Playing to contend

Wyndham Clark was a great story last week at the US Open and I have a feeling he will be the topic of a blog post sometime in the near future. But this week I felt compelled to write about Justin Thomas.

Thomas is a former world no.1 and two time major winner. He’s struggled this season and finished near last at the US Open resulting in a missed cut (his second missed cut at a major this year). These are definitely tough pills to swallow for someone that is accustomed to being at the top of the game. 

In his post round press conference, Thomas admitted that it sucked. That it was embarrassing, humiliating, a low point - all the things you might expect. But he also said this:

“I have another major left. I go win the British Open, nobody even remembers that I missed the cut by a zillion here. I've just got to try to find a way to get better and learn from this. If I can, I don't have to look at this week as a total failure."

What Thomas illustrates to me is a refusal to get stuck in a negative experience. He has an ability to see it as one moment in a larger story and to believe that his next major is just one flip of the page away.  I believe that his ability to transition from player to a fan that loves the game allows him to create the energy that moves him forward. Rather than wallowing during the final rounds, Thomas tweeted his own analysis of the game and  joked around publicly with fellow Tour player Max Homa about their respective poor finishes. He has also tweeted his congratulations to Wyndham Clark with a sincerity that could only come from a true love of the game.

In a podcast interview on “How Leaders Lead with David Novak,” Thomas talked about what it takes to win majors. He said that you have to put yourself in contention to win multiple times and fail, so that you build the muscle necessary to handle the moment and win. I must have heard that failure is necessary 10,000 times in my life and still wanted to avoid failing like my life depended on it.  Something about JT’s words resonated in a different way - what if every step I’m taking towards my goals is practicing putting myself in contention to win?

If you’re feeling like you just finished near last in a major and everything is terrible and it’s so much worse than you could have imagined - what if you pulled a JT and found some humor in the moment? How would you behave as an observer and fan of your own game? 

Take a deep breath and ask yourself: What if this setback is just practicing putting yourself in contention?

And to JT - I’m rooting for your win at the British Open!