Rory McIlroy entered the final round of this year’s Masters tournament in a position to win. After 11 years of trying, it would mean a career grand slam, placing him on the Mount Rushmore of Golf’s all-time greats.
He was looking good—until hole 13, when he made a terrible double bogey, giving up his lead. The shot he missed may have been the worst shot of his career. Just an awful ball. A devastating unforced error.
But then, on holes 15 and 17, he made what may have been the two best shots of his career, placing him back in the lead.
On the final hole, he had an “easy” (though in reality, there is no such thing) putt to win.
He missed. He choked.
He now had to compete in a sudden-death playoff. Throughout it all, he kept it together. Maybe just barely. But together.
And in the first hole of the playoff, Rory McIlroy played textbook golf, hit his wedge within three feet, drained the putt this time, and finally won the Masters, completing his Grand Slam.
It was truly extraordinary. I (Brad) was at an airport hotel with my family before heading out on a Disney Cruise. It was my seven-year-old son’s first time watching golf. 6 PM rolled around. When my wife said we really need to go to the food court for dinner, Theo, my son, replied, I don’t need dinner. What I need is to watch this! And so we did.
The lessons we both learned and discussed—for golf, for all of sport, and really, for all of life—were well worth it.
Never give up.
Respond not react.
Play the game in front of you.
Not the game you wanted to happen. Not the game that was happening. Not the game you thought would happen. But the game that is happening.
Golf might be the ultimate test of emotional regulation. Over 4 days and 72 holes, nothing ever goes to plan.
You prepare. You practice. You visualize. Then stuff happens.
The real game isn’t the one you practiced, hoped for, or wished for—it’s the one in front of you. And the difference between those who collapse and those who rise? How they respond, especially when things don’t go their way.
This isn’t just about golf. It’s about life.
It’s easy when everything is clicking.
But things will go wrong. You’ll make a great effort and still fall short. You’ll face moments where your emotions flare and your plans fall apart.
What matters most is how you respond.
Again and again and again.
Excellence does not mean control. It does not mean perfection.
It means the ability to meet the moment with objectivity, flexibility, and a next-play mindset. It’s staying in the game. It’s giving your all. It’s beginning again. It’s responding instead of reacting. It’s stepping into the arena. It’s caring deeply. It’s laying it all on the line. It’s coming up short. It’s exceeding expectations.
It’s doing this all while staying grounded. While keeping your head up. While continuing to show up as best you can.
— Brad and Steve
