After winning the PGA Championship in August for his first major and 4th win on tour in 2017, Justin Thomas credited his success to focusing on 4 goals he set for himself in the final round. In the post round press conference he mentioned that he was able to stay calm on the back nine with the tournament in his grasp because he kept focusing on 4 keys to playing well:
- Give it your best effort
- Stay in the moment
- Stick to your game plan
- Avoid Mental Errors
He said that if he could do all of these things well, he’d be happy with the result no matter where he finished. It may seem like a simple formula, but with all of the distractions around contending for a major championship, keeping this narrow focus is what helped spur him forward on Sunday.
This is a great example of mastering the mental side of the game and is a good formula for anyone to take to their next competitive round. It never hurts to be prepared mentally by establishing a game plan and routine for each round. In the end it produces the best results.