Dustin Johnson carried a lead into Sunday at Harbor Town, but struggles on the back 9 derailed him. 
The Dutch Fork High School graduate led the event for 3 rounds but faltered in the final round.  These struggles late in a  major event would devastate some, even scar others for life. In my opinion, Johnson will move on to the next event unscathed. In fact, he is a magician at converting rough stretches and struggles on the golf course into good shots and hot stretches. 
Of the players I am familiar with, Johnson and my son, Wesley, are the best at looking forward without regard to the past. 
This incidentally, in my opinion, is one of the cornerstone conceptual principles that all golfers should constantly study. For the   record, this is a principle that one does not master. It’s one that requires a constant ongoing day to day course of study and exercise. 
Dr. Bob Rotella said this in the first workshop I attended in which he taught.
“In the game of golf, it could be more important to learn how to forget, than learning how to remember.”
I can personally attest from watching both Johnson and my son, Wesley, grow up that both can stay on hot runs longer than  anybody I have ever known. This memory control is part of how they play great for long periods of time or keep hot streaks going. 
Neither got caught up in trying to think about how many underpar they are or how many good rounds they’ve had in a row. It’s because they are so focused on simply the next shot. 
This is a learned skill that is tied into the playing perspective and mindset. The spring will be devoted to this topic so stay tuned but here’s something before signing off on the lesson today. 
Your assignment for next week is to look up ways to forget. Here is a cool proven fact; the Midlands is a fertile seedbed for producing world class golf talent. It’s been much fun studying our local culture through the years. Part of how I study is reporting as I am doing right now, but the best part is   going to watch them play. 
We have two local junior girls, Isabella Rawl, 15, and Karlee Vardas, 16, both of Lexington High School, will be competing in the 5th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball Championship. The championship will be held at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. from Sunday through Wednesday. 
Please notice that this is an amateur event. It’s quite an achievement to be competing at the National level as a youth competitor. 
Caleb Proveaux of Lexington, and Zach McLain of Gilbert have qualified for the Men’s U.S. Amateur Four-Ball at Bandon Dunes next month. To find out more, go to www.usga.org to follow these locals’ progress. 
Lou Miller invited Cary Mcdaniel and I to play     Belfair last week and the course was absolutely   amazing. The 2019 National Club Professional Championship will be there next week and strongly suggest you either go visit in person or watch it on TV.  
The Belfair entrance is one of the most unique in golf, so just driving and   seeing the entrance is an experience. The golf course is beautiful and meanders through South Carolina’s coastal land while featuring a housing development of amazing architecture. It’s like meandering through a combination tour of Botanical Gardens and ‘Better Homes and   Gardens’. You will see    wildlife, coastal beauty, dream homes and a golf course that is both fun and entertaining. 
For ticket information, go to carolinaspgasection.org for information or just call directly Belfair Plantation Golf Club in Bluffton at (843) 757-0715.