April 26, 2009 -- The sun has set again on another final round of a great tournament on the PGA Tour. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans did not disappoint. The players were fairly tested by another beautiful and perfectly manicured Pete Dye design golf course. So what was the Lesson Learned this week?

Jerry Kelly's ability to relax while staying focused was critical to his big win. (Photo: Getty Images)

This week we saw Jerry Kelly win for the first time since 2002. So how did he finally put it all back together again to win? It does not take you long to figure out that everyone who tees it up on Thursday in a PGA Tour event can hit a golf ball solidly. The finishing touch is what I call mental fortitude. It is the difference between good players and champions. If Saturday is termed "moving day" then Sunday should be referred to as money day. When the tournament is over it is always interesting to see how many of the top players made huge moves on Sunday to cash bigger checks on Monday.

How many times have you seen the player with the best mental state win the tournament? Well let's look at the last three tournaments. At Augusta the announcers said at one point within the last thirty minutes of the tournament that Cabrera would not be able to win. He had just hit a bad tee shot and followed it up by hitting his next shot off of a tree. Cabrera won because he mentally refused to lose. When the pressure mounted, he made the shots. At Harbour Town, it was simpler. Brian Gay was in "The Zone" and essentially walked away from the rest of the field. This week Jerry Kelly was smiling and having fun again. He had a bad mental state for a few holes on Sunday, but then regained his positive mental state and won.

I cannot count how many times on the lesson tee or on the golf course that I have seen a student freeze over their golf ball. When I ask what is the matter the answer always starts the same "I was thinking....." Good golf is about the preparation and execution and not the mental gymnastics that is all too often seen. So how do you get out of this bad habit? The answer is simple. Get a better pre-shot routine. It does not matter what professional sport you watch every player has rituals or routines. A routine helps to some degree physically prepare yourself, but it 100% prepares yourself mentally. The elements that are found in most golf routines are:

• Choose a club -- Based on how you are swinging, distance, elevation and or change in elevation and any other elements.
• Get your breathing under control -- You want deeper breaths that are spaced. You do not want quick shallow breaths.
• Visualization -- Stand behind your ball and visualize your shot. You have to be able to "see it". If you hit a high draw then that is what you should see. Too often I hear students say "it just ends up....." That is not visualizing. See the shot from start to finish.
• Confidence -- A very smart man once told me "if you think you can you are probably right and if you think you can't you are also probably right". Take the approach that success breeds success and it starts with this shot.
• Relax -- Try to get the tension out of your arms and hands.
• Execute

Notice there is not a bullet point for doubt or thinking. During the third round Jerry Kelly was able to stretch his lead to two strokes by getting relaxed. He was smiling and you could see his confidence rising. Unfortunately during the final round just after making the turn you saw him shaking his head in frustration and at one point he was the only player over par for his round in the top twenty. He had mentally taken himself out of the tournament. Then he birdied eleven and fourteen to get back into the driver's seat. At the same time that Jerry Kelly was gaining confidence Charles Howell III bogied fifteen and seventeen to help Jerry regain the lead that he would not relinquish again.

The highest level that a player in any sport can compete at is called "The Zone". The zone has been described in many ways by the best athletes in every sport. One common theme is that they are not intentionally thinking about what they are doing. The opposite end of the spectrum is the athlete that begins to think and then eventually doubt their ability or out come. Unlike other sports were timeouts are called, fans are yelling at you and or players are talking to you all in an attempt to get you mentally out of the game. Golf is slightly different in that the "icing" of a player is self inflicted. You have to go away from thinking and get more into playing. Golf is a game in which you "PLAY". To get the most out of your game get a good pre-shot routine and then start playing.

Butterflies are healthy, but it is how you cope with them that make the difference. When you have the opportunity for greatness and you begin to feel uneasy stick to your routine. Go through your routine from start to finish. You will be pleasantly surprised by your ability to succeed.

Have fun and play!

Blake Cathey is a PGA Certified Instructor and the Lead Instructor at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. In addition to being the Lead instructor he also leads the Kiawah Island Golf Academy, one of the country's leading golf academies. Blake is only one of a handful of professionals to ever reach certification in all six areas of the PGA. Blake's students are a vast cross section of professional golfers, professional athletes, politicians, CEO's, ranked amateurs and beginners. Blake can be reached at (843) 266-4034 or by email blake_cathey@kiawahresort.com.