Blow Up a Hole, Win Anyway: Vaughn Taylor's 10-Year Lesson

Vaughn Taylor hadn't won anywhere in more than ten years. On Sunday at the Constellation Furyk & Friends, the 50-year-old fixed that in the most DivotersGC way possible: five straight birdies on the back nine, then a three-putt on the 17th that nearly flushed the whole thing.

Read that again. A guy playing for an actual trophy three-putted with the tournament on the line, figured his chances were gone, then parred 18 and stuffed a 7-iron to ten feet on the second playoff hole to beat Alex Cejka. If a blown hole doesn't end his Sunday, it doesn't have to end yours either.

The 10-second reset (Tip of the Week)

Here's the part weekend hackers can steal. After a blow-up, Taylor didn't fix his stroke. He just played the next shot. Steal that with a dead-simple routine: club in the bag, one slow breath, and name your next target out loud — “middle of the green” or “just past that bunker.” Ten seconds, then swing.

Why it works for us: our disasters snowball because hole 14's shank is still renting space in our heads on hole 15's tee. Naming a small, boring target drags your brain back to this shot instead of the last one. Taylor proved the math — five birdies, one three-putt, one trophy. Your card can survive a quad if the next hole gets a fair swing.

So this weekend, when you donate one to the golf gods, take ten seconds and move on. Look like a pro. Swing like a hack. Replace your divots.