Underdog Slays the Tiger. The Impossible was Made Possible
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009I love writing about Tiger Woods because he has been so great to watch over the years. There is so much to learn from Tiger Woods when it comes to success. He is so dedicated to his craft putting more practice hours in than his competitors. He is so mentally strong that it is just inspiring to watch. Tiger believes he can elevate his game at anytime to beat anyone at anytime. He doesn’t compete against other golfers in the field, he competes against history. His lifelong dream has been to surpass Jack Nicklaus’s 18 major championship victories. Tiger has won 14 of them already so he is very close to achieving his lifelong dream. He was the odds on favorite to win number 15 on Sunday when he was in the lead entering the final round of play. Tiger has never lost a major championship when holding or sharing the lead entering the final day of competition. He has been in that position 14 times and he has won 14 times. Lets just say Tiger is the man when it comes to closing out his competition. Other players just crack under pressure when they face Tiger on the final day. Its almost like he is an unbeatable GOLIATH. The PGA tournament officials were just about to male the trophy to Tiger’s trophy vault. Then comes the underdog of all underdogs.
An unknown 37 year old golfer named Y.E. Yang came out of nowhere to slay the almighty Tiger while earning his first major championship victory by accomplishing what no other player of this generation had before him. Yang not only came from behind to defeat him, he did it while going head-to-head with him in the last pairing. Yang triumphed over the game’s top player in a way that had never occurred before. Yang made the impossible, possible. I repeat Yang, made the impossible, possible.
“I’ve sort of visualized this quite a few times playing against the best player in the history of golf, playing with him in the final round in a major championship, always sort of dreamed about this,” Yang said Sunday. “I’ve seen throughout Tiger’s career that a lot of players have folded probably on the last day when playing with him.
“So when I was at home or at a tournament watching Tiger in the clubhouse, I’d usually try to visualize and try to bring up a mock strategy how to win, if I ever played against Tiger.”
Yang, whose best finish in a major prior to Sunday was a tie for 30th at the 2007 Masters. Yang managed to keep the heat on Tiger. Yang was armed with the belief in his abilities and he obviously arrived with the perfect attitude to accomplish the goal.
Opportunities don’t go away, they just go to someone else. That someone else was Yang. No one told him that he couldn’t achieve the victory. No one told him that he couldn’t raise the trophy over his head while defeating Tiger. Besides, even if they did, I doubt he would have bought into it. It doesn’t matter what others believe you can achieve, it only matters what you believe you can achieve. You are only an underdog if you believe you are an underdog. Anything can happen on any given day if you believe in your abilities to make it happen. So many great players have tried to achieve what Yang accomplished, only to fail. I believed that these players have consistently failed to defeat Tiger because they defeat themselves mentally before they even try. I can’t stress enough that the greatest battle you will ever fight is the battle in your mind. Are you a believer or a non-believer? Are you going to be an achiever or a non-achiever? Your life is entirely up to you. The million dollar question is, “What life are you going to create for yourself?”
The next time you face an incredibly difficult challenge in your life, in your work, or in your relationships you must step up to the challenge. You must rise to the occasion and overcome any obstacle that is in your path. Think that the impossible is possible. Believe without a doubt that you can achieve anything you desire. You are the master of your destiny. You are the creator of your future. Make your dreams come true by achieving the greatness that you desire. Why not you? Why not now? If Y.E. Yang can come out of nowhere to accomplish the impossible than so can you. Its up to you now, its up to you.
Hooman Hamzehloui 2009
www.HoomanCan.com