Cam Davis said he turned to hypnotherapy as a way to overcome a string of poor tournament performances before winning his second PGA Tour title at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
He also needed some good fortune when Akshay Bhatia three-putted on the final hole at the Detroit Golf Club on June 30 to present the trophy to the 29-year-old Australian golfer, who shot 70 for a total of 18-under 270.
Three years after winning his first PGA Tour title at the event, a relieved Davis struggled to hold back tears and said it had been a “roller coaster of emotions.”
“I’ve just started working with a hypnotherapist and am trying a different approach to get my mind back on track,” he told reporters.
“To be honest, I haven’t been in a very good place mentally for the last six months or so.
“I just haven’t been playing very good golf this year and it just felt like all the opportunities were slipping away from me.”
“I felt like a change of direction was absolutely necessary, and I was really going to stick with it, because I’m definitely the type of person who starts something and then quits if I don’t feel like it’s immediately helpful.”
Davis’ poor start to the year has seen him give up on his dream of representing Australia in golf at the Paris Olympics.
The country will be represented by former world number one Jason Day and Ming Woo Lee (69), who were runners-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic with shots of 271, along with Americans Bhatia (72) and Davis Thompson (68) and Great Britain’s Aaron Lai (72).
But Davis will be hoping a win in Detroit will pave the way for him to earn a spot on the international team for the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal in September.
“I guess I missed my chance to qualify for the Olympics. This win came a little late for my big goals this year, but I have two big goals left – finishing high in the FedExCup and trying to make the Presidents Cup team,” he said.
“I know I played some good golf and I want to keep it going this week. There’s still a lot to do this year.”
