Sept. 29, 2008 -- (ATLANTA, GA) -- Though the FedExCup was settled before the first shot was hit this week in Atlanta, there was no shortage of great golf, great thrills and dramatic moments this week at The Tour Championship presented by Coca Cola. The top 30 in the FedExCup standings came to the newly renovated East Lake Golf Club and put on quite a show -- particularly the four-man battle that shaped up on Sunday where at one point, it looked like each of the four might win.

All golfers would do well to remember the better putts they've hit - like Camilo Villegas did on the critical 17th hole. (Photo: Getty Images)

The four man battle royale was also interesting in that three of the four were coming off what might have been the most intense, emotional week of their golf lives. Sergio, Phil and Anthony all took part in last week's Ryder Cup of course, I think you might have seen some of the fatigue come into play in the weekend. It was impressive to see Phil and Anthony in the mix after such a hard week, and Sergio, after such a rough week for him, really played some great golf and went into Sunday with a three-shot lead. All should be commended for putting forth such an effort. I was a bit disappointed in hearing Kenny Perry's comments that coming to Atlanta was "horrible, the worst experience of my life," and "I just want to get my last place check...and go home."

But back to the golfers who came to play and came to win. I think all four had great chances, I honestly was waiting for Mickelson or Garcia to pull this one out. There were so many moments that could have turned the tournament, each player making or missing some critical shots. I don't know if there was any one shot that won or lost this tournament, but there were two critical areas that I think made a huge difference. One was the mental toughness of Villegas, the other was a fairly simple chip shot that seemed to fluster a number of players.

Many people will point to the stretch where Villegas made five birdies in six holes as where he won the tournament, but keep in mind, he missed makeable putts on holes, 14, 15, and 16. In fact, I thought that would be his undoing because you can focus so hard on getting into contention that once you're there, you can run out of gas. His three putt on no. 15 could have really doomed him mentally. Don't forget, he went double bogey, bogey on holes 6 and 7 to seem to be out of the running. But rather than get frustrated or pressing harder, Villegas stuck to his plan and continued to play excellent golf. His approach shot on no. 17 was clutch, but the birdie putt he made there not only led to his win, but also showed why he is such a deserving champion.

Villegas never lost composure, he continued to trust in his putting stroke. I see way too many amateurs convince themselves that the only momentum they can build is negative momentum -- and they allow a few bad putts or swings to dictate the rest of their round. That's a terrible way to try and score. Believe me, no one is going to make every putt, but anyone can put a good stroke on the ball.

When Tiger Woods made his putt to tie Rocco Mediate on the 72nd hole at the U.S. Open, he said that you "make a pure stroke, if it bounces in or out, so be it, at least I can hold my head up high." Of course, he made the putt, but his attitude was key. All you can do is make the best stroke you can, what has happened in the past -- good or bad -- won't make this putt go in or out. Villegas knew that his putting could be good (see five birdies in six holes) but he also knew he had some recent misses. But none of it mattered, he knew he had to put forth a solid stroke on this hole at this time. He did and the ball dropped. About half an hour later, he was a champion. We could all become better players by having a focus like that.

Also on the back nine, you saw a number of players -- Villegas, Garcia, Kim (a couple of times), to name a few -- flub some chip shots. The bermuda grass around the greens were cut to two-and-a-quarter inches. At this height, and with the lack of rain in the Atlanta area, the grass is quite thin and the ball would not sit on top allowing for easy chips. Instead, the ball would settle down into the grass and would require the players to negotiate the chips out of a little more difficult lies.

It seemed that several times, players wanted to hit the chips as if they were playing out of easier lies. When you ball has settled down to the bottom of the rough, your best bet is to treat the shot like a bunker shot, open up your clubface, lean, and splash it out of the lie with same aggressiveness as if coming out of the sand. This takes practice and trust, but in the long run, it will be a much more consistent and effective shot from these difficult situations.

So as the PGA Tour season and the FedExCup series ends, what a tremendous way to close the year. But remember, that's only the PGA Tour season that is ending. Your golf game hopefully still has several rounds to go in 2008. And as all players do, professional and amateur, we all hope our next round will be our best one. I hope these tips help make that happen for you.

Doug Wade is the PGA Head Professional at Heritage Golf Club in Tucker, Ga. Wade has a distinguished career as a teacher, manager and player. He was the captain of the golf team at The Ohio State University and an All Big Ten selection in 2002. He has played, and won, on several mini tours and joined The PGA of America in 2006. He has worked at Belfair Plantation in Bluffton, SC and Palmetto Hall Plantation in Hilton Head, SC before moving to Georgia to his current position. Wade and his wife Tracey are expecting their first child in December.