The pysch-out

[Fat Slice]

OK, so I am in quarterfinals of our club's season-long match play tournament. I draw a guy who is nice but a fierce competitor. He goes up on me early, 1 hole, sometimes 2. What I notice is that when I am going to putt, if the putt is meaningless (I am going to win even if I 2 putt, OR I am going to lose even if I sink it) the guy is silent.

However...if making the putt will either halve the hole or win the hole, he comes over to me and says "You've got this! You can make THIS putt. No problem - put it right in!!!" Friendly? Perhaps. I got the feeling he was playing mind games with me. What I did was tell myself "Yes, you CAN make this!" and then had a pretty good putt every time.

The match itself was really close. One example, on a 160 yard par 3, I went pin high but well left into the rough and chipped on to about 20 feet above the hole. The other guy barely clears the water and lodges in the mudbank. He takes a stance with his back to the flagstick and chops down like he is using a garden hoe. His mud-laden ball thumpity-thumps its was to 25 feet below the hole. I am thinking, OK, this is now a lagging contest. Well damned if the bastid didn't clean his ball for 3 minutes and then sink the putt! I figured...match play....the one thing I didn't want to do was leave it short so I played a little less break and gave it a good smack and rolled it right in to halve the hole. I think that's when he started coming unglued. The real magic, though, was on the last two holes.

17 was a par 5 with a lay-up second shot (reed-filled creek). I hit a lot longer than him, so I figured (being down 1) I might be able to get even this hole with a GIR. I step up to the tee and hook it OB. Oh well, I figure the match is over...but then remember that it's never over until it's over. He tees off and hits a safe, short, straight shot. I reload and hit a beautiful draw following the curve of the dogleg and put myself with 220 to clear the creek. He lays up to about 50 yards in front of the creek. I think better of it and also lay up, to about 20 yards in front. He's smelling blood in the water and maybe gets nervous and hits his third shot into the creek. AHA! I AM STILL IN THIS! I have a tree to deal with and again think smart and hit a sand wedge 110 to leave me another 110 or so out with a perfect angle to the green. He takes his penalty drop and places his ball behind the creek and.....hits another ball right into the creek. I am starting to feel good about my conservative play. I take 17 from him without a problem, now the match is square going into 18. I can see the wheels are coming off the guy. On top of that, I get a stroke on 18 so I know he'll be pressing.

18...my tee shot was long but right and left me totally snookered behind a big tree. I hit a nice 180 yard draw with a hybrid that is pin-high but well right with some bunkers to clear to a narrow green. I hit the green and roll off. I chip and 2-putt for a double-bogey. Pretty ugly, but remember, I get a stroke this hole so I am not too worried as his second shot rolls off the green. He chunks his chip but it finds it's way on to the green about 20 feet out. He's a pretty good lag putter and with his 4th stroke leaves himself 16 inches to the hole. He needs to make the putt to get a bogey and force a playoff.

That's when I remember the mind games he was playing with me on my putts all day. So, I give it back to him in exactly the same manner. "Oh, you've got this! You can make this, piece of cake. Back of the hole, let's get to the playoff!" He takes some practice strokes, steps up, addresses the ball, pauses as he looks at the hole 16 inches away....takes his backstroke, makes a smooth transition...and stubbs the putter into the green. He dinked his putt and it went about 8 inches. And there's your ballgame!

[ChappyEight]

Gotta love sports psychology.

[tjy355]

...

I love it. Good job!

[CarlSpackler]

Nice! I love it when karma pays people back.

[chriskzoo]

Ha - great story. Whenever I'm playing match play I pretty much concede everything inside 3 feet for the first 9 holes - then make them putt everything after that. Nothing like hitting your first important 3 footer on hole 13 or 14.

[Fat Slice]

We also had a monthly stroke-play tourney going on during the round, so we couldn't concede anything. I had to line up and tap in a 2 inch putt!

[case31]

Sort of off-topic, but I'm reminded of this guy, call him Mr. Poor Sport, who played at the club I used to belong to. He was SUPER competitive, to the point where he would openly cheer when you missed a putt. I was on his team for one particular Saturday money match, and at around the 11th hole my game fell apart. Instead of being a good teammate and offering ANY kind of positive encouragement, this guy had the balls to say, "Maybe you should just go home". All because he was worried about losing $10 in a casual money game.

A few weeks later my friend calls me and says that another member and Mr. Poor Sport want to play. I first said no, but was eventually talked into it. Despite how unfun this guy was to play with, I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to take money from him. We start out playing for $20 each, two-man best ball. I play ok for the first 7 holes, and then catch fire the next 5, 3 birdies and 2 pars. Mr. Poor Sport is getting pissed and constantly keeps pressing. I can imagine that he felt that by upping the stakes (eventually to $100 each), that I would fold under the pressure. By 15, he is begging to quit, and complaining constantly. My friend and I win comfortably, and afterwards, when it comes to paying up, Mr. Poor Sport pulls out his money clip, gives me a ten and three $20's and says, "There." I just stare at him, stunned that he's actually going to stiff me. He had at least two $100 bills in his clip, so it's not like he didn't have the cash. He does some more complaining to which I drop his line, "Maybe you should just go home".

[jaragon126]

That's awesome man! Kudos to you for staying calm & giving it back to him at JUST the right moment! Congrats on your win & good luck in your future matches!

[Drennen13]

You should write a book man. Good match though.

[eahollis4]

Haha thats one of the best stories i've heard. I bet that guy was in fumes after the match.

[too keen to young]

Hey that is up there as one of the great phych-outs, next to one i used on my opponent. who i usually play with and is a bit of a dick anyway i was 2 up coming to the 15th tee and he is trash talking his ass off so i remember the tactic asking wether you breath in or out in the backswing and i proceed to make stupid blowing noises swinging my driver, well it couldnt have worked better he was trying to figure it out and ended up slicing his drive into the trees

tkty