A smart player realizes he has to go with the flow when in the midst of a low round and ride it all the way to the clubhouse. Every golfer who has ever played the game knows that it will kick you when you're down. Unlike top TOUR pros, amateurs stop themselves short of reaching scoring milestones because they lack confidence. For example, if you label yourself as a 90 plus player, then that label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, which prevents you from breaking 90 when you are in the midst of a good round. Downplaying achievements is often a side effect of perfectionism.
Perfectionists are very hard on themselves.
Even small successes are not recognized as a positive step because they demand so much from themselves. It's very difficult to strengthen confidence if you can't take pride and reward yourself for small achievements or reaching even modest goals. Begay has the confidence to believe it's possible to shoot a low number every day he plays, but he doesn't expect it to happen every day. His confidence is certainly a reflection of his past ability to go low, but it's also a reflection of his self-image as a golfer. I'm still looking for that 57.