Truist, Myrtle Beach and The Variety of Expectation
Many people hold a general view that philosophy can be pessimistic, painting normal human behaviours as pointless or meaningless and perpetually dissecting the meaning of life and death. This can be true, of course, but then again it depends entirely upon which philosophers you read. If you are looking for a healthy dose of gloom, then look no further than the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, who gave us this timeless quote:
“The safest way of not being very miserable is not to expect to be very happy.”
I will redress the balance later, but let us wallow in the darkness just for now. Perhaps there is wisdom to be found in these dour words, especially if we apply them to the world of golf? Perhaps keeping expectations in check is a good thing? The thing is, I find that some golfers expect to play badly and well simultaneously - a strange phenomenon that I have not seen in many other sports. Cricket, perhaps. Whilst I won’t directly explore this duality in this article, I do think the concept of managing expectations relates well to the two PGA Tour events we have seen this weekend - the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, won by Norwegian Kristoffer Reitan, and the Myrtle Beach Classic won by old timer Brandt Snedeker.
Kristoffer Reitan is a fascinating story. It is surprising to some that he has been a successful golfer throughout his junior and amateur years, winning the 2014 Junior World Cup for Norway alongside his previously more famous compatriot, Viktor Hovland. He played in the 2016 Junior Ryder Cup and qualified for the US Open as an amateur in 2018. I think the PGA Tour often implies that golfing achievement only really exists in America, seemingly amazed with Reitan’s success and stating that this was his ‘first career win’ whilst either disregarding or being blissfully ignorant of his two DP World Tour victories. Why don’t they just say ‘first PGA Tour win’? That would cover it and avoid offending millions of Europeans. Anyway, I digress.
What makes Reitan’s recent form most impressive from a mental perspective is (to me at least) his roots. He comes from a family who are wildly successful in business, owning a retail empire that employs tens of thousands of people in Scandinavia. Don’t worry, I can hear the shouts of derision already - I am well aware that this upbringing removes many significant barriers that stand in the way of us normal folk. However, it is Schopenhauer’s quote that sings to me here, as well as the obvious question of motivation. Having such a privileged upbringing can pin wildly high expectations on young people, who completely lose their motivation in life as a result. I have seen it many times in the world of old British public schools, where parents fully expect their kids to uphold the honour of the family name and continue making millions, in part to ensure the survival of vast estates. It’s a story as old as time - child crumbles under the pressure and turns to alcohol, drugs, etc. What is even harder is choosing a totally different path, especially one where there is nowhere to hide; if you’re not good enough, no amount of money will buy you success in golf tournaments at the highest level.
So, purely from a mental perspective, what does Reitan’s win in a signature event with a full, strong field tell us? Well, there is a branch of philosophy called ‘Luck Egalitarianism’ that separates the idea of luck into two distinct types - brute luck and option luck. Brute luck would be Reitan being born into a wealthy family and having access to all the things people associate with success: coaches, facilities, etc. Option luck would be the opportunities he has created for himself with this good fortune - his ‘brute luck’. Reitan’s win tells us that he is a very individually driven person who pursued something he had a talent for and that he loved, rather than what was easy. In itself, this would have placed a complex set of expectations on him from himself, his family and wider society. He would have known that his chosen path would be examined due to his family’s high standing in Norway, and he would have undoubtedly felt some pressure to succeed - not for financial reasons, but for the much more important reason of personal pride.
Much like Maverick McNealy, I admire Kristoffer Reitan for choosing to pursue a passion and for the strength of character it takes to make that a success when there is a much easier option available. His win reminds us that European golf is in good hands; indeed, Rickie Fowler was the only American with a credible chance to win on Sunday, whilst Alex Fitzpatrick, Nicolai Hojgaard and Tommy Fleetwood made it four Euros in the top 5. Strong stuff.
OneFlight Myrtle Beach Classic
Another good story this week came from Myrtle Beach, where 45 year-old Brandt Snedeker won for the first time in seven years. Did anyone else think he was older than that? Anyway, it wasn’t his win that fascinated me the most, it was the performance of Ryan Ruffels. Having qualified via the Q, broadcast on YouTube and with a field comprised of the most prominent golf ‘influencers’, Ruffels produced a performance consistent with a proper golfer. He was T15 after 36 holes, a far cry from where many people (not least I) had expected him to be.
I know Ruffels has a background including tour golf, and is not just a YouTuber. Much like Luke Kwon or Brad Dalke, Ruffels is an excellent player who has played on mini tours and the Korn Ferry Tour, as well as being a highly rated amateur in his younger days. He even made the cut at the Australian Open as a 15 year old, so the kid can obviously play. But to me, this exposes something that few golf fans truly understand. The difference between Ryan Ruffels, who is a wonderful player, and a tour player who maintains their status year after year - it’s huge. Otherwise YouTube golf wouldn’t be a thing - they’d all be on tour.
What sticks out to me about his performance this week is the way he dealt with expectations - that word again, and back to Schopenhauer’s quote. His post round interviews confirmed to me that he felt eyes on him due to the nature of his qualification - he mentioned that he was ‘carrying the weight of YouTube golf on his back’ and the pressure to prove that they are actually good players and not just messing about for entertainment. This did not mean that he was expecting to win, but he had mentally prepared to try to win. Two different things, producing two different outcomes. By focusing on playing the best golf he could, he kept himself in the present and played each shot as it came. By contrast, if you expect to win then every mistake you make is a hammerblow to the psyche.
All of this tells me that golf is in a good place. We have solid players on YouTube, for goodness sake. This can only be good for attracting young people to the game. We have billionaire heirs making it their career instead of treading the prepared path. We have people striving every day to get better, whether that be Kristoffer Reitan or a 36 handicap at your local club. Golf seems strong - so don’t take Schopenhauer literally. Avoid not expecting to be happy. Just live in the present moment, and your golf game will thank you.
