Hitting From Divots
I never thought I’d learn a life lesson from a fairway divot. But then I saw Paul Casey play the 16th at TPC Sawgrass.
Casey stood tall on the 16th tee and hit a booming drive down the middle of the fairway. He was two strokes back with three holes to play, and the leader, Cameron Smith, roped his drive into the trees. Casey smelled an opportunity.
But when Casey approached his ball, he knew something was terribly wrong. It was lying in the middle of the fairway…lodged deep in a divot from a fellow golfer. The ball was buried in the turf leaving a nearly impossible shot.
Casey's dreams of winning died in that divot on the fairway.
Instead of playing for birdie and gaining a stroke, Casey had to lay up. He hit a safe shot short of the green, made par, and eventually finished third.
His payout was $1.38 million. The winner’s was $3.6 million.
Could Casey have made birdie if his ball didn’t land in the divot? Probably. Could he have won the tournament? Maybe.
If his tee shot came to rest six inches shorter or longer, things could’ve been different. But it didn’t.
That’s golf, you might say. And you’d be right. But every golfer will admit the “ifs” and “buts” are always accompanied by a mistake. In this case, they weren’t. And that’s why it’s so painful.
Casey did exactly what he was supposed to do. He executed perfectly, and fate smacked him in the shin with a sand wedge. Sometimes it be like that.
Reflecting on the round, Casey said, "It was the best tee shot I hit all week on that hole. Cameron hit it into the trees, and I thought the door was open. I wanted to go for the green, but there were too many variables and too many risks. You need a little bit of luck sometimes, don't you? That wasn't very good luck, was it? Deep down I wanted to go for it out of that lie, but it felt too risky. It would have been brave, but maybe foolish to try to go for it."
Sometimes we’re dealt a crappy hand, just like Paul Casey on the 16th fairway. When life gives us lemons, we can look to Casey for two lessons.
First, we can do everything right and still catch a bad break. Casey hit a perfect drive into an imperfect scenario.
When we act, we must temper our expectations with reality. We must remember many outcomes are outside our control. We must learn to “play it as it lies.” If we set these expectations, we won’t be derailed by fate.
Second, when things go wrong, we have two options: make the best of the situation, or make matters worse.
Casey could’ve clubbed up, swung hard, and aimed for the green. But with that nasty lie, he would’ve sent his Titelist tumbling into the water, lost a stroke, and finished lower on the leaderboard. An unfortunate circumstance, compounded by a poor decision, could’ve cost him a fortune.
Losing one stroke meant losing $400k. Two strokes: $560k.
Instead, Casey made the best of a bad scenario. He kept his head, played the safe shot, didn’t dwell on bad luck, and achieved his best possible outcome.
Things won’t always go our way. When they don’t, we can make the best of what we have or we can make what we have a whole lot worse.
When your investment account is down. Shrug and log out.
When you twist an ankle while running, ice it and rest.
When you get passed up for promotion, work even harder.
Expect bad breaks. Then make the best of them.
Don’t panic sell. Don’t run through the pain. Don’t bad mouth your boss.
Make the most of what you have. Don’t make what you have worse.
Many outcomes in life are influenced by luck—both good and bad. When you’re faced with the bad, remember Paul Casey. Accept your fate. Play the right shot. Cash your check. And live to fight another day.
Photo by Martin Magnemyr on Unsplash
