The Traveler's Championship, 18th hole today, final round. Hovland and Scheffler are tied, both on in two, each putting for birdie. Scheffler putts, it goes by-- no birdie. Hovland scopes out the green, takes a long, long, look. He putts, no birdie, then taps it in for par. Scheffler has a longer comeback putt. He takes a long, long look. Putts, and it goes in! They are tied after 18 and will play a tiebreaker at 9AM tomorrow, June 29, 2026.
The real story here is emotional control, one of the pillars of my generic game plan. It is seen here in action in a high-stakes golf game.
A word about Scottie Scheffler. He showed his mettle in Louisville KY, some time ago when he was arrested, by an overly zealous cop, for a parking violation. It was on the morning of a match. His reaction, after release and not quite an apology, was magnanimous. In the interview he was unphased by the incident. He went on to win the tournament later that day. In what way he got to this point in his emotional control is unknown, but it showed, not only in Louisville but in the match today, and probably every day.
We strive for this, work for this, and find it on some level. Not at the level of these professional golfers. Performers in general, have good emotional control, but professional golfers take it to the next level. Four days, 72 holes, and on each hole, there are three, four or five opportunities to make a little mistake. How that mistake is handled is one of the keys to success.
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