How the stars should view Tiger's absence

MAJOR championships without Tiger Woods are a bit like expecting to travel first class and then being told that you have got to go back to economy.

It’s OK, you will still get to where you want to go, but it is just not the same!

Something is, and will be, missing for us as spectators and golf fans during the USPGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

That is the scenario facing us as possibly the greatest player who has ever played the game of golf takes an enforced leave of absence.

However, for those golfers who are actually playing in the USPGA at the last Major of the season it is a totally DIFFERENT story.

Just as it was during the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

This will now SEEM a HUGE opportunity to be playing in a Major tournament without the great man breathing down your neck.

One advantage that will be obvious is that the crowds will be a little bit more evenly dispersed than when Woods is playing so that the groundswell of people shouldn’t have quite the same effect as when you are either playing with or directly in front or behind the collector of 14 Major titles.

If you do happen to go into the last round a couple of shots behind the leader the fact that it isn’t Tiger statistically gives you an advantage because he has NEVER lost a Major going into the final round with a lead.

These are the obvious positives.

On the downside almost every interview that Mickelson, Els, Rose, Westwood and the like will face from the press will be along the lines of…’how great a chance do YOU now think you have of winning a Major without Woods in the field?’

The constant message given subliminally by the press will be to take this chance. Or else!

For me, though, to have a player look at the tournament and focus on the fact Woods is playing or he isn’t is TOTALLY the wrong mindset and one that far too many players fall into the trap of doing.

It is also a trap that you could well be falling into in your own golf club, county or national team.

You must remember that strokeplay golf is a unique sport in the sense that you are not REALLY playing anybody.

If you play snooker and Ronnie O’Sullivan is at the table and about to pot all the balls you are in big trouble.

If you are trying to beat Rafael Nadal at tennis and you just cannot get his serve back then you have a real issue.

If you fancy your chances at boxing but Amir Khan is absolutely pummelling you against the ropes, I am sorry, but no amount of positive thinking is going to have much effect.

Yet, in golf, NOBODY can control your ball except you! Just consider that for a moment.

No matter how powerful Woods is, no matter his standing in the game even HE at this moment in time has not been granted the authority to put his foot out and stop your ball rolling into the cup.

Even though nobody can actually golf our ball how much time do we give, how much mental energy do we lose in focusing on what OTHER players can and cannot do.

It never ceases to amaze me at tournaments how much time players spend looking at leaderboards, seeing what others are doing, forecasting, assuming, worrying about something over which they have absolutely NO CONTROL whatsoever!

The one and only thing that you DO have control over is YOU and YOUR game.

You have the ability if you decide to focus your attention completely on what you are doing and are therefore able to focus on your own game plan.

You have the opportunity as in no other sport to COMPLETELY control your own destiny.

Yet so few players actually take that on board.

It doesn’t matter who you are playing in the knockout final, it is IRRELEVANT.

In very simple terms there are only two things that you are trying to control at golf, THE BALL and YOURSELF.

Focus on those two things and let others do what they are going to do.