Last week, Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota was home to the 41st Ryder Cup Championship. This unique three day golf event only takes place every two years. It is one of the most intense, competitive, and exciting tournaments that these players will ever experience because even the most competitive rivals turn into the greatest of allies. This tournament is all about pride, teamwork, and being aggressive on the golf course. Some of the best golf in the world took place right in Chaska, Minnesota over the past week. Stakes were high because these competitors were no longer just playing for themselves, but also their nation. With the tournament being completed, we can reflect on the intense match between Team USA and Team Europe this year.

The first two days of the tournament were unique in their format. Instead of each competitor going out and playing their own ball, they participated in alternate shot and best ball. This turned one of the most individual sports into a team sport with so much history behind it. The third and final day of the Ryder Cup consisted of singles match play, which also had its own strategies.

The Ryder Cup created a whole new atmosphere on the golf course. With the course in pristine condition and the players in match play mode, anything could have happened. Team USA’s Phil Mickelson stated in an after round interview, “Certainly I felt more pressure heading into today’s [first round] matches. Given the build-up over the last couple years, the criticism, the comments, what have you, the pressure was certainly as great, or greater, than I’ve ever felt.” Rory Mcllroy of Team Europe even said that the playing conditions were “pretty hostile” due to how much pressure was on the line to perform well, not only from his teammates, but also the captains and fans.

The team captains also had a very important role in this tournament as they made the game plans and strategically paired the members of their team. Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth of Team USA, longtime friends and fierce competitors on Tour, were paired together on the first day of the Ryder Cup. During an interview with Reed, he stated, “We grew up playing golf together, so I already know what to expect. I know his game and he knows mine. I know how to push his buttons to get him going and vice versa. It is just a pairing that seems to work.”

Figuring out which players were going to be most compatible, game- and personality-wise, was a big factor when making the game plan for the Ryder Cup. This year, Team USA was fortunate to have Davis Love III, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Bubba Watson, Steve Stricker, and Tom Lehman making all the game time decisions. Reed also stated during an after round interview, “We had a great game plan coming in, we stuck with it. Just hit a lot of greens. In alternate shot you have to do that, give yourself opportunities.”

Sometimes it is as simple as that: sticking to a game plan. Taking the proper measures to prepare yourself for whatever game time situation you are in can be the difference between winning and losing. A number of players during the first round stepped away from their game plan once they saw the leaderboard. When players start cracking under the pressure, they try to get more aggressive with their swing and with their targets, even if the risk outweighs the reward. Some players had to play two matches a day; that’s a long day on the golf course. They had to learn to stay in the moment, stay focused, and remain calm, even if their shots weren’t going as planned.

With Team USA coming out victorious, it just goes to show how cool, calm, and collected they were over the course of the three days. They stuck to the game plan and executed the proper number of shots to ultimately take home the 41st Ryder Cup Championship. This mentality can be used in any sport at any level. For high school athletes, the pressure of the Ryder Cup could be compared to a sectional game that could advance them to state. The level of pressure the athlete may feel is much higher than normal because there is more on the line. If an athlete makes a game plan to account for setbacks and is able to adhere to adversity, they can overcome that pressure and come out successfully. This mentality of staying in the moment and sticking to a plan may also be useful when trying to ace an interview or when you are taking a really hard test. If you prepare ahead of time and do everything in your power to stay focused in the present moment, chances are you will like the outcome.

 

This weekend we look to our neighbors to the east, Wisconsin, as the final men’s golf Major Championship commences. Teeing off at 2:20pm CST today in the PGA Championship include Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth, the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked golfers in the world, respectively. There has been a lot of talk about Spieth in 2015 as he has emerged as a top tier golfer and amassed the first two majors in 2015. More talk piled up as he went for his third Major Championship, the Open Championship, back in mid-July. He missed a tie for the lead by just one stroke, which would have led him into a four-hole playoff with the other leaders. Even so, throughout his tournaments following the Masters, Spieth and his caddy, Michael Greller, have used one phrase to keep them going: free rolling. In numerous interviews Spieth has credited this “free rolling” as a way to alleviate stress during the rounds.

In early April, Spieth—just 21 at the time—had won his first Major Championship and was embarking on the second. The pressure was off. He had already won one of the majors and so he had the confidence that he could perform similarly at the U.S. Open. In order to maintain his peak performance, Spieth and Greller kept free rolling—keeping themselves as relaxed as possible. This free rolling eventually led Spieth to a second consecutive Major Championship and a second place finish in the third major of the year.

Spieth and Greller’s motto is a macrocosm for any athlete in any endeavor. Undeniably, if you’re an athlete, you’ve experienced success at least one time in your life. Don’t just leave your successes in the past—use them to enhance your future. At your next practice, game, competition, etc. remember your previous successes and use that emotion to help fuel your performance in that moment. If you trust your training, visualize yourself achieving your goals, and keep “free rolling”, you may very well achieve what you’ve been working for.

Horseracing’s Triple Crown has only been achieved eleven times since its first winner in 1919. Of those twelve, only four have occurred since 1948—3 in the mid 1970s and then American Pharoah this past weekend. The media has been talking about how rare the Triple Crown is, but just how rare is it? Compared to other sports, is winning the Triple Crown really as profound as we all make it out to be?

Horseracing

The Triple Crown has been won 12 times in 97 years, or once every 8.0833 years.

Baseball

In Major League Baseball’s modern era, (1900-present) pitchers have thrown only 21 perfect games. That’s 21 perfect games in 115 years, or once every 5.476 years. Think about it this way, there are 4,860 chances for a perfect game in each year that has 162 games, meaning that there have only been 21 out of approximately 780,000 chances, or 0.00269% of the time.

Hockey

Only 60 times (44 players) has someone scored at least five goals in a single NHL game. Over the NHL’s existence, that’s one every 1.324 years.

Golf

With four major tournaments each year, you’d think this would occur more often, but only 25 times has a golfer won back-to-back majors. That’s 25 since 1860, or once every 6.16 years. 

Basketball

The NBA quadruple double, or when a player records at least 10 in four of these categories—points, assists, rebounds, steals, or blocked shots—in a single game has only been achieved four times since steals and blocked shots began being recorded in 1974. This is one quadruple double every 10.25 years.

Football

The Heisman trophy has been awarded each year since 1935, but only once did the same player win it in multiple years. Archie Griffin, who ended up playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, won it twice—1974 and 1975.

Achieving any of these feats would require different time, talents, and skill, and no one team or athlete is guaranteed at having equal chances of them occurring. We should consider the perceived rarity of this one incredible endeavor—the Triple Crown—and perhaps lend some of that awe, spectacle, and inspiration to others.

Congratulations to American Pharoah and his team on winning the Triple Crown!