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The Key to Finding Success on the Course like Viktor Hovland

By Brendon Elliott, PGA
Published on
Viktor Hovland of Norway plays his tee shot on the 16th hole with a driver during the final round of the 2022 Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 04, 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Viktor Hovland of Norway plays his tee shot on the 16th hole with a driver during the final round of the 2022 Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 04, 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

Victor Hovland just successfully defended his title at the 2022 Hero World Challenge. That is the broad headline that came out of this past Sunday on the PGA Tour. For anyone watching on Sunday, you would have seen that even with a three-shot lead going into the day, Hovland definitely had some nervous moments.
One of the key things that amateur golfers can learn from Hovland is this: Keeping your composure, trusting in your game and being committed to your processes.

Composure, Trust, and Commitment

The best golfers in the world are obviously head and shoulders above all other golfers in terms of their ability to master all the various facets of the game. That alone is not what makes them the best in the world. Golf is not just about mastering the various parts of the game including full swing, short game, putting and trouble shots. Far, far from it. 
Viktor Hovland of Norway celebrates on the 18th green during the final round Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 04, 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Viktor Hovland of Norway celebrates on the 18th green during the final round Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Course on December 04, 2022 in Nassau, Bahamas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
These 3 things are some of the keys that separates the Professionals on Tour and the rest of the players:
  • Composure: The state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself.
  • Trust: To have confidence in, or belief in oneself.
  • Commitment: The state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.
These are the keys to success for a Professional golfer. When you watch PGA Tour Professionals practicing on the range, or at the short game area, or on the putting green you tend to see very similar results. The real thing that makes a pro a pro is the belief they have in themselves, having a sense of calm and control of their game in competition, and a dedication to processes in how they practice and how they compete. 
This is where most amateurs are deficient. 
To be clear, you won't suddenly be a Tour level player if you just learn how to keep your composure, have trust in your game and yourself, and learn to be more committed in your practice and game planning on the course. What you WILL find is a dramatic increase in your ability to be the best possible version of yourself as you play.
Those great practice swings you make that only seem to disappear as you address and make a swing at the ball will start to make an appearance more and more out on the course if you focus on Composure, Trust, and Commitment.

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