A Lesson Learned: The AT&T and PGA Professional National Championship

July 6, 2009 -- In August of 2007, on the 18th green at Southern Hills Golf Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mike Small and Tiger Woods stood together collecting trophies from then PGA of America President Brian Whitcomb. Tiger had just won the PGA Championship and Mike had captured the low PGA Club Professional title. This past week, both were in the headlines once again. And it's not accident.

• PGA Professional National Championship

• Tiger wins AT&T National

This past week I was fortunate enough to serve as the lead analyst for The Golf Channel as we broadcast the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship from Twin Warriors Golf Club outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a golf fan, I of course spent time watching Tiger's AT&T National at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington D.C. this past weekend. And in intently watching both championships, it struck me that championship golfers know how to win. That may sound a bit obvious, but in reality, it's an important lesson for any competitive golfer to learn.

Both Mike Small and Tiger Woods know how to win. Mike's resume includes four Illinois Open titles, three Illinois PGA Championship wins, two Nike Tour wins and two PGA Professional National Championship titles. Tiger's credentials include -- well, pretty much everything. And there's a reason that these guys acquire trophies at such an incredible pace.

Mike Small started his final round at Twin Warriors four shots back. He didn't panic, he didn't force his shots. He played his game and put up the best number he could. He was aggressive when he needed to be -- and he played prudently when the situation called for it. His experience played a critical role in his win. He knew where the leaders stood and allowed his game to catch up to them on the scoreboard without putting himself at too much risk. He has a ton of talent, but he also has a great awareness of his situation at all times. He plays not only to put up his best score, but to win every time he tees it up.

Tiger Woods thought he would be dueling Anthony Kim on Sunday for the title. But as they battled throughout the afternoon, Hunter Mahan came out of nowhere to shoot a lights-out 62 and claim a share of the lead. Tiger didn't panic, but you can bet your last dime that he knew he needed another birdie to avoid a playoff with the guy who had just tied the course record. So what does he do? He doesn't panic, he doesn't press. He puts himself into position to make birdies, playing safely into the fairway and then hitting some good iron shots into each green. He ends up just missing a few chances until he rolls in a 20-footer on the 16th green to take a one-shot lead. And then, and this is important, he plays to ensure a par on the final two holes to win the tournament. Nothing too aggressive, find the fairway -- find the green -- hit two putts for par. The 18th hole at Congressional can be deadly, especially if you get too aggressive. Tiger knew what was at stake and easily made a routine par.

You will often hear and read that golf is about the moment, it's one shot at a time, don't think about what else is going on, just concentrate on the task in front of you. But often, in tournaments -- especially late in tournaments -- and in match play events, it is critical for you to be aware of where you stand and what you need to do to win.

There's a school of thought that you just put up your best score and hope it is lower than everyone else's at the end of the day. I say, if you are looking to win, and you already have the lowest score, why put that at risk? Remember, you don't have to have the lowest score possible to win -- you just have to have a lower score than everyone else. Mike Small knew that this past week and so did Tiger Woods. I hope that the next time you're in a competitive event, you understand that as well and create a strategy based on what you need to do to come out on top.

Michael Breed is the PGA Head Professional at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, New York. Breed was the 2000 PGA Metropolitan Section Teacher of the Year and a two-time winner of the section's PGA Horton Smith Award. Breed currently hosts The Golf Fix on The Golf Channel, which airs Monday nights, is a Top 100 teacher as recognized by Golf magazine and is a member of the PGA.com Advisory Board. You can learn more about Michael at his website, http://www.MichaelBreed.com