Evaluating Tiger Woods' Mental Golf Game

I’ve been thinking about Tiger Woods lately. After his win at the Chevron World Challenge this past December, I’ve been waiting to see Woods regain his glory. But after coming up short at Abu Dhabi and at Pebble Beach, I’ve been doubting whether we’ll be seeing Woods as the legend he once was in the near future. What’s keeping Woods from making his comeback? Why isn’t he delivering the way he once could? After evaluating Tiger Woods’ mental golf game, it seems that’s where he needs to focus.

Woods, of all golfers, knows that’s where he needs to turn to in order to start winning. Butch Harmon, master golf instructor, taught Tiger. Harmon once mentioned that “what sets Tiger apart” is that “the players with the strongest minds are usually the ones who succeed the most. Tiger has the physical ability, but he’s so mentally tough too.” In other words, Woods was once known for his sharp mental game. If he wants to become the Tiger he once was – he needs to work on his mental game. Tracee Hamilton, columnist for The Washington Post, echoes my point in the following short paragraphs:

[...] He made five bogeys in the first three rounds in Pebble Beach; he made five on Sunday. Also [...] Tiger missed six putts within 10 feet [...] If you think that didn’t get into Woods’s head, think again. And that’s the ultimate problem – Woods’s head. Maybe it’s the long layoff. Maybe it’s all the changes in his life. Or maybe it’s just 882 days without hoisting a trophy. Whatever it is, this is not the old Tiger Woods. If you’re his family, that’s good news. If you’re his caddy, his sponsors, or him, that’s not good news. What’s happened to his mojo? Did he really need to bed a bevy of beauties in order to win golf tournaments? It seems unlikely.

He’s spent much of his post-recovery time tinkering with his swing, worrying about his mechanics. But he’s one of – if not the – greatest golfers of all time. Perhaps he should let the swing come naturally and tinker with his mental mechanics instead. He needs to find his confidence, his swagger, that frosty exterior that used to intimidate his fellow golfers and enrage their fans. Either that, or he needs to find a whole new way to win tournaments, one that doesn’t require grabbing the lead after three rounds then holding off all challengers with chilly perfection. Because it’s clear that right now, Woods can’t close. [...]

Bill Haas Overcomes Pressure and Wins Big with Mental Golf

Although the Northern Trust Open at Riviera ended yesterday, the golf world is still reliving it. Sunday’s heart-pounding performance had golf fans from all over guessing who would come out victorious… It was Bradley, Mickelson, and Haas. And when the dust settled, Bill Haas had won for the 4th time in his career (and collected $1.188 million). The result? Haas moved to the #12 position in the World Golf Rankings. What gave Haas the edge to compete with the best golfers? His mental game. Yes, Bill Haas overcomes pressure and wins big with mental golf.

Haas himself said: ”To beat a guy like Keegan and also Phil – guys of their caliber – in a playoff, is amazing…” This tournament was a big deal for Haas. And he was up against some of the biggest names in golf. And yet he overcame the pressure and played his best. How is it possible to play your best under this sort of pressure? Let me tell you how they do it. You see, Haas wasn’t just playing ordinary golf. He was playing “in the zone”. What does that mean? I’ll tell you in a minute. But first, read this excerpt from Joel Harrington, writer for USGolfTV, who writes about just how intense this game was for Haas:

Just the fact that there was a playoff was incredible to begin with, as after Haas made a clutch par on the 72nd hole to post 7-under for the tourney, both Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson came to the famed 18th at Riviera needing a birdie to tie. The 18th hole is a 475 yard par 4 and plays uphill with a left to right slant and a green surrounded by a natural amphitheater that truly sets the scene for one of the best finishes in golf. Totally capitalizing on adrenaline, both Phil and Keegan proceeded to impressively pour in birdies on top of one another for only the 7th and 8th birdies of the day and just the 29th and 30th birdies for the entire week on the home hole. Talk about an impressive flair for the dramatic. All 3 players parred the 18th the next time around on the first hole of the playoff and then moved on to the short par 4 310 yard 10th hole for the 2nd playoff hole. There, Haas, after playing out sideways with his second shot to avoid flubbing his chip in the bunker, poured in a 45-footer for birdie for his 4th career PGA Tour victory after neither Phil or Keegan could get up and down after short-siding themselves off the tee.

