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Conclave around the WGC Mexico and some reflections from within

Pablo Larrazábal and Raúl Quirós. (© Golffile | Ken Murray)

Last week in Oman there was a kind of catharsis. Pablo’s first hour and a half of training with the team Robert Rock it was a talk. Without touching a stick. Without doing anything technical. We had to talk about what happened in the WGC Mexico. You all know that he ended up very frustrated by the result and needed to lose weight, as we usually say.

I think Pablo explained very well in his blog in Ten Golf the sensations he had. Rock commented to him that it could be a problem of planning of the tournament. I think the key is in focus. You put a lot of extra pressure, you have an excess of desire and so the frustration appears very quickly. It may sound like an excuse, but it is reality.

I would like to share with you my vision of what happened in Mexico. I’m not a psychologist or anything like it, but in the end I spend a lot of time with Pablo and it is inevitable that we know each other a lot and well. I think that the main fault is that he faces all the big tournaments in a different way from the mental point of view, and by this I mean those that are of Rolex Series up. It puts extra pressure.

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My opinion is that a Rolex Series cannot play the same as an Indian Open, for example. He tries and goes to each of these appointments with that attitude, but for the moment it does not come out. In the ‘smaller’ tournaments he plays more with the knife, to win. I think it’s a focus issue, something mental. You don’t have to be very smart or an engineer to see that since the Rolex Series came into existence, we have not done well at these tournaments. Neither in the Final Series. And it shocks me a lot because he handles himself very well in all fields. It is a matter of his focus, internal, he presses himself, he comes out more grasped. I think he sees it as an opportunity to jump-start his career when we actually have to see it as a gift I think. It is a week to enjoy, learn and, since you have already played several times, know your previous mistakes and grow.

We must see it as just another tournament and the work to be done is the same in every way. You have to have the same approach, the same work and the routine should be the same, although the numbers at the end are different. In terms of work and preparation of the tournament it is very similar.

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Be that as it may, I get a lot of positive things from the Mexico tournament. Of all the greats we have played, he is the one who has done the best from tee to green, not only because of his shots, but because of his attitude. He decided which blow to hit and went for it, not defend himself. He has played much better from tee to green. The first day we made par and if we had made -6 nothing would have happened because we missed five or six putts from two meters down. He didn’t miss a shot. I haven’t seen Pablo miss five putts under six feet in five years and I think it’s all related. He presses himself and his hands go off.

I neither enjoy nor am I comfortable in this type of tournaments and it’s a shame

The solution is in his hand. I understand that it gives a bit of a downturn because again we have hit the same stone, but inside me I have many more positive than negative things. The only negative is seeing how bad he feels for the week, seeing him so low, but he has to recover and look forward. He is playing well and this week we are facing a new opportunity. Come on!

* Raúl Quirós is Pablo Larrazábal’s caddy

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