Open Golf Championships: Padraig performs while Norman fades...

Wow! What an Open Championships we've just had at Royal Birkdale. From a sport psychologist's point of view it was all the more fascinating.

The most open Open for a long time, with up to 20 players in contention at the start of the last day saw Greg Norman leading into the final round at the age of 53, an amateur (Chris Wood, 20) in contention for the championships, and Padraig Harrington taking the title with a magnificent display of golf in the last six holes.

So, what about the pschology?

Well, first of all, the way that Harrington played the last six - at 4 under par when the general trend was backwards. He played as if there was no pressure at all, stepping up and performing when it was needed the most. Mental toughness, you might call it.

The other big story was Greg Norman, a man with whom Harrington had something in common. At 53 Norman, like Harrington, had no real expectatons. He hasn't payed much golf in the last 18 months, undergoing several operations, and has just had his honeymoon (after marrying ex-tennis player Chris Evert). Harrington's expectation to finish the championship was only 50:50.

The role of expectations is important in sport. Expectations are the bedfellow of anxiety. Anxiety and good golf don't mix. Freedom from expectations, on the other hand, can help players to play in the moment, which is where "flow" or "the zone" occurs. Of course, as an amateur, I doubt that Chris Wood has any real expectations either.

Of course Norman didn't quite live up to the possibilities that lay ahead of him on Sunday morning. On Saturday evening he said, "Physically and mentally I feel very good. I'm going to keep the same routine and the same mindset. You have got to stay in the present. You really don't pay attention to anyone else", but I'm not sure that he succeeded. One must suspect that he allowed his mind to look ahead to the end of the day, perhaps when it looked like things were running away from Harrington?

However, with Norman there's another obvious point of discussion, and that's to extent to which contentment and happiness in one's own life can aid peformance in competition. He is well-documented as being happy with his marriage to Evert (and why not, the old dog?). But his approach to golf has clearly changed too, "I came here with a good attitude and a fresh approach to life and it has shone through in my game. I don't grind it out on the golf course any more. I just play when I want to and practice when I want to.". It's not that he didn't care, but he clearly doesn't get hung up on his golf any more. At 53, I'd hope not, but it is quite common for elite athletes to find balance between life and sport, as they mature. Indeed, it may be what prolongs their careers.

All in all, a fascinating championship. And not a Tiger in sight. But then, would he have coped well with the conditions?


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Rob Robson
Co-founder, iStadia.com