Don’t look now, but Bill Haas became the 7th straight American winner on the PGA Tour this year and also has moved into 2nd place on the list of American 20-somethings with 4 career PGA Tour wins (trails Dustin Johnson by one). Haas is that quiet “ah shucks, goll darnit” type of guy that seems to be consistently left out of the conversation yet always finds himself in it by week’s end. Without question, Haas has worked himself into the tip top upper echelon of young American golfers.

So what exactly is “the zone”? The zone is that incredible state when you feel as if you cannot miss. For golfers, it’s when you have that incredible, unstoppable, powerful confidence that you are going to hit every shot exactly as you intend that the ball is going to absolutely go where your mind sees it. That is being in the zone. Haas had to be playing in the zone to beat out his opponents. That’s why I say that Bill Haas overcomes pressure and wins big with mental golf.

A lot of golfers mistakenly think that the only ones who can play in the zone are the pros. But this can’t be further from the truth. While it’s true that pros try to play in the zone as much as possible, the ability to tap into this power is available to everyone. And it’s easy to learn. And that is what Golfersmind will teach you. In just 2 hours, you can be well on your way to playing in the zone the very next time you step out on the course! Check it out here: http://www.golfersmind.com/mental-golf/

Phil Mickelson Wins Pebble Beach Using Mental Golf

This past Sunday, the golf world watched as Phil Mickelson dominated at Pebble Beach. The weather on Sunday? Not the best for golfers. And despite that and the pressure, Mickelson came out ahead with an 8-under 64 and bogey-free performance. He claimed his 40th career win (which makes him 9th for all-time in PGA tour wins)! How did he do it? Mickelson tells us himself. When commenting on his phenomenal putting during the tournament, he explained that it was “because I didn’t have any mechanical thoughts, because I had confidence in my ability to roll it, I believed I was going to make these.” And that’s why I say that Phil Mickelson wins Pebble Beach using mental golf.

It’s true that Mickelson made a general comment that he’s been “a little bit lazy mentally” recently. He mentioned that he’s been making a “real effort” to stay focused on each shot and “not let [his] mind slip or wander”. But when he got serious and rid his mind of any mechanical thoughts, he played his best. Brian Wacker, PGAtour.com producer, writes more on Mickelson’s win:

This one was about the way Mickelson did it, though: three birdies and an eagle in his first five holes to race to the front of the pack after starting the day six back. He left Woods in his dust — and everyone else, too, thanks to a suddenly hot putter. In Saturday’s third round, it was about the all-weather gloves in a heavy mist that blanketed Pebble Beach. On Sunday it was about the flat stick with just 26 putts, his fewest all week. ”My putter just feels really good,” he said. “All mechanics are out the window. I feel like it’s where I’ve wanted fundamentally and mechanically to be to the point where I don’t worry about the stroke and have not now for the last six weeks.

“I still miss putts, but from the last couple of years where I was making hardly any, now I feel like I’m making a bunch.” None were bigger than the 21-footer for eagle he made on the par-5 sixth, and the 30-footer to save par on the par-3 12th. ”Because I didn’t have any mechanical thoughts, because I had confidence in my ability to roll it, I believed I was going to make these,” Mickelson said.

Had Mickelson stayed unfocused and mentally lazy he would’ve been watching Woods in the limelight. It was solely due to his ability to play on autopilot and stay confident that allowed him to get his 40th PGA tour win. Yes, it’s true:  Phil Mickelson wins Pebble Beach using mental golf.

You too can tap into your mental game and start playing your best. Get confident and stay there! Let your body play it’s best – on autopilot! Check out: http://www.golfersmind.com/mental-golf/ for more info. (Try it risk free! If you’re not seeing the results you expected, I don’t want your money!)

