Cameron Young’s Self-Talk on the 18th Tee: The Power of the Present Moment

What the 2026 Players Championship Teaches Golfers About the BE PreparedPhase

Golf often reveals the difference between talent and championship thinking in a single moment.

At the 2026 Players Championship, that moment came on the 18th tee for Cameron Young.

 Just 24 hours earlier, the exact same hole had delivered heartbreak. Young’s drive found the water and led to a double bogey. The memory was fresh. The pressure was immense. And the tournament was on the line.

Most golfers in that situation allow the past to creep into the present.

Young did the opposite.

Instead of replaying the water ball from the day before, he stood behind the ball and said to himself:

“I’m going to hit the best shot of my life right here.”

That single moment of self-talk perfectly illustrates one of the most important concepts in the BE Golf Playing Procedure:

BE Prepared.

The Moment That Decided the Players Championship

Standing on the 18th tee at The Players Championship, Young was tied for the lead with Matt Fitzpatrick.

The situation was brutally simple.

• The hole had already cost him the day before.

• The water still guarded the fairway.

• One poor swing could lose the tournament.

But Young didn’t allow the previous outcome to dictate the present moment.

Instead, he created a clear intention.

He picked his line.

He visualized the shot.

And he committed to a single thought.

This is exactly what the BE Prepared phase in the BE Golf procedure teaches golfers to do before every swing.

The BE Prepared Phase: Clarity Before Commitment

In the BE Golf Playing Procedure, preparation begins behind the ball.

Two simple steps guide this phase:

1. Get clear on what you want the ball to do.

2. Decide what one thing you’ll commit to throughout your swinging motion.

This clarity is essential.

As the BE Golf book explains:

“How can you swing the way you want without being clear about what you want the ball to do? You can’t.”

When golfers skip this step, their mind becomes crowded with swing thoughts, fears, and past mistakes.

When they execute it properly, the mind becomes focused and purposeful.

That’s exactly what Cameron Young did on the 18th tee.

The Most Dangerous Thought in Golf

Imagine if Young had approached the shot differently.

Instead of visualizing the shot he wanted, imagine his internal dialogue sounding like this:

• “Don’t hit it in the water again.”

• “Remember what happened yesterday.”

• “Just don’t choke this tournament away.”

Those thoughts are incredibly common among golfers.

But they are also incredibly destructive.

Your brain does not respond well to avoidance instructions. When you think about avoiding the water, your attention moves directly toward the water.

Instead of creating a clear target, your mind creates uncertainty and tension.

Had Young allowed the memory of the previous day’s mistake to dominate his thinking, the outcome could have been very different.

Instead, he replaced the past with a powerful present-moment intention.

Great Golfers Visualize What They Want — Not What They Fear

The BE Golf process emphasizes clarity of intention before every shot.

Examples include thoughts like:

• “I’m going to rip this ball down the center of the fairway.”

• “I want the ball to start at the right bunker and draw back to the center of the green.”

• “I want this shot to land softly on the front of the green.”

Notice something important.

Every example focuses on what the golfer wants the ball to do, not what they want to avoid.

That’s exactly what Young did when he said:

“I’m going to hit the best shot of my life right here.”

That statement immediately shifts the mind toward possibility and execution.

It eliminates fear and replaces it with purpose.

Why Staying Present Wins Championships

Elite golfers understand a fundamental truth about performance:

The past cannot help you execute the current shot.

The ball in the water from the day before is irrelevant once you step behind the next ball.

What matters is:

• Your intention

• Your commitment

• Your visualization

When Young stepped behind that ball, he chose to live entirely in the present moment.

He wasn’t playing yesterday’s shot.

He was playing this one.

From Preparation to Execution

Once the BE Prepared phase is complete, the next step in the BE Golf procedure is simple:

Go internally silent over the ball, and commit to your intention during the swinging motion while being detached from the result.

When a golfer clearly defines the shot and commits to a single focus point, the swing becomes much easier.

The mind quiets.

The body self organizes and responds.

Performance improves.

Young’s tee shot on the 18th hole demonstrated exactly how powerful this process can be.

Instead of being trapped by the memory of failure, he created a new intention.

And that intention changed the outcome.

The Lesson for Every Golfer

You don’t have to be competing at the Players Championship to benefit from this concept.

Every golfer faces moments where the past tries to invade the present:

• The bunker you just visited on the previous hole

• The drive you snap-hooked two holes ago

• The water hazard that cost you a stroke yesterday

The key is recognizing that those memories do not belong in the preparation phase of your next shot.

Instead, follow the BE Golf procedure:

1. Stand behind the ball.

2. Get crystal clear on what you want the ball to do.

3. Choose one simple commitment for your swing.

4. Stay present to your silence cue over the ball.

5. Step in and execute your one intention while being detached from the result.

When you do this, your mind becomes focused on creation rather than avoidance.

That’s the difference between golfers who hope and golfers who perform.

The Shot That Defined the Championship

In the end, Young’s mindset on the 18th tee demonstrated something every great player understands:

Championship golf is played in the present moment.

The past can teach you.

But it cannot execute the next swing.

By choosing to visualize success instead of remembering failure, Cameron Young showed exactly what the BE Prepared phase of the BE Golf procedure looks like under the greatest pressure in the game.

And sometimes, the difference between water and victory is nothing more than the thought you choose before you swing.

-- The BE Golf Coaching Team