Masters Meltdown

• stadmin
• April 12, 2025
• 6:34 pm
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• Masters Meltdown

It's only Saturday so we don't know how the Masters will end yet. Will Rory complete his career grand slam? Will Justin Rose become the oldest 1st-time winner? Will Scottie Scheffler join an exclusive club of back-to-back winners (Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods being the only 3 players to accomplish that)?

Regardless of how tomorrow plays out, I already have a favorite story from the tournament.

Nick Dunlap is a 21-year-old pro and the 2024 Rookie of the Year on the PGA Tour. He's already won 2 tournaments made over $3,000,000 playing golf in his young career.

On Thursday at Augusta, he shot 90.

90!

And didn't have a single 3-putt; he's battling the yips with his driver and struggled all day to keep the ball in play.

He did not withdraw. He did not fake a back injury to save face. He gutted out 18 miserable holes.

More remarkable than carding one of the worst rounds in Master's history without making excuses is that came back on Friday to shoot 1-under par!

90 -> 71!

His refusal to quit, his ability to battle through adversity, and the mental toughness required to shoot an under-par round on Friday was impressive.

But the coolest part of the story is that after his disastrous 1st Round a number of fellow pros, including the #1 ranked player in the world Scottie Scheffler, texted him to show him support, to let him know how impressed they were by his desire to get through 18 holes on Thursday no matter what, and to encourage him to keep battling.

The guys who reached out to him weren't teammates; by definition they were competitors who personally gain from his and other players' misfortunes on the course. But they still recognized a fellow player, and more importantly a fellow human being, in need to support and they were there to give it to him.

That's really cool.

One of the most important things I teach at Summer Camp is how important it is to be a great teammate, and specifically, how important it is to be a great teammate specifically when things aren't going well.

In fact, I talked about this exact concept at Spring Break Camp on Thursday last week, not knowing what Dunlap was going through at Augusta at the same time.

It's easy to be a great teammate when everything's going great. When a teammate gets a hit, it's easy to chant "1, 2, 3 Attboy!" from the dugout. When a teammate scores a run it's easy to meet him at the dugout gate and give him a high five. When a teammate hits a homerun it's easy to mob him at home plate.

And while those moments of support are important, a player doesn't really need his teammates then; the kid who just hit a double or scored a run or made a great catch already feels pretty awesome!

Players need their teammates the most after something doesn't go their way, when they're struggling, or when they're feeling down.

But that's when it's often the hardest to be a great teammate.

Before our scrimmage at camp on Thursday, I challenged the kids to actively seek out the moments when their teammates were struggling (after a strikeout, after an error, etc) and to pump them up.

Of course they were going to cheer for them after getting a hit, but what about after a strikeout?

Of course they were going to cheer for them after making a play in the infield, but what about after an error?

Like everything else in sports, being a great teammate takes practice and when coaches and parents emphasize, recognize, and reward that character trait players will feel more supported (especially in the tough moments), will play better knowing people have their back no matter what, and most importantly will have fun playing even if they're not performing at their best.

And what's coolest about being a great teammates, is that we have 100% control over that every single day we go to the field; every player can bat 1.000 in that department!

No player goes 4-4 every day, and no player throws a no-hitter every day, and no player makes every play in the field.

But every player can be a great teammate every single day; all they have to do is decide to do it!

And parents/coaches, let's make sure not to pile on our kids when they make a mistake or have a bad game. In those moments of "failure" they already feel terrible; be careful not to make it worse by expressing frustration or disappointment. Rather, find something (anything!) positive to say that will help lift their spirits.

Let's all commit to challenging our players to be incredible teammates at all times and you will be amazed at how much more fun the kids have on the field and how much better they play!

PLAY HARD, HAVE FUN!