Last weekend Jordan Spieth took home the Claret Jug and his third major golf championship with a win at the 146^th British Open.  Heading into the final round Spieth was three shots ahead of Matt Kuchar, but he bogeyed three of the first four holes to see his advantage wiped out in the space of 48 minutes.

Spieth held on to a slim lead over Kuchar until the 13^th hole when he hit an erratic drive, took a penalty drop after waiting 20 minutes for a ruling, played his third shot from the practice ground, and ended up with a bogey on the hole.  “When that (bogey) putt went in, I was really, really obviously excited,” Spieth said. “But I was walking off the green and Michael (Spieth’s caddie Michael Greller) said, ‘Hey.’ He held me up, and he said, ‘That’s a momentum shift right there.’ And he was dead on. And all I needed to do was believe that. I was starting to feel it … Just his belief, when I know him so well, just fed over a bit. And all I needed was just a little bit of self-belief to be able to produce.”

“Self-Belief”….. so much easier said than done.  And it’s at those times that we need to turn to someone else to re-ignite belief in ourselves.  Spieth turned to his life-long friend and caddie for that word of encouragement.

We all need to be aware when our friends need a momentum shift.  We need to provide that word of encouragement.  This requires that we make an effort to stay in touch with those whom we need and whom need us.  Friendship is a blessing.  Be a blessing and be blessed.

-Mark Palmer