Shoulders Back at the RBC Heritage
Much to dissect from Matt Fitzpatrick’s victory on Hilton Head Island. He is an interesting player from a psychological perspective; he exhibits many signs of strength in this department whilst also wearing his heart on his sleeve at times. There’s often a perception that players who show frustration so visibly are lacking in the mental strength department, but always remember that efficient mental performance is different for everybody. Built on the same foundations, but different from player to player in how it looks. This is why it is important to have a good understanding of oneself; philosophy and psychology go hand in hand.
Starting the final round with a three-shot lead, Fitzpatrick had a solid but unremarkable round of golf until the 17th. He had not dropped a shot to this point, getting up and down several times and extracting himself from a few sticky situations brought about by errant tee shots. However, ‘solid but unremarkable’ doesn’t tend to keep Scottie Scheffler at bay as he’s breathing down your neck. Sure enough, the world’s best player had closed the gap to a single stroke as both he and Fitzpatrick stood on the last tee.
In this moment I was reminded quite strongly of the Players Championship. The tee shot was going to be fairly significant here, and back then the Englishman’s decision making had faltered slightly under the pressure applied by Cameron Young. In addition to this, Fitzpatrick had to deal with a bit of baying from the crowd; typically American in nature, and quite rightly in support of Scheffler. An indifferent two shots followed. Then, for a player at this level, a shocker. The resulting bogey sent the tournament to an inevitable playoff, which would have carried many psychological challenges following the nature of the bogey on the last hole of regulation play: Firstly, the opposing player being the world number one and indisputably the best around. Secondly, the nature of the chip shot he had just played - a confidence killer under pressure. Thirdly, the fact the playoff would take place on that same hole.
To mentally reset, what might he have done in this moment? Well, he knows himself. He knows both his technical and emotional tendencies. Looking at how he went about tackling this tournament, I am of the opinion that his strong mental performance is tied to one thing: The Routine. Fitzpatrick has a noticeable part of his routine that involves rolling the shoulders back. This serves two purposes, technical and mental, and has at least three significant benefits:
From a technical perspective, he and his coach Mark Blackburn noticed that the length of his arms (his ‘wingspan’) is longer than you might expect in relation to his height. Therefore, the shoulder roll is to bring the arms closer to the body to avoid getting too flat with the swing plane. Mentally, this could be a form of anchoring - it gives him a certain confidence that he is going to strike the ball well. It reminds him of the work he has done in training and ties into a feeling of excellent ball striking.
The final shoulder roll is right before he steps in to hit the shot. This could easily be a signal that the ‘thinking’ is over and it is now time to execute. Many golfers, amateur and professional, think too much about technique during the heat of competition. Having a completely separate ‘thinking box’ and ‘hitting box’ can help you to trust your swing in the moment. For Fitzpatrick, the last shoulder roll may well be this mental cue that separates the two.
The routine should be something repeatable that allows a player to access their best mental state. For Fitzpatrick, the shoulder roll could be part of taking his mind completely off what has been or what is to come, and keeping him in the present; the current shot. By performing a physical action we can stimulate mental pathways that narrow the focus when it is time to execute a skill.
We can all learn from these small things that we see the great players do. By watching - really watching - what they do, we can pick up mannerisms and habits that could help us, whatever level we play at. Having a good mental routine and understanding yourself are things everyone can practice - if you want to improve, you should treat mental performance the same way you treat your swing. Train it, practice it, don’t expect it to be perfect all the time.
Matt Fitzpatrick is really impressing just now. In my view he is currently one of the best five players in the world, as of this moment. He doesn’t have the swing of Rory McIlroy or Adam Scott, but he has the ballstriking ability to challenge for any title. As evidenced by the man he defeated here, you don’t need a picture-perfect golf swing to be a great champion. But you do need resilience. You do need confidence in your own ability to rise to a challenge. You do need absolute belief in your skill set. Right now, the man from Sheffield is on the rise.
