing a playoff at the Kemper Open before he won at Shinnecock Hills in 1995. In the two previous years, Ernie Els had finished second at the Buick Classic while Lee Janzen tied for third.
Why not do what you do best -- hit shots, go find them and try to win a golf tournament? Momentum is huge in sports, and golf is no exception.
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