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| SPORTS - August 19, 2008 |
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| Ace is nice but Kruger’s score misses cut at Alberta amateurs |
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By Tobias Romaniuk
Post Staff
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Local golfer Blaine Kruger got a hole-in-one at the Canadian National Amateur Championships at Paradise Valley in Lethbridge, held from Aug. 9 to 14.
"That was pretty cool," he said of the 131-yard shot made with his trusty pitching wedge. "I hit a really quality golf shot."
The Lac La Biche golfer qualified for the four-round event shooting a 71 on the first day, but aside from the ace, the second day didn’t result in a good enough score to continue — he missed the cut by five shots.
The championship was the last tournament of the season for his amateur ranking, but Kruger isn’t quite done golfing locally yet.
He’s looking forward to the two-day Lac La Biche club championship on August 26 and 27. The late summer tournament will give Kruger a chance to work on his mental game, something he says is lacking.
"I need to focus more," he said, attributing his early departure from the nationals to issues with his mental game, rather than his physical play.
Kruger, who went to university in St. Louis, Missouri on a golf scholarship, had a mental coach two years ago.
He played this season without a coach.
"I’m having a hard time focusing this year," he said.
Kruger said the problem isn’t the game, since he plays great when playing practice rounds.
The problem is the added pressure come game time.
"It’s sure disappointing to play so poorly," he said of his tournament game.
But despite the disappointing results, Kruger isn’t putting the clubs in the back of the closet just yet.
"I’m pumped up for next year," he said.
With thoughts of doing better on his mind, Kruger is thinking of following the lead of the sport’s top player, Tiger Woods, who makes regular use of a mental coach, or sports psychologist.
Kruger said that golf is a game made up of losing, where even at the elite level "you’re still losing about 80% of the time."
Stats like that can lay heavy on the mind, especially in a game like golf, with so much time to do nothing but think.
"I really wish I had a sports psychologist this summer," said Kruger, who found his last mental coach through family contacts.
Kruger said mental coaches are especially helpful for working on things like focus and triggering your mind on and off.
Problems with focus are common in golfers said April Clay, a Calgary-based sports psychologist.
"Training your focus can be a real challenge."
Clay is a registered psychologist, although "there are no black couches," she said. But she does deal with the mental aspects of sports that include a lot of mental downtime, like marathon running and golf.
She works with athletes on what to think about in that downtime when there is nothing to really think about, and said it’s about knowing when to think of things like swing and stance, and when to distract the mind from over-thinking or negative thoughts.
She said golfers really need to ask themselves one simple question: "How am I going to occupy my mind in a neutral way so that it doesn’t get in the way?"
As for Kruger, he’ll be looking for answers on the local course, with an open attitude towards his future as a golfer.
"I’m looking at it taking me wherever it takes me." |
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