A Golfer’s Guide to Showing Humility

While texting with my good friend Andrew during the final round of the Masters we touched upon a subject that has come up multiple times in past conversations—humility. I believe this to be an important character trait. If I listed Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy which one would stand separate from the others regarding humility?

Those interviews following the round with golfers are very revealing of their humility. Phil, Rory and Jordan get it. Tiger does not. Instead of Tiger complimenting his fellow competitors along with his round’s details he shares swing mechanic jargon or other uninteresting comments. It is often just about him. Wouldn’t it be nice for him to show a real person behind the mask? Tiger had a brilliant opportunity at the 2010 Masters to reboot his image. The Prodigal Son had arrived to Augusta National and people were excited to see him return after the hiatus from his fire hydrant scandal. People are willing to forgive. I certainly did not expect a tearful Jim Bakker “I have sinned” type of apology but it would have been nice to see a person who was genuine. Instead it seemed wooden and scripted. I sighed and shook my head.

I argued in my analysis of Tiger vs Jack in my book, Golf Shorts and Plus Fours that Tiger lacks the human connection that Jack has with his followers. This will impact the judgment of those who think one of the golfers is better than the other. I concluded that Tiger is the greatest golfer, and I am a lifelong Jack fan. My separation of Tiger’s gift as a golfer and the metrics of his impressive amateur and professional careers from his personality and “likeness quotient” was clear.

Too bad there is not a specialized media coach to help him choose the right words and have him smile more. He proudly continues to beat to his own drum. It would not cost him anything to compliment his golfing brethren. Why not stand at the back of the 18th green following the Masters to shake hands with the winner? People notice such classy gestures. It should not always be about you, it is about them.

Jordan Spieth was asked about humility at The Masters. I loved his response, and remember, this is from a 21-year old, “Me speaking about humility is very difficult because that wouldn’t be humility.” All signs show he is a very grounded individual. His family and high school friends will keep him real. This allows watchers to connect with him and wish him the best. His golfing skills are impressive however, Jordan’s humility and politeness may be more worthy. They are meshed together in character and you like him.

Phil Mickelson has consistently expressed gratitude when giving interviews, interacting with fans and signing autographs. His smile is warm and he is known to lavish praise on other golfers and their performances. His thumbs up signal he consistently bestows spectators is a symbol of connection. Phil’s interview this past weekend mentioned how well he played but I liked how he stated he was beaten by a better player. Spread the accolades.

Rory and his lopsided grin makes you feel comfortable. One feels that you can laugh alongside him. From his engagement breakdown with Caroline Wozniacki, his “toothache” issue of walking off the course in the Honda Classic and firing his club in the lake he shows himself fallible—an imperfect human just like you and me. Rory is able to recover brilliantly with the media and laughs are shared. He knows what he did and remains a young man still learning his way in the world. You like him. You want him to win.

Professional golfers absolutely need to have great confidence that can straddle the line of arrogance. These qualities can be crucial to survive in the top level of such an impossibly difficult game to master. It cannot be mastered. Nothing wrong in combining great confidence and humility. They are not mutually exclusive.