‘Beware The Injured Golfer’ - Why Do Players Sometimes Perform Better When They’re Hurt?

After binge watching the new series of Netflix's Full Swing documentary, I couldn't help but love Tom Kim. His likeable demeanour and ambition is very endearing, but it was his gritty resilience to battle through injury at the Open Championship that sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole.

There are plenty of examples in golf of players that battled through pain to be triumphant, which in comparison to other sports appears to be disproportionate in its regularity. So, what is it about the examples below that spurred them on to achieve against all odds?

Beware The Injured Golfer

'Beware the injured golfer' is likely to be a phrase you have heard before, but what does it mean?

In Full Swing Season 2, Tom Kim's caddie Joe Skovron explains: "They always say 'beware the sick or injured golfer', because you are thinking so much about that, so you're not thinking as much about what happens if I make bogey. It can take the expectations and the worries about the golf off."

The psychology is interesting, as the absence of negative swing thoughts or an obsession with scoring, due to an inevitable focus on the pain and managing symptoms, highlights further the importance of the mental side of the game.

Tom Kim

Sitting in tied 89th after round one at the 151st Open Championship, Tom Kim could be forgiven for thinking his major season was all but over. Little did he know that prior to the second round, a freak accident at his rented accommodation would further dampen his chances of making the weekend.

In episode four of Full Swing Season 2, Kim seeks medical advice for what looks to be a severe ankle injury. A tear of one of the ankle ligaments was the diagnosis, but surprisingly that didn't quell his ambition or halt his progress towards making the cut.

His determination to continue, despite the injury, was clear. Kim said: "I am just so frustrated, I feel like I am ready. I had one bad round, but I feel like if I just had more rounds, I could play well. This is my last major, I do not want to go back to the US and just stay on my couch not being able to do anything. I just don't want to do that."

Strapped up and hobbling around the course, Tom Kim impressively gets it to even par after the second round and not only makes the cut, but has his sights set on a much loftier finish.

A monumental effort gets him to 11th by the end of round three, despite his visible lack of mobility, setting up an intriguing final round – but the momentum didn't stop there.

Rain soaked, with his cap on backwards like a 90s icon, Tom Kim ascended the leaderboard on Sunday to finish tied 2nd at seven-under-par in one of the most uplifting performances I have seen in quite some time.

Tiger Woods

Perhaps the most famous example to recall would be the 2008 US Open, and a certain Tiger Woods defying all odds to win yet another major, all while battling a debilitating injury.

A torn ligament in his left knee and a recent double stress fracture of his left tibia would be enough to rule almost anyone out playing, let alone winning, but Tiger isn't just anyone.

After a gruelling 91 holes, including a tense playoff, Woods claimed the US Open trophy by seeing off Rocco Mediate with that iconic putt.

There are actually plenty of examples where Tiger has overcome injury, niggles and pain throughout his career, but the legend continued to defy expectations.

Lexi Thompson

Back injuries are one of the hardest injuries to play through as a golfer, but as Lexi Thompson demonstrated at the Meijer LPGA Classic in 2016, it is possible to succeed through the pain. 

Despite falling just short over four rounds, with a tied fourth finish, Thompson led by a shot at the halfway stage. Rounds of 65, 66, and 67 over the first three days highlight not only the class, but also the resilience, that Thompson possesses and you can't help but think this might have been another LPGA win in the bag had she been fully fit that week.

Tony Finau

After dislocating his ankle the day before the 2018 Masters was due to start, Tony Finau looked to have ended his week before it had started. Finau had just made a hole-in-one at the par-3 contest, when in the act of celebrating he rolled his ankle in a scene that certainly is not for the feint hearted.

Against all odds, the six-time PGA Tour winner rallied to finish in the top-10. His seven-under-par finish catapulted him to a new high in the Official World Golf Rankings and further demonstrated the danger posed by the injured golfer.