Matt Wallace column: Level par might be enough for me to win the US Open

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Matt Wallace17 June 2021

You get nervous every single week on the PGA Tour when you take your Covid test and wait for the result, especially in a Majors week like this one.

I’ve been vaccinated but I took a commercial flight over here and, despite being doubly careful, it is a worry so getting that all clear is always a nice relief.

That leaves me to concentrate on my golf and get my game right for the US Open. Right now, my putting is the thing that’s stopping me from pushing on.

I had a really good chat with my psychologist on Saturday, who talked about making putts in my head – so actually making it mentally before it goes on.

When I was winning on the European Tour, I was making a lot of putts but I was so into it that, if I did miss, I couldn’t understand how I missed. I wasn’t good mentally back then. I couldn’t deal with it as well as I can now.

I’ve not had that putting intensity for a good few weeks now of going to that level of making that putt even before I putt. If you don’t envisage that, there’s doubt in your mind, you’re thinking “What if it’s not the right line? What if it’s not the right speed?” but you don’t think like that when you’re putting well.

I’ve had my putting coach here for the last few days to work on that and my caddie Gareth Lord’s also a help. If I tell him I need to make the putt in my head, he can be the trigger by saying that. And once we piece that all together then good things will happen.

Being patient is what I need with it although patience isn’t my strongest suit! I just need to wait for it to click and come about as you never quite know when that’s going to happen, and then you get on a roll.

Lordy’s massively important this week. He won here caddying for Justin Rose in 2019 and he did well here with Robert Karlsson back in 2008. So, he knows the place well.

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His main advice was not to expect to hit it close to the pin, maybe expect it to within 30 or 40 feet and that, in itself is really, really good. So that will be my expectation this week.

It’s not a course I’ve played at before apart from in practice the past few days but it’s seriously thick around the greens so, in many ways, the bunkers are your friends. The toughness of the course, combined with the wind, means it’s a proper test.

When Tiger Woods won here in 2008, he finished one-under par. Right now, I’d take level par for the end of the week in a heartbeat – it might well be enough to lift the trophy.

Arriving here, my mindset’s a little different. I’m not chasing Ryder Cup points or thinking about targeting the top 10 in the world like I have in the past. I just want to compete, that’s it. I’ve too often been thinking about things other than winning the tournament.

When I was on a roll on the European Tour a few years ago, all I was thinking about was winning tournaments and it didn’t matter how. I’m trying to get back to that approach for the rest of the season. Let’s see how it goes.

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