FEBRUARY 5: While Monday morning blues is a common occurrence, some pro golfers suffer from Sunday Afternoon Blues. In the last two tournaments, I seem to have been afflicted by the syndrome. What's more embarrassing is that while I know the remedy, I can't cure myself.During the Mercedes Benz South African Open and then the Heineken Classic, I had been in perfect position to essay a top-ten finish. In both, I was tied for 16th place going into the final day. My form was pretty solid and I was looking forward to the Sunday round.But as I got to the first tee box, I felt a sudden rush of adrenalin. The moment I hit the first shot, I started aspiring for rounds of 65 or 66. And on both days, I finished making 74 and 75 to drop down to 36th and 37th position respectively. It was a classic case of trying harder and ruining everything. I have been telling myself that I have learnt my lessons. Let's see what I do on future Sundays.The first four European Tour events of the year 2000 showcased how tough alife it is for pro golfers. In South Africa, it kept raining cats and dogs. We would play a couple of holes and then called in for lightning fear. It was irritating and extremely difficult to focus. Once in Australia, it was so hot that I was dropping sweat on the ball while addressing. The temperature touched 47 degrees in Perth during the Heineken Classic third round. However, there is no room for complaint. The conditions were the same for everyone and it was a matter of adapting to the situation.The one big star for the last couple of weeks in the European Tour was Michael Campbell of New Zealand. The Kiwi won his second successive event after the Johnnie Walker Classic last year in Taipei with a stupendous 20-under 268 in the Heineken Classic. Campbell was considered a superstar in 1995 when he finished third in the British Open. Thereafter, he simply faded away. Campbell's is a story worth listening to. After the loss of form in 1996, he almost quit playing golf. His family supported him through thelong hours of crisis and Campbell went back to the drawing board. He regrouped his game almost from scratch and is now reaping the rewards of spending unending hours on the practice range.And the other golfer making a splash once again is the Great White Shark. Greg Norman almost missed the cut in Heineken Classic but came back strongly to finish seventh. This week, he hosted his own tournament in Sydney. He has personally upped the prize money by a million Australian dollars to make the Greg Norman Holden Invitational the richest golf event Down Under. But he failed to make the cut. Unfortunately, so did I, though there is no comparison.(Tiger Sports Marketing)
