Justin Leonard’s a 1-time major champ, so he says these are the keys to competing at The Masters.
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Welcome to Shaving Strokes, a GOLF.com sequence during which we’re sharing enhancements, learnings and takeaways from beginner golfers identical to you — together with a few of the pace bumps and challenges they confronted alongside the approach.
Obviously, successful a major title like The Masters is not any straightforward activity.
While it takes placing collectively 4 days of (arguably) the greatest golf a participant has ever performed, it takes a lot extra than simply the bodily aspect of issues. It requires grit, self-discipline, the proper sport plan and the capability to deal with the strain that comes with the largest event in the sport.
But to actually get an understanding of what competing at the Masters is like — and what it takes to really win a major championship — I spoke with somebody who’s finished it earlier than: Justin Leonard.
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As one among the recent, younger, budding stars in golf throughout the ’90s, Leonard’s profession was punctuated when he gained the 1997 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club. The victory was his lone major championship, however he did have three top-10 performances in others, together with a T7 at The Masters in ’97.
Bottom line: Leonard is aware of what it takes to grasp major tournaments, and he’s acquired some ideas on how to greatest navigate the feelings all through the week.
Leonard and I linked earlier this week to chat about his relationship with GOLFFOREVER, however, naturally, I had to decide his mind about Augusta with the event now underway. Take a glance beneath to see what he had to share with me about the hurdles a participant should overcome to even sniff an opportunity at successful a inexperienced jacket.
Justin Leonard’s necessities to win a major
As a median golfer and a fan of the sport, it will be troublesome to really perceive how grueling it will be to compete on the highest degree. Sure, all of us might need an concept about the strain of taking part in in a major like the Masters, however does it actually come shut to the precise factor?
This was one among the most fascinating issues I wanted to know when talking with Leonard. Do gamers actually really feel all the hype and majesty surrounding the event, or is it all for present?
“You just try and get your game to peak on those four days,” he says.
So what’s that precisely imply? I pushed a little bit more durable to see if Leonard might dive deeper into the nitty gritty.
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“Oh, I think the pressure is self-induced,” Leonard says. “To cut back that as a lot as attainable, you simply put in the time and the work. And, as a participant, you’re making an attempt to be recent sufficient (as a result of you already know it’s going to be, and will be, an extended week), and nonetheless keep sharp and prepared to play. So it’s simply making an attempt to discover that stability.
“Obviously, Tiger [Woods] did it better than anyone. But the guys that tend to contend a lot in the majors, they’ve been able to figure that part out.”
So are there are few particular traits that make a Master champ? Leonard described three issues that each participant should do so as to even compete for a inexperienced jacket this week at Augusta.
“You have to putt well,” he says. “You actually have to management the golf ball and management your feelings in the second, if I’m going to simply simplify it that a lot. But management of the golf doesn’t imply you don’t miss photographs.
“Look, everybody’s going to miss shots — especially at Augusta. But if you’re missing them in the right places, where you can get the ball up-and-down and those kind of things, it can make for a much less stressful week. And usually the less stress you have physically with your game, the less you’re going to have mentally as well.”
This was segway into Leonard’s group abilities and next-level preparation. The former Open Championship winner is understood for constructing a go-to routine for himself, which helps him remove chaos — a phrase he thinks is essential to handle so as to compete in a major.
“Look, I think a little O.C.D. is good,” he quips. “That doesn’t mean you can’t deal with a little bit of chaos. You’re going to have to at some point. But the less chaos you can create and have to deal with, the smoother the week seems to go for sure.”
Seems like technique, no? It’s reminder for amateurs throughout a spherical as effectively — put together, keep away from unforced errors and do your greatest to deal with chaos that inevitably pops up.
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Lastly, I had to know what Leonard’s “Welcome to Augusta” second was. Without a lot hesitation, he took me again to his first time taking part in in the Masters — which concerned surreal moments throughout follow rounds.
“My first year playing in ’93, I played as an amateur, so going out and playing a practice round with guys like Davis Love III, Tom Kite and Vinny Giles was pretty surreal,” he recounts. “If I bear in mind, on Wednesday I went out and performed with Ben Crenshaw. So simply taking part in the follow rounds, it’s wonderful.
“I remember being nervous on Monday or Tuesday, certainly those first couple of times. And I think that’s why it’s so hard to perform at Augusta as a first-time player, because everybody feels like they know the golf course, especially as a golfer, since you grew up watching The Masters. So, yeah, that first year in ’93, I walked around with my eyes wide open and my jaw dropped at pretty much everything I saw and did that whole week.”
While Leonard offered a recipe for gamers to compete at Augusta this week, he is aware of rattling effectively that each one of that is a lot simpler stated than finished.
“[The whole experience] is a little intimidating, to be honest,” he says. “For so many players, it’s kind of a lifelong dream to play in the Masters. And then all of a sudden you realize that dream, so it’s tougher than they might even imagine.”
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