Last week saw two incredible displays of resilience as Englishman Danny Willett and Australian Jason Day both bounced back from near-misses at the Open Championship within a single week.

Both players put their disappointments behind them immediately as Willett, pictured inset, won on the European Tour for the second time this season and Day won on the US PGA tour.

Willett led The Open at St Andrews at the halfway stage and was in a very strong position to challenge for the title, only to fade away over the weekend and finish in a tie for sixth. However, just a week later in Switzerland Willett fired a bogey-free final round 65(-5) to win the European Masters by a single stroke from up-and-coming youngster Matthew Fitzpatrick.

Day came agonisingly close to getting into a play-off at The Open Championship, finishing a single shot short when missing a birdie putt on the final green. It was the second major in succession that Day had come within one shot of a play-off. However, Day shrugged off these disappointments and finished with four straight birdies to win the Canadian Open by a single shot.

Jason Day, from Australia, holds up the trophy after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament in Oakville, Ontario
Jason Day, from Australia, holds up the trophy after winning the Canadian Open golf tournament in Oakville, Ontario

The way world-class golfers like Willett and Day approach their golf games is what enables them to bounce back so quickly. They recognise that you cannot control the outcome of a golf tournament but only the way that you approach each and every shot you play. You cannot control your score, or indeed the score that anyone else shoots. All you can do is play one shot at a time, add it up at the end and see where it stacks up against everyone else.

Elite golfers realise that getting into contention proves they are working on the right things within their golf game and continue to trust in what they are doing. They display a consistency of approach that breeds a consistency of performance.

All too often, club golfers have a bad round and start to immediately doubt what they are doing. They then flit from one thing to another, hoping to find the answer to their golfing issues. Unsurprisingly, the lack of consistency in this approach leads to a lack of consistency in their golf.

To produce greater consistency in your performances, approach the game with greater consistency. Find something that works and stick with it. Don’t be deterred by a bad day or a near miss. Believe in what you are doing and continue to do the right things, and trust that the results will follow.