I had a strange dream last night.
I was playing the final hole and all I needed was a par four to win the tournament. It would've given me the 66 I had set for myself as a target at the start of the round. The 66 I knew would win me the Open and change my life forever.
I made six.
… It took all of my resolve just to sign my scorecard.
Because I was so far behind at the start of the round, I finished much earlier than the rest of the field. So I left the golf course and headed straight for my hotel, convinced that I had thrown away the Open Championship.
I didn't choke on that last hole. The weather was terrible and the wind was howling. That 18th fairway was very narrow, and I hit a drive that just crept into the bunker. I hit it out and hit the third on the front edge of the green, because the wind was blowing so hard, and then I three-putted.
But I had shot 284 in those conditions, and it proved too much for the rest of the field to match. I received a phone call from the course to inform me that I had won the Open and could come and collect the Claret Jug at the official prize giving.
About golf. It is a game of precision, patience, and perseverance. Nowhere is this more evident than at Augusta National Golf Club, where the Masters regularly produces some of the most dramatic moments in sports.
The 2025 edition was no exception, offering a stark contrast between two players.
No, I’m not talking about the final pairing of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau, nor am I referring to the playoff between McIlroy and Justin Rose.
I do want to get into what Rory did—as he finally conquered his demons to complete the career Grand Slam—but also the story of Nick Dunlap, a young amateur who endured a brutal first round.
Spoiler alert: Dunlap ended up missing the cut (as did all the amateurs in this year’s event), but his is a story that many may not be aware of, thanks to the other storylines leading into the weekend and the drama that played out on Sunday afternoon.
What Dunlap and McIlroy went through at Augusta this year serve as cautionary tales about the pressure of performing on golf’s biggest stage and the importance of mental toughness in overcoming adversity.
For most golfers, stepping onto even the practice green at Augusta National is a dream come true. But for Dunlap, the 2025 Masters quickly turned into a nightmare, posting an 18-over-par 90 in his opening round as he flirted with the record for the worst score in tournament history.
The pressure of competing at Augusta, combined with the unforgiving nature of the course, appeared to unravel his game in spectacular fashion.
Dunlap’s struggles highlighted the immense psychological burden coming with playing in the Masters. The tournament’s history, the towering pines, the roars from the patrons—it all adds up to an atmosphere unlike any other in golf.
For a young player, the weight of expectations can be suffocating. Many have crumbled under the pressure, their dreams of a green jacket slipping away with every missed putt and errant drive.
The weight even gets to past champions. To wit, in 2005, Billy Casper—1970 Masters champion—fired a 105 in his opening round. Casper was also 73 years of age. Casper does not, however, have the record of worst round in tournament history. He refused to sign his scorecard, and thus he would never be in the record books for such a dubious achievement.
Casper didn't throw away his scorecard, though. Instead, he had it framed.
Yet, unlike Casper, Dunlap’s story didn’t end in despair or poor sportsmanship.
Instead of withdrawing or making excuses, Dunlap practiced relentlessly overnight and returned to shoot a one-under-par 71 in his second round—a remarkable 19-stroke improvement. Though he still missed the cut, his resilience turned what could have been a cautionary tale into an inspiring comeback story.
While Dunlap’s experience may serve as a warning about the perils of pressure, Rory McIlroy’s triumph at Augusta in 2025 is ultimately a testament to the power of mental toughness. For over a decade, McIlroy had been haunted by his failures at the Masters.
His infamous final-round collapse in 2011—where he squandered the four-shot lead he held after 54 holes—became one of the most painful days in golf history. Year after year, he returned to Augusta, only to fall short of the elusive green jacket.
But yesterday, McIlroy finally exorcised his demons. Entering the final round with a two-shot lead, he looked poised to end his 11-year major drought. However, it looked like Augusta had other plans.
A double bogey on the first hole, followed by a series of mistakes on the second nine, saw his five-shot lead evaporate. Suddenly, he found himself trailing Justin Rose, who after losing his own 36-hole lead, had surged from seven shots back on Sunday to take the lead.
It was a moment that could have shattered McIlroy’s confidence. Probably should have. Maybe did.
But only temporarily. Humpty Dumpty was put back together again—several times—on Sunday.
Prior to Rose taking control, McIlroy, on the par-5 13th, played it “safe” and laid up to 86 yards. He then—unfathomably—chunked his approach, rinsing his ball in a tributary of Rae’s Creek, ultimately double-bogeying and reducing the margin over Rose to one stroke.
The specters of Rory’s past failures loomed large for the viewing audience. But instead of succumbing to the pressure, he dug deep, producing clutch birdies on 15 and 17 to force a playoff.
In this short stretch, McIlroy mixed in some of the most impressive golf shots of his career with a handful of his absolute worst.
Then, in the playoff, with everything on the line, he launched a 126-yard gap wedge to within four feet and sank the putt to defeat Rose and to, finally, claim his first Masters title.
The stories of Dunlap and McIlroy offer lessons about the nature of pressure and the importance of mental resilience in golf. Three-time Masters champion and nine-time major winner Gary Player once said, “The mind messes up more shots than the body.”
Dunlap’s experience serves as a cautionary tale about the brutal reality of competing at Augusta—how the weight of expectation can unravel even the most talented players. His ability to bounce back in the second round, however, is a testament to the power of perseverance.
McIlroy’s triumph, on the other hand, appears to have been a masterclass in mental toughness. After years of heartbreak, he refused to let past failures define him. Even the failure he had on the 18th hole to put away the tournament in regulation.
His ability to stay composed under pressure, even as his lead evaporated, ultimately secured his place in golf history. A “stoic” performance perhaps?
For golfers of any stripe, these stories underscore a crucial truth: talent alone is not enough. The Masters is indeed a test of skill, but more importantly, the weekend at Augusta makes for a test of character.
Whether facing the temporal torture of an 18-over-par round or the stress of a sudden-death playoff, success at Augusta requires more than a perfect swing—it demands resilience, focus, and an unshakable belief in oneself.
And about that strange dream I had last night?
Well, surprisingly, it had nothing to do with golf. What I quoted at the top of this email was not about my dream, they were the words of Gary Player, recalling his first Major championship victory at the 1959 Open.
I did have a dream and it was certainly a strange one… It had something to do about high school football and made zero sense to me, so I’m not going to get into it.
As always,
Brian
P.S. – For more on mental toughness, our (short) ebook, Mental Toughness – Mastering Resilience for Success, uses— though not explicitly—some of the principles Gary Player espouses.
Also, it won’t cost you more than 4 bucks. We include several strategies that will help you increase your natural capacity to become mentally tough(er).
After that, it's up to you.
Also, Gary Player’s book, Don’t Choke, is available at Amazon. Recommended reading.
