Winning the PGA Championship at 50 years, 11 months old, Phil Mickelson made golf history yesterday. As the oldest major champion, he put on a remarkable performance Sunday by starting and ending with the lead and overcoming difficult moments along the way.
The large crowd at Kiawah Island rooted hard for him all weekend long and created a wild scene on the 18th hole. Ironically, his age and the crowd not only made the day memorable but turned out to be his two biggest challenges while playing for his sixth major win and the first one since 2013.
Last month following another missed cut, Phil shared this: “As I’ve gotten older, I have a hard time focusing. And that’s my challenge right now, and I’m trying to come up with — I’m trying all different things to be able to elongate my ability to stay focused or to refocus.
“But when I get called off shots, like cellphones ringing or people yelling or something, my physical ability to refocus, to back away and then refocus and so forth, I’m not able — I’m physically not able to do it right now.”
Flash forward to this past weekend, and it was clear that Phil was locked in, in the zone, and totally focused. He was not only hitting bombs (as he likes to say) and driving the ball as well as anyone in the field, but was absolutely mentally sharp.
On Sunday, even after bogeying the first hole, landing in the bunker on the 5th, and finding himself in other tough spots, he won the mental game by remaining focused and doing something special.
Despite the boisterous crowd constantly yelling and following him, he didn’t allow them to distract him. Earlier in the tournament, a drone was flying in his line of sight and he simply had it removed.
In the post-round news conference, Phil explained his mental approach: "I've tried to stay more in the present and at the shot at hand and not jump ahead and race. I've tried to shut my mind to a lot of stuff going around. I wasn't watching TV. I wasn't getting on my phone. I was just trying to quiet things down because I'll get my thoughts racing and I really just tried to stay calm.”
He reiterated, "It's very exciting because I've had a few breakthroughs on being able to stay more present, be able to stay more focused, and physically, I'm striking it and playing as well as I ever have…”
The mental side of golf is extremely important, and it’s amazing to see the difference between Phil’s impressive focus this past weekend compared to previous tournaments.
In our own lives, focus can also be a major struggle or benefit. (Even writing this devotional today I struggled with demands and distractions coming at me!) The lesson we can learn from Phil is recognizing the need to improve our focus and intentionally setting out to make changes.
Most of us encounter plenty of distractions, but we don't always take our “mental game” seriously throughout our day. However, what we think about affects how we respond, feel and act, so if we want to be "in the zone" we must focus on the right things.
If we want to be who God created us to be and do what He's called us to do, we have to learn to concentrate on what matters most.
Let's ask ourselves:
Do we focus on Jesus and what matters for eternity or are we distracted by the crowds that are yelling all around us?
Do we remove the “drones” in our life that negatively affect our focus?
Do we think about what is true or do we allow the lies to take over our minds?
Do our thoughts lead to worry, fear, anxiety, and other negative feelings, or is our mind fixed on Jesus leading us to peace and joy?
Isaiah 26:3 (AMP) offers us encouragement in the form of a song of praise with this verse: “You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast , Because he trusts and takes refuge in You .”
As we live a life that is focused on God, His Word, and His ways, we will be “in the zone” as we move through the crowd without getting distracted. Instead of worrying about the “bunkers,” they will be seen as opportunities to do something special and when we do get a "bogey" we will move forward to focus on the next shot.
Today as we intentionally discipline our minds to remain rooted in God as we surrender to Him and His power, let’s declare what it says in Psalm 119:15 (ESV): “I will meditate on Your precepts and fix my eyes on Your ways.”
Let's also remember to “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10; AMP).
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I pray I would focus on You and Your Word so that my mind is fixed on truth and what's most important. I know I'll be in constant peace when my mind is on You. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What distracts you the most and steals your focus?
What strategies have worked well for you to remain focused on Jesus throughout your day?
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