Cool in the Heat of the Moment Championship golf is as much a conquering of the mind as the course BY BRAD KING to you,” Coop said. “And Daly has such great touch around the greens. he game’s greatest champi- If (No. 2) can break somebody like on, Jack Nicklaus, reckons that, it can break anybody. I still Tgolf is 80 percent mental, have that image of him. How many 10 percent ability and 10 times do you want to hit the ball percent luck. The late master instruc- back-and-forth? tor Jim Flick disagreed slightly. “You can make some big numbers He believed the game was 90 per- at No. 2 and you sit there and say, cent mental, but Flick would say, “the ‘how could I have ever made more other 10 percent is mental, too.” than bogey on this hole?’” Look no further than the last U.S. At age 13, Tiger Woods began Open at Pinehurst No. 2 to ind a mental training with Dr. Jay Brunza, perfect example of golfers losing their a family friend and psychologist. minds under pressure. In 2005, the Among the techniques Brunza used seemingly unlappable South African were subliminal tapes and hypnosis. Retief Goosen entered Sunday’s inal The irst time he hypnotized Tiger, round with a three-shot lead and Brunza asked him to stick his arm was all but penciled in by experts to straight out and told him that it capture his third U.S. Open title in couldn’t be moved. Tiger’s father, ive years. Earl, tried but couldn’t pull Tiger’s Yet, Goosen was off his Sunday arm down. best from the second hole on. He shot Rotella is credited with helping a miserable 6 over on No. 2’s front OPEN DAILY FILE Darren Clarke win the 2011 Open side and wasn’t much better on the Championships. Last year, Julie Elion inward nine, inishing with 36 putts helped Phil Mickelson do the same. en route to an 81. The lasting image from the 1999 U.S. Open is Gio Valiante was credited with help- Jason Gore — the closest player in contention prior that of Payne Stewart with his ist pump on the 18th ing Justin Rose break through in last year’s U.S. Open to the round, Goosen’s playing partner, the long shot green. But there was another, less feel-good moment at Merion. and crowd favorite — had an even worse day. The burly folks who were around No. 2 that year likely haven’t We all need help sometimes. We just don’t always former Pepperdine star could do nothing but cry as he forgotten either. know when we are going to need it. staggered up No. 2’s inal fairway to a standing ovation. That was John Daly angrily swatting at his golf ball “It takes a tremendous amount of energy to conquer Gore bowed to the crowd after his 84, giving the while it was still rolling down No. 2’s treacherous eighth No. 2,” said Coop. “Payne would come off each day and inal twosome of the U.S. Open a combined score of 25 green, part of an 11 he took on the par-4 hole that in- say, ‘Gosh I’ve got a good headache today.’ That was his over for the round — and allowing Michael Campbell cluded a two-shot penalty for hitting a moving ball out code for, ‘He really concentrated.’ And that was a very to become just the second New Zealander ever to win a of frustration. good way to describe it, because you really have to focus. major championship. “(Daly) just snapped,” said Dr. Richard Coop, a There aren’t many places you can hit a loose shot.” Fact is, what makes a golf course such as No. 2 so professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, So don’t start inscribing that trophy just yet. We’ve close to perfect is that it was tailor-made to challenge who worked for years with Stewart and many of golf’s still got some golf to play. all but the most sound of both body and mind. Players best. Along with Bob Rotella, Coop helped usher in the have to hit nearly perfect shots to the greens just to era of professional golfers and other athletes working Brad King is Open Daily editor. Contact him at King@ have a chance at par or better. But No. 2’s greatest test is closely with some manner of sports psychologist. kingcommunications.com. actually the game within the game. “That’s the classic example of what Pinehurst does It’s the mental side. 46 Open Daily l June 15, 2014.