Mental Golf Lets You Play Like the Pros

The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am starts Thursday. As Tiger Woods readies to play his best, he takes some time out to talk to reporters. And I’m sure glad he did! Woods lets us in on a key aspect of golf: anyone can be a great golfer. In his words: “…the cool thing about the game is you can play it so many different ways. You don’t have to be a power player. You can hit it shorter and still get the ball in the hole. You just have to be more efficient.” Basically, as long as you focus on improving your game – even if you’re not the world’s best athlete – you can play great golf. And that’s why I say that mental golf lets you play like the pros.

You see, working on your mental game will let you play your best. If you want to play like the pros do, mental golf brings you MUCH closer to that vision. See this excerpt from that article where Woods mentioned that you don’t have to be a power player to be a great golfer (from Carl Steward, writer for MercuryNews.com):

[Woods] said the game has already changed dramatically during his career when it comes to conditioning. ”When I first came out here, I was the only guy in the gym … nobody else,” [Woods] said. “Then it was Vijay (Singh). Now, everybody’s in the gym. Everybody has their own personal trainer who travels with them or they have a program that they follow. The game is way more athletic. We’re getting guys who grew up doing other sports who are transitioning to golf. One day we’re going to get a guy who’s like a Bo Jackson or Michael Jordan, they’ll be that explosive and that good, but decide to play golf.

“We have a pretty darned good athlete out here in D.J. (Dustin Johnson) who can dunk the ball,” Woods continued. “But what happens when you get one of those truly superior athletes who decides to play golf, devote himself and has the mental aspects and acuity to play. That’s when it’s going to be cool to see. I’ll be shrimping it down the fairway doing it a different way. I’ll be the Corey Pavin of my generation. But the cool thing about the game is you can play it so many different ways. You don’t have to be a power player. You can hit it shorter and still get the ball in the hole. You just have to be more efficient.”

It’s not unrealistic that you can play like the pros do. It all depends on what you focus on. If you focus on your mental game, you’ll performance out on the course will skyrocket. That’s why I say that mental golf lets you play like the pros.

Do you practice any mental game strategies when you play? Let me hear about them in the comments section below.

Kyle Stanley Uses Mental Golf to Make a Comeback

Okay, so Kyle Stanley recently won the Waste Management Open this past Sunday. And it was Stanley’s first win on the PGA Tour. That’s big. But you know what I think is the most impressive feat that Stanley pulled off? That he came out ahead only days after suffering a bad defeat at the Farmers Insurance Open. Need I remind you of his five-shot lead heading into Sunday at Torrey Pines? He couldn’t hold onto it… And its days later that he came from seven shots back to win his first tournament on the tour. That’s impressive! How did he do it? In one sentence: Kyle Stanley uses mental golf to make a comeback.

After losing at Torrey Pines, you can imagine how he must’ve felt. I would’ve expected Stanley’s golf game to slump a little bit this week. You just can’t play your best when your thoughts and feelings are dragging you down. Right? Well, with Stanley, the opposite happened. How did he do that? How can he just push aside all that negativity and play great golf?! It’s like how Jonathan Wall describes it on the Devil Ball Golf Blog:

[...] We’ve come to expect the unexpected in the sports world; we’ve seen teams blow huge and lose only to come back and win in the exact same fashion later in the season. But rarely do teams, or players for that matter, ever get over the heartache of a huge loss in a matter of days. Losing takes a mental toll on you, and when you play in an individual sport, you have nobody to blame but yourself for a missed putt or a poor wedge shot. Sure, David Toms did it last year, losing at Sawgrass only to win a week later at Colonial. But the difference between the two was Toms had been there before.

