Jack Nicklaus Quotes

To win a major tournament you have to face the top teams at some point, but if you avoid those at the beginning then you can win games and build confidence. I think the key is just to get off to a good start.

I went to Q-school knowing that I could play well and get through.

I learned that round four of a major is really not too much different than rounds one through three. I didn't keep to my game plan in the '08 U.S. Women's Open for the final round. That won't happen again!

I'm not worried about the Masters. I never worry about this tournament or that tournament.

It is never the case that I will push myself more for the World Championships and play differently in a Super Series or vice-versa.

Of course we go to Montreal to work as hard as we can and do the best we can, the same way we go everything, but I think if we always think we need to score points, we start forgetting about the stuff we have to do to get there.

I think you can train yourself to block out some of that pressure and replace it with confidence. It's about preparation, and the more prepared I am, the less pressure I feel and the more confident I am. As your confidence grows, it's only natural that the pressure you feel diminishes.

First and fore-most, you must have confidence. Your second mental problem is concentration. Think the shot through in advance before you address the ball. Draw a mental image of where you want it to go and then eliminate everything else from your mind, except how you are going to get the ball into that preferred spot.

When I come into a tournament, I'm expecting to win. That's my philosophy. I can't go to a tournament thinking, 'I'm going to get my ass kicked today, so I might as well leave.'

Before a big acting competition, my dad sent me a note that said, 'Define the moment. Don't let the moment define you.'

I'm never afraid during a game, and I have no negative thoughts. I think about what I have to do. Which players can be substituted? And where I can manage to squeeze in a slight advantage? I remain very calm, which is why I never engage in any sideline antics.

I never prayed that I would make a putt. I prayed that I would react well if I missed.

There isn't a hole out there [Augusta] that can't be birdied if you just think. But there isn't one that can't be double-bogeyed if you stop thinking.

The difficulty is, all swing thoughts decay, like radium. What burnt up the course on Wednesday has turned to lead on Sunday. Yet it does not do to have a blank mind: the terrible hugeness of the course will rush into the vacuum and the ball will spray like a thing berserk.

St. Andrews by far is my favorite golf course in the world. It's where the game all started, it's why we have 18 holes instead of 22 and I think the history behind St. Andrews is amazing. There is no other golf course in the world that can say that every great player who has ever played the game has played that golf course.

A leading difficulty with the average player is that he totally misunderstands what is meant by concentration. He may think he is concentrating hard when he is merely worrying.

You are always racing against the other swimmers, but I always try to just focus on what I'm doing and how I want to swim my races.

You can only play one hole at a time.

Even before you step up to the ball, have a full battle plan for the hole worked out.

Once you play a tournament, you're playing against the golf course, you're playing against yourself and trying to do the best you can.

I focus on myself, that's how I beat Wladimir Klitschko.

Something inside me clicked, like an engine shifting into higher gear. My thinking suddenly became faster and clearer. The anger and fear didn't go away, but I realized they weren't important. They weren't going to help me.

Miss a putt for $2,000? Not likely!

Golf is a game of integrity. And golf is a game of forgiveness. I think the high standards of golf remind people of how lucky they are, or how fortunate they are, to be able to play the game.

You have to believe on the court. In the end, it's mental. In these moments against a great champion like Rafa, you have to believe. It's all about stepping in and taking your chances. I always believed, but it's a process of learning.