I liked this from Ian Cassel:
In 1996, a 29-year-old PGA Tour Pro named Steve Stricker won two tournaments. He was no slouch. He was nervous but confident for the 1997 season. In one of the first rounds of the season, Steve Stricker was paired for the first time with a 22-year-old phenom named Tiger Woods. The round destroyed his self-confidence. Stricker said,
“Several times, I would really connect with a drive only to be stunned to see that Tiger’s ball had landed 40 to 50 yards beyond mine. After the first round had ended, I told Nicki, my wife and caddy, what I had been thinking since the moment we left the course: “I can’t compete with that type of game. I just can’t compete with that.”
Stricker points to that round of golf with Tiger as the start of a 10-year slump that would result in him losing his PGA Tour card. Stricker would make his comeback when he refocused on his strengths, his accuracy and putting. He stopped watching the playing field and comparing himself to Tiger Woods. Steve Stricker would win comeback player of the year in 2006 and win 9 more times on the PGA Tour.
Lesson: Golf is the sport that is most like investing and stock picking. Your opponent isn’t the other players. The opponent is the golf course and yourself. Play your own game. Don’t get distracted by what other investors are doing.