Stanley, on the other hand, was trying to break through and win for the first time on the PGA Tour — something most pros will tell you is by far the most difficult thing to do. That’s why Kyle Stanley’s win at the Waste Management Open was so improbable. You just don’t expect guys going for the first PGA Tour win to be able to push aside the doubts and the demons after such a collapse and win seven days later. But after watching Kyle Stanley this week, it’s clear he’s cut from a different cloth than most guys on tour. [...]

Kyle Stanley uses mental golf to make a comeback. What do I mean? The explanation is that Stanley is focused. He broke free of his frustrations and disappointments to come out on top.  OK… But HOW does someone leave the office at the office? How can you take the clubs and yet leave the baggage? The answer is: mental golf. When you master your mind, you master the game. And it’s not as hard as you think. You too can overcome negative thoughts and play without distractions!

Golfersmind uses a real down-to-earth approach to teach you how to play your best, consistently – using mental golf. Check it out today: http://www.golfersmind.com/mental-golf/

Pro Golfer Frances Bondad is Playing Great Due to Mental Golf

Pro golfer Frances Bondad is playing great due to mental golf. That’s right: Frances Bondad has a real shot at winning the RACV Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines. She’s now in 5th place. And after having five successive birdies, we shouldn’t be surprised to see her come out with a victory. But it wasn’t always like this for Bondad. In fact, quite recently she was struggling with a very low confidence issue. She didn’t feel like she could win.

She then met up with Dr. Adam Nichols, a sports psychologist and osteopath. Dr. Nichols worked with her to give her a complete turnaround. She is now mentally fit. And her performance at Royal Pines certainly demonstrates that. Read more about her breakthrough in this article by Jim Tucker, writer for the Herald Sun:

Sydney’s petite birdie hunter Frances Bondad did not truly believe she could be a winner until a holistic sports psychologist spoke to her doubting sub-conscious through her arm.

Bondad, 24, produced her most striking performance on home fairways with a nine-under-par 63 to vault into contention for the final round shoot-out at the RACV Australian Ladies Masters at Royal Pines.

It wasn’t just rolling in five straight birdies on the Gold Coast layout to finish her career-low round that excited Bondad (68-72-63), who leapt from 24th into fifth spot as the leading Aussie, seven strokes behind South Korean leader So-Yeon Ryu (66-61-69).

It is the lasting benefits she is seeing from her chance hook-up with Sydney osteopath and holistic practitioner Dr Adam Nichols last October that gave her the mental makeover for a breakthrough victory in China just weeks later.

 She was reaching out desperately in a flat year and found Nichols on the internet and has kept in touch ever since.

He put her on track with hypno-kinesiology to boost her self-belief.

“I wasn’t put into a trance but he reversed the negatives in me. I held my arm out and when he said, ‘You are a winner’, he could pull the arm down straight away. When he said, ‘You’re not a winner’, the arm wouldn’t budge,” Bondad explained.

“I might have thought I could win but my sub-conscious didn’t agree. He has worked wonders with my mental game because at one stage I was going to come home and not even play in China last year.”

Bondad also discovered she had “a lack of focus and a short attention span”, which have been fixed by introducing a switch-on trigger to her pre-shot routine – clicking her heels three times.

Like Dorothy’s red shoe-tapping in The Wizard of Oz, it is taking the proud Aussie, of Filipino heritage, to a wondrous new world with her golf. Constant chatter with caddie Brianne Lukes, herself a pro, also keeps stress levels down and smiles flashing. [...]

Among the many things that Dr. Nichols helped her with, he helped her develop a trigger to evoke her ability to focus. Whenever she’s feeling a little distracted, she just has to tap her heels together. That simple act awakens a heightened awareness within her, giving her the ability to play her best. So that’s what I mean when I say that pro golfer Frances Bondad is playing great due to mental golf.

You can also learn how to use these triggers to your advantage. Find out how right now! Check out: http://www.golfersmind.com/mental-golf/ What do you think of Bondad’s recovery? Let me hear your thought on it below.

