Turning to a hypnotherapist to help him get out of that slump was a big success for Cam Davis, who went on to win his second PGA Tour in dramatic circumstances after watching from the driving range as Akshay Bhatia missed a short putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff in Detroit.
The 29-year-old Davis had not finished outside the top 40 in his last five tournaments and had missed the cut twice, including at the U.S. Open, but after missing the green on the final hole, he recovered to make par and win by one stroke, earning him the $2.5 million prize.
Davis’ two PGA Tour victories came at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, his first at that event in 2021, and he’s on track to rise 30 spots to a career-best No. 38 in the rankings.
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‘This is crazy’: Australian star wins PGA thriller, cries as rival’s $2.5 collapses
How Hypnotherapy Transformed Australia | 01:29
An emotional Davis was celebrating his second tour victory and said he felt like a “different person” since his poor performance in recent weeks.
“I’m a totally different person than I was a few weeks ago and today,” he said after finishing at 18 under par.
“I’m feeling a bit emotional. I don’t want anyone to go through what happened to Akshay but I’ve been working a lot to get myself out of a tight spot and suddenly I’ve done it so it feels really good.”
Davis credits his work with a hypnotherapist for helping him halt his slump on the PGA Tour, where he hasn’t finished in the top 10 since October.
The Sydney resident explained that his wife had always urged him to see the film but he had resisted until recently.
Davis rolls off the green and into the water! | 00:52
“I’ve been working with a hypnotherapist for a few weeks now, trying to sort myself out from a different angle, and Grace has been fantastic to work with,” he said.
“To be honest, I haven’t been in a great place mentally over the last six months or so. I just wasn’t playing very good golf and as the year went on it 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.
“Stickling to the work I was doing with Grace had a huge immediate impact. I had a lot of support to help me get out of that depressed state.”
Davis won with a score of 18 under par, winning by one stroke after American Bhatia’s collapse on the 18th green.
