March 30, 2009 -- Are you a closer? Do you play to win, or do you play to not lose?

The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is one of the best tests of golf on the PGA Tour, as the US Open-like scores attest. The course is long at 7,267 yards, there is plenty of trouble from water, trees, and thick rough, and the design requires precision shot making and good course management. Add to that a talent-packed international field, 30 years of storied tradition, and one of the all-time golfing greats as tournament host, and it is easy to see why it's a premier event.

Of course along with premier status comes premier pressure, especially with the Masters just two weeks away and a hungry Tiger on the prowl.

Tiger's focus never waivered as he tried to make up a five-shot deficit. (Photo: Getty Images)

When play started Sunday morning Sean O'Hair had a 5-shot lead over Tiger Woods. The tournament was O'Hair's to win. Or lose. The question was how would O'Hair handle the pressure. The answer presents an interesting contrast in styles, and a great lesson learned about how to close out a round.

All week long Tiger played less than stellar golf from tee to green, hitting just 60% of his fairways and 54% of his greens. What kept him on the leader board was clutch chipping and phenomenal putting. In contrast, O'Hair played beautiful golf, hitting fairways and greens and making putts.

But on Sunday Tiger came out of the box totally focused. The first three holes he hit great shots to open par-birdie-birdie. O'Hair, who had played so consistently earlier in the week, couldn't find the fairway or the greens and opened with par-par-bogie. Suddenly his 5-shot lead was down to two shots. O'Hair continued to struggle with his control, and by the seventh hole he had slipped from -7 to -5, while Tiger moved up from -2 to -4, and the lead was just one shot.

What makes the difference for a player of O'Hair's abilities? Why was he struggling to hit fairways and greens on Sunday morning when that had been his strength all week?

It seemed as though Tiger came out playing to win while O'Hair came out playing to not lose.

I often hear from golfers that they have trouble finishing their round strong. They have a good first nine, and then a poor second nine. Or they play really well through 14 or 15 holes, only to lose it on the finishing holes.

Playing better than you normally do, or in O'Hair's case playing in the final group of a big event on Sunday with Tiger, can put you out of your comfort zone.

When you get out of your comfort zone -- from either good or bad play -- it is easy to slip into "protect" mode. You stop thinking about hitting to specific targets and start trying to "just hit the fairway" or "just hit the green." These are ambiguous targets, and without clear directions from the brain you can introduce unnecessary tension to your swing and wind up trying to "steer" or "manufacture" shots.

If you get out of your comfort zone or you are feeling pressure, or if you find you are trying to steer the ball, here are a few suggestions to help you stay on track.

1. Use deep breathing to help you release tension
2. Be very specific with your target and, if possible, the type of shot you want to hit
3. Visualize completely the shot you want to hit: try to imagine the flight of the ball, where it will land, and how it will roll out.
4. Commit to your decisions 100%. Swing with confidence and allow your club to release fully to your target
5. Stay in the moment. Don't worry about any future or past shots -- just the shot in front of you.
6. Rely on your pre-shot routine to help with rhythm, focus, and to eliminate mental chatter
7. Trust the swing that you have, and trust your decisions.

One thing that stood out for me was how deliberate Tiger was before stepping into every shot. He paused two steps in back of the ball -- longer than I'd seen him pause before -- and really focused on visualizing the shot he wanted to hit. His focus was outstanding. He didn't always hit his best shot, but he was putting himself in the best position each time.

Tiger proved that you don't have to hit your best shots to score well enough to win. He sharpened his target focus, visualized a clear mental picture for each shot, and committed 100% to his decisions. He willed himself to victory at Bay Hill.

Eric Jones is a Class A PGA Professional, World Long Drive Champion, and author of "The 5 Keys to Distance" available at www.targetcenteredgolf.com. Eric's passion is helping golfers learn, play better, and have more fun. Eric is the founder of the Seaver Golf Academy (www.seavergolf.com) and creator of the "Golf Coach Program," an innovative teaching model that provides golfers greater access to instruction at an affordable price. Eric teaches at the Pleasanton Golf Center in Pleasanton, CA.