Ryan Palmer Comes Out Ahead with Mental Golf

Ryan Palmer comes out ahead with mental golf. That’s right. At the end of the first day of the Phoenix Open, Ryan Palmer came out ahead with a 7-under 64 and the lead. What helped him do it? Palmer himself let’s us in on his secret: “I used the exact same putter the last two years, and of course had two of the best years of my career… But toward the end of the year last year, around the BMW, I just got frustrated with not making anything, so I thought I’d try something different, put a similar style head in play and actually had some success…

But my first two weeks out here I could tell I wasn’t comfortable when I’d get over the short putts. When I got home from Bob Hope (Humana), I pulled it out of the garage and was putting in my living room, then went outside in the backyard on my putting green, and I knew it was time to bring it back out. So it showed today.” Wait a second… Is Palmer really pinning his success on his “lucky club”? He is. I’ll explain in a minute. But first, check out this article written by John Nicholson who talks about Palmer’s first day at the Phoenix Open:

Ryan Palmer parred his final hole at dusk for a 7-under 64 and the lead Thursday in the suspended first round of the Phoenix Open.

The start of the round was delayed an hour because of frost, and play was suspended because of darkness at 6:05 p.m. with 42 players unable to finish. Last year, frost and frozen greens delayed play nine hours during the week, forcing a Monday finish.

“I knew I was going to be here in the morning for the second round, so I wasn’t worried about it if we had to come back and restart,” Palmer said. “So, I didn’t think about it and I just kept hitting shots and sticking to my game plan.”

Webb Simpson was a stroke back on the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale.

“It’s one of those courses that just fits your eye well,” said Simpson, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 6.

Palmer switched back to a trusted Odyssey putter model after missing the cuts in his previous starts this year in the Sony Open and Humana Challenge. The three-tour PGA Tour winner made seven birdie putts from 10-15 feet.

“I used the exact same putter the last two years, and of course had two of the best years of my career,” Palmer said. “But toward the end of the year last year, around the BMW, I just got frustrated with not making anything, so I thought I’d try something different, put a similar style head in play and actually had some success.

“But my first two weeks out here I could tell I wasn’t comfortable when I’d get over the short putts. When I got home from Bob Hope (Humana), I pulled it out of the garage and was putting in my living room, then went outside in the backyard on my putting green, and I knew it was time to bring it back out. So it showed today.”

He was 8 under after a birdie on No. 6, but had his lone bogey on No. 7 and parred the final two holes.

Jarrod Lyle, Harrison Frazar, Derek Lamely, Kevin Na and Chez Reavie were two strokes behind at 66, and Bubba Watson, Jason Dufner and Spencer Levin also were 5 under. Watson and Levin had three holes left. Dufner, a playoff loser last year, had five holes remaining.

Okay, so how exactly does a “lucky club” bring you to the top of your game? It’s like I said before: Ryan Palmer comes out ahead with mental golf. Using a “lucky club” or wearing a red shirt are both anchors – a mental technique that can bring out your best. Everyone’s got something like this. The question is: are you tuned in to your personal anchors?

Anchors also work in the negative too. What do I mean? When people go out on the course and they go up to the first tee, they sometimes blow the first shot. Why? Because, in their minds, they are thinking of about something negative. They subconsciously remember their other first tee shots where they messed up – and they follow through with that subconscious thought. When they remember their past bad shots, they get in the zone of someone who would take that very same bad shot. It’s automatic. And it happens to everyone. You can overcome these shots when you learn to control your personal anchors. Find out more about anchors and other mental techniques with Golfersmind. See this video for more information: http://www.golfersmind.com/mental-golf/  Are you aware of any anchors that you use out on the course? Let me hear about them below in the comments section.

Gary Woodland Knows the Importance of Mental Golf

Pro golfer Gary Woodland is now ranked #54 in the world. Still, he came out tied for 76th at Torrey Pines. Woodland isn’t happy about that, but is trying to stay optimistic. He mentioned that despite his loss, he’d “like to be ready for Augusta.” Can he do it? Well, top golf instructor Butch Harmon claims that he can. And not just that but Harmon added that “the kid has a chance to be the best player in the world.” What’s holding Woodland back? His mental game.   And he knows it. That’s why I’m saying that Gary Woodland knows the importance of mental golf.

