I can’t even beat Annika in my dreams!

I often dream about golf. Don’t we all?

Last night’s dream was exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. Apparently, I’m an underachiever when I’m sleeping.

The first part was imaginative and ambitious in that I was a good enough golfer to even be competing with Annika Sorenstam in the first place. I wasn’t a pro, but we were playing against each other in some kind of exhibition match.

We were down to the 18th hole and I had a real chance to win. Annika was already on the green (ha – I guess I outdrove her) so I needed to stick one close. My approach shot went long and ended up in a really tricky lie in a strange tuft of grass behind the green. I didn’t have any bunkers to deal with and I had plenty of green to use, but the lie was unpredictable. I needed to hole it out to secure a win or put it in tap-in distance and hope she missed her putt to push a tie-breaker. I ran it by about 15 feet. She missed her first putt and finished off with par. Now I had to make this putt to force the playoff.

Here’s where it gets psychologically interesting.

Up until this point, I had been a fierce competitor and it didn’t matter who my opponent was. Looking at my 15 footer and knowing what it meant, suddenly I started thinking how terrific it was I even had a chance to beat the Amazing Annika and how it would be great even if I only came close. Sure enough, I only came close. I missed the putt and lost. Funny thing was, I didn’t care. I had convinced myself that losing to Annika by one stroke was a great accomplishment.

When I woke up I was terribly disappointed in myself for letting my mind concede and not winning. Go figure.

But thanks for the game, Annika.

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