Turning Pro

I recently read a book entitled Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield, which was recommended by a blogger that I follow.  It was a fairly short book, but a decent read.  My fellow blogger states, "Turning Pro argues that the essential difference between an amateur and a pro is not just the right approach, but the right habits, done for the right reasons."

This past weekend, anyone who is a fan of golf watched the United States Open.  If you did watch the Open, it would have been hard to avoid the story of Beau Hossler.  This braces clad, 17 year old amateur headed into Sunday only three strokes back from the leaders of the tournament.  At one point in the weekend, the young fellow was actually leading the Open at two strokes under par.

In a post-round interview, Hossler stated that he had gone into the weekend with the goal of being the low amateur.  With a four stroke lead over the next closest amateur, this looked all but inevitable.  However, Mr. Hossler decided to announce to the world that he had changed his goal and believed he was in a position to win the U.S. Open.  I imagine if Mr. Pressfield was one of the millions viewing this tournament, he probably shook his head at this proclamation. 

Johnny Miller, former PGA Tour Pro and Righteous D-Bag, commented that Hossler should have kept his bold statement to himself.  (Miller could stand to keep all of his statements to himself.)  I hate to agree with Miller, so I won't.  In contrast, I would argue that Hossler simply should not have changed his original goal.  When his goal was to be low amateur, there was a lot less pressure on him and he played great.  When that goal changed, Hossler steeped a huge amount of pressure on himself. 

A "pro" would never have changed his approach after having such great success the previous three days.  If Hossler would have continued to focus on being low amateur, it is possible he could have played well enough to win the Open.  Winning would not only have been a great bonus, but he would have accomplished his original goal.   

Not only did Hossler fail to win the U.S. Open, he posted a 75 on Sunday and fell out of the top amateur spot.  It would have been a great story, and shooting plus eight in the most punishing golf tournament of the year is certainly no small accomplishment.  But, fans of the game, like myself, can only wonder "what if?"

What if Hossler would have won the U.S. Open?  Would he have declared himself as a PGA Tour Pro and taken the almost 1.5 millon dollar purse?  (I most certainly would have and would tell anyone do the same.)  Would Hossler have gone back to his High School to complete his senior year?  The golf world will never know.

"Turning pro" in golf can be as easy as declaring yourself to be a Pro and accepting cash winnings.  However, "turning pro" as defined by Pressfield is much more involved.  Even if he is not ready to "turn pro" in golf or as defined by Mr. Pressfield, I think it is fair to say the PGA has not seen the last of Beau Hossler.

   

Perceptions

We all have perceptions about the people and places around us.  When I see a person wear a white lab coat, I assume they are some sort of doctor/pharmacist/scientist.  Likewise, if a man is wearing a suit and tie, I assume he is a businessman of some sort.  It would be strange, and likely frowned upon, to see an attorney walk into a courtroom wearing a white lab coat.

Most of the time a person's wardrobe is dictated by their chosen profession.  In my case, the Court dictates that attorneys wear a suit and tie in the courtroom.  These rules get fuzzy with women's attire, but who am I to judge someone's dress flip-flops.

I think my favorite profession-dictated attire is that of a major league baseball manager.  Why on Earth does a manager wear a full baseball uniform?  Even if the team was down to eight players, could you imagine a guy like Don Zimmer waddling out onto the field to take his place at shortstop?  I realize this probably would not even be legal, but I digress. 

In addition to perceptions based on the way people dress, there are certainly perceptions based on the age of an individual.  An older person is usually perceived to be extremely qualified through his years of experience, while a younger person is perceived to be less experienced, thereby less qualified.

PGA professional Rory McIlroy blows this flawed perception out of the water.  In 2011, at the ripe age of 22, McIlroy won the U.S. Open by 8 strokes.  This would have been a crowning achievement for anyone in the world.  However, McIlroy was able to win in spite of his epic meltdown at the Masters only weeks before.

Somewhere along the way, McIlroy's father, Gerry McIlroy, was asked whether he believed Rory was old enough to attain enduring success in the PGA.  His father was quoted as saying, "If you are good enough, you are old enough."  Point, Gerry McIlroy.

While I likely will not be headed to Court in khaki shorts and a golf shirt anytime soon, I think it is fair to say that some perceptions are just plain silly.