Victory Wears a Red Shirt: The Myth Behind Tiger Woods's Red Shirt

Source: Washington Post

(updated at 22:38 hr) 

Whether it is competition or everyday,  Many of us are believers or followers of certain superstitions and practices. Some carry rabbit feet, others wear baseball caps and a few of us preferred the practice of carrying a specialized script.  There are other exotic practices. 

There are some people who do believe in the power of the red shirt. 


The Red Shirt 
Since the 1990s, the great Tiger Woods has always won his final round of tournament golf while wearing a red shirt.

After his recent injury, Tiger has not won a major tournament regardless of the wearing of the red shirt.  

Speculators and rivals started the rumor that the Tiger's magic was now gone and that fear, uncertainty and doubt have begun to penetrate into the head that wears the crown.


A New Follower of The Red Shirt
A few weeks ago, Patrick Reed emulated Tiger Wood's tradition by wearing the red shirt and black pants in the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship golf tournament and winning it with four strokes under par.
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There is nothing more humorous than a competitor who uses a psychological tactic against its originator.   It is slightly underhanded but harmless. 

Side Notes
Click here on the NY Times article on the mythology of the red shirt. You could also click here for another view. 

Psychology is Strategy
While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the smart strategists rarely enable the competition to use their own tactics to affect them. They always have a counter move ready for that possibility.  

Minor league rituals do not always win contests and wars.  Sound and solid preparation usually positioned the competing strategist one step closer to the starting line.  Effort and attitude usually enable him or her to break through the finishing line. 

Without depending on extreme chance, the mindful implementation of "proper execution" (in a moderately predictable setting) triumphs in most cases. 

It does not matter whether you believe in this category of tactical preparation. From our own experience, we concluded that this practice is a good psychological booster for the implementer.  

In an extreme competitive scenario, each and every advantage point must be secured from contest preparation to ritual practice to field competition. In your area of competition, do you know what it is?


Minor Jottings
"Concentrate every effort on subduing its heart and mind." 

Military Methods  33 

Implementing the counterpart's favorite tendencies could be distracting and disruptive against them. 

"In planning never a useless move.  In strategy, no step is in vain."

Chen Hao

From our own private research, extreme but successful competitors quietly mastered the technicalities behind it before ever committing to it in a real time scenario .

Conclusively, the implementation of this "unique" approach is "fair game."

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