It was another Sunday round for the World’s #1 golfer and only 18 trying holes stood between him and his 28th professional win.
Prior to the sports hiatus a few weeks ago, Rory McIlroy knew exactly what he needed to do in order to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In his pre-round interview, he confidently talked about his precise game-plan of being patient and not taking unnecessary risks. Mr. McIlroy knew how to execute and for that very reason he was the favorite going into the final round.
Although golf is insanely difficult to be any good at, you do get the benefit of knowing the details of the course and unique challenges ahead of time. For professionals, this familiarization happens through practice rounds and things like detailed yardage books that disclose troubling areas that may come into play for each shot.
Rory is an experienced winner that is committed to over-preparing for each round he plays. His consistent proactive planning for all potential scenarios decreases the probability of having to make a surprise decision on the fly. Besides changing winds, there aren’t any tangible uncertainties that must be factored into a golfer’s game-plan.
So, what happened?
Well within 6 holes, Rory was out of the top 10 and on his way to a surprising disappointing final round choke job. A lack of execution and a missed opportunity. At some point in the first couple holes, he tossed his game-plan in one of the tee-box garbage cans.
Although surprising, this one is not an original story. It was one mistake snowballing into multiple consecutive mistakes that took Rory away from his flawless game-plan. He admitted to attempting shots he did not plan for and changing his strategy on the fly. He admitted to getting too aggressive when he should have been patient. He talked about losing focus and letting his emotions take control. He did not execute.
All experienced investors have been planning and mentally preparing for the next market downturn. Whether it’s a recession or a shorter team painful correction, this has been the case since the Financial Crisis began.
Annually, countless hours of planning, analyzing, stress testing and reviewing go into your financial plans. Uncertainties that surround and makeup our ongoing market cycles demand this type of preparation. If we want the returns, we must take the risk. Unfortunately, we are currently waist-deep in one of these uncertain stressful times. Whether it feels like it or not, each day your precise game-plan is being carried out and tested. We have helped protect your financial future by preparing for the unknown, this time a highly contagious miserable virus that has the World’s undivided attention. We did not have the luxury of playing a practice round in the Covid-19 environment. Instead, we have dedicated time and resources to develop and implement an investment strategy that survives gut-wrenching short-term economic volatility in order to participate in the long-term market growth we need.
We know what we need to do. Lean on the game-plan. Be patient. And let’s not blow this.
Don’t turn temporary losses into permanent ones.
Andy Meyer
Vantage Financial Partner & Senior Advisor