[ VIEWPOINT ] TOUR TALES & TRUE

Grant Dodd
had hit some solid draws on the range, and as a result was happy with the way the process had evolved. There was no mention of the worm-burners and wounded duck ball flights that would have sent most young professionals to the first tee in a quivering mess, and certainly no suggestion that self doubt was at any stage a factor before, or during the final round. Nor did it seem like false bravado or a response scripted for the TV camera. He had simply decided that it was an irrelevance, and had refused to allow a few moments of mediocrity to distract him. To effectively employ such a denialist strategy under these circumstances suggests maturity and strength of character beyond his years, particularly given the importance of the moment and the weight of expectation heaped upon the 21-year-old rising star in his homeland. It demonstrated once again the truth of the adage that golf is played between the ears. So many young golfers have talent. Many of them have an innate ability to hit the ball with a purity of strike that makes others envious. Yet the chief reason why many prodigies fail to make an enduring mark in the professional game is because they often lack the ability to rise above adversity when confronted with situations and mental challenges similar to that faced by Kim Bi-o. Having spent 13 years on the pro tour and the best part of a decade writing and commentating on the game, I find myself placing increasingly less value on pure talent as a predictor of success than ever before. It simply isnt enough in an age where technology, field depth and advances in golf-specific training are inexorably diminishing the advantage of the physically gifted. Kim Bi-o went on to win back-to-back OneAsia events, also claiming the SK Telecom Open the following week. Again, and by his own admission, he did so without his A-game, fighting back on the inward nine on Sunday to reclaim a lead lost early in the round. Once more, he demonstrated the sort of resilience under pressure that divides the men from the boys. It is qualities of this ilk that will continue to define him amongst his pro-golf peers, and the primary reason why the golfing world will be hearing more of him in the very near future.

Kim proves its mind over matter

it was happy days for Korean tyro, Kim Bi-o, who won backto-back oneAsia titles in May after struggling to hit the ball off the ground during practice. it demonstrated once again the truth of the adage that golf is played between the ears.

To ask Grant a question, e-mail us at golfdig@ newslifemedia.com.au

The thud of a golf ball striking a distance marker on a tournament practice range has a startling, yet comforting ring. For the striker, its an aspirational sound, trumpeting expert marksmanship to those in the vicinity and lending the subconscious an assurance that the game is in reasonable working order. There are a few potential exceptions to this rule. One would be if the sound originates from a ball striking the 50m marker from a swing intended to send it 200m further down the range. Such was the case for Korean tyro, Kim Bi-o, third-round leader at the 2012 GS Caltex Maekyung Championship in Seoul on the OneAsia tour. A final-round warm-up, best described as troubling, rapidly morphed to apocalyptic just 15 minutes before his tee time as Kim, time and again, struggled to get the ball airborne with his driver and 3-wood. One attempt to unearth a swing that would get him through the day resulted in a ball loudly smashing a hole through the bottom of the 50m marker. Like onlookers to a freeway pile-up, those still on and around the range watched in silent fascination, many doubtless of the opinion that they were bearing witness to the initial stages of a notable sporting implosion. Five hours later, Kim Bi-o was holding the championship trophy aloft following a dominant and virtually flawless final round. Working as a TV analyst that week, it was my job to do the post-round interview. One of the first questions I asked was, What was going through your mind after such a poor preparation? Without wavering, Kim confidently replied that he

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/ july 2012

Courtesy of oneAsiA tour