Harmon said about Woodland’s progress that: “The physical side is easy… It’s the mental side, the belief in what he’s doing. He’ll have to work on that.” In one word? Confidence. Read more about Woodland’s progress (written by Doug Ferguson, PGA.com:

Gary Woodland was irritated that he couldn’t do better than a 70 on the North Course at Torrey Pines. It wasn’t much better on the South Course, where a 72 allowed him to make the cut on the number, and a 74 in the third round wasn’t enough for the 54-hole cut.

Then again, he realized it might take time for him to adjust to a new swing.

“I’m changing the whole path of the swing,” Woodland said. “I’d like to be ready for Augusta.”

Woodland already has gone through substantial changes off the course. When he left agent Blake Smith at Hambric Sports, he also wound up losing his swing coach — Randy Smith, the agent’s father. He left Kapalua at the start of the year and flew to Las Vegas, where he spent six straight days with Butch Harmon.

That he wants to be ready for the Masters would indicate an overhaul. Harmon says that isn’t the case.

“He’s been pretty one-dimensional,” Harmon said Tuesday. “We’re getting him to move the ball around, change his trajectory a little, change the setup and the path of his swing and get more of a variety of shots, which he needs to have. We knew he wasn’t going to be very good last week. Finally, the last nine holes things were starting to click. But it’s going to take a while.”

Harmon said Woodland is hitting the ball an extra 15 yards — “I know that’s hard to believe,” he said — to the point where he had to switch the model of his golf ball. Harmon liked the short game but is working on lower the trajectory of his wedges.

“The kid has a chance to be the best player in the world,” Harmon said.

Asked if he knew it would be a big project, Harmon said, “I still don’t think it is.”

“The physical side is easy,” Harmon said. ‘It’s the mental side, the belief in what he’s doing. He’ll have to work on that. He’s good on the range. He’s good in practice. But he reverts to his old stuff in tournaments because he doesn’t trust it.”

Harmon, who has cut down on his stable of clients over the year, now works with Woodland, Dustin Johnson, Nick Watney and Phil Mickelson. Asked who was the shortest hitter from that group, Harmon said, “Me.”

Let me ask you a question: how do the pros mess up and come right back to win tournaments? It’s because the pros have learned how to play with a high level of confidence. Pros who play at this confidence level – know that they’re going to nail each shot the way they want. The way they see the shot - will be the way the shot happens. And when a shot doesn’t happen the way they intended (because it’s never 100% of the time) – they’re not fazed. They’re still just as confident and move ahead to beat their opponents. Their confidence allows them to play their best without getting sidetracked by mess-ups. Woodland is no exception. Gary Woodland knows the importance of mental golf. He’s going to have to sharpen his confidence if he wants to make it to the Masters.

Padraig Harrington is Improving with Mental Golf

Although he was tied for 35th at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Padraig Harrington is improving with mental golf. The world’s #90 is now working with mental coach, David Alred. You may have heard of Alred before… He was the mental coach who brought out the best in Luke Donald. Okay, so how do I know that Harrington is improving? I would say that his performance last Friday says it all.

Harrington himself said that ”I rolled the ball really nicely on the greens out there. Nearly every putt I took I gave the hole a scare… I’m confident my game is coming back… I saw some great signs today. I made some quality strikes on a lot of shots.” The Herald.ie (from Ireland) has more on his game last Friday:

Padraig Harrington was satisfied with his 71 at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship yesterday, but his 69 today will have him beaming as his trial week with mental coach David Alred seems to be paying off.

Alred has transformed Englishman Luke Donald into a world-beater as he topped the ranking on both sides of the Atlantic last season and he seems to be having an effect on major winner Harrington already.

Harrington’s second round today included four birdies in a row, from the first hole to the fourth, as he left himself three shots off the pace set by Dane Thorbjorn Olesen, who shot a 67 today to go with Thursday’s 70, leaving him with the clubhouse lead on seven under.

Harrington, without a European Tour win since 2008, started his round at the 10th hole and the highlight was the run of four birdies in a row from the first.

“I rolled the ball really nicely on the greens out there,” said the 40-year-old Irishman. “Nearly every putt I took I gave the hole a scare.

“I’ve been saying for a while I’m confident my game is coming back but I saw some great signs today. I made some quality strikes on a lot of shots.”

Okay, so Padraig Harrington is improving with mental golf. But he doesn’t need to be the only one who’s doing so! Take advantage of the winter months and work on your mental game from the comfort of your living room chair.

Have you been following Harrington’s progress over the last few years? What do you think of his overall performance   at Abu Dhabi? Let me hear your thoughts in the comments section below.

Robert Rock Beats the World's Best Golfers with Mental Golf

You’ve heard that Robert Rock (who was ranked 117th in the world) beat out everybody at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Westwood, McIlroy, Schwartzel, and Tiger Woods… But how did he do it? He was up against giants and won! Rock himself said that he was “…struggling a bit just because I was playing with Tiger…” So what was his secret? The answer is that Robert Rock beats the world’s best golfers with mental golf. What do I mean by that? Rock himself mentioned that although he was a little shaken up about the opportunity to play with Woods, he “managed to cope with it.”

In other woods, Rock has sharpened his mental game to the extent that even under pressure, he can focus on the game at hand and play his best. Paul Mahoney, writer for Golf.com, has more on Rock’s victory:

Unheralded Englishman Robert Rock seemed to be headed for a time warp Sunday against Tiger Woods, who showed signs of returning to top form in the first three rounds of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. Instead, it was a Rocky horror show for Tiger.

Rock went head-to-head with his hero in the final round and held his nerves and swing together to post 70 for a 13-under total, one shot clear of Rory McIlroy and two ahead of Woods, Thomas Bjorn and Graeme McDowell.

Rock, a 34-year-old former driving range pro who began the week as the world’s 117th best golfer, offered further proof that Woods’s aura is not what it used to be. Rock had only one victory (2011 Italian Open) in his previous 905 events, and this modest everyman with a solid swing won $450,000 for his efforts.

As for the red-shirted former Superman, his comeback suffered a setback in the desert. After hitting 46 of 54 greens in regulation and 26 of 42 fairways in the first three rounds, Woods hit just six­­­ greens and two of 14 fairways in the final round. He finished with an even-par 72.

“Today I was just a touch off,” Woods said. “I was hitting the ball a little further than I thought I would. So, something to look at, to try and figure out.”

Woods was happy with his putting, though, and he seemed to be getting his touch back on the greens, which often takes a while after a break.

“I was right in there with a chance to win and didn’t do it, but I’m pleased with my progress,” Woods said. “Just need to keep building, keep getting more consistent.”

Rock sounded slightly overwhelmed after his round.

“I was just very happy to be playing Tiger Woods today, and that’s a special honor in itself,” Rock said. “It’s been a steady progression from when I finished work in the golf shops, and I worked hard at my game, but I didn’t think this would happen.”

He needn’t have worried about holding his own. Rock was as solid as his surname from the start, blasting his tee shot on the first and then posting birdies at the second and third.

So when I say that Robert Rock beats the world’s best golfers with mental golf you know what I mean. He was at the top of the leaderboard and shooting like a heat-seeking missile. But how can he just push aside all those nerves and play great golf? He broke free of his distractions and come out on top. He was focused.

OK… But HOW does someone focus like that? How can you take the clubs and yet leave the baggage? The answer is: mental golf. When you master your mind, you master the game. And it’s not as hard as you think. You see, you can work on your mental game by employing a real down-to-earth approach to teach you how to play your best, consistently. Start working on your own mental game! Check out this video for more info on how you can get started today: http://www.golfersmind.com/mental-golf/