There are probably not too many sports where one person’s misfortune is so starkly another’s fortune. Ask Tom Watson about fellow competitors wilting under the pressure of trying to win the British Open in Troon in 1982 and gradually fell back to the five-times champion who had posted a target and was waiting expectantly in the clubhouse.

Of course he deserved his victory: a winner has to seize the moment and take command to be victorious, but sometimes, victories were very much down to the failings of others.

You are not as aware of the detail of fellow competitors’ final charges when you are on the course trying to take care of your own business and it was obvious that Brandt Snedeker was in his own winning bubble in Ontario last Sunday when he was in the final throes of taking his sixth PGA Tour title.

He stood on the 18th tee, seemingly oblivious to the fact he had a three-shot lead after his biggest threat had imploded on the 17th.

The hugely talented Dustin Johnson was having a meltdown having hit his tee shot out of bounds on 17.

He seemingly is not going to take the Watson approach and post what he considers a winning score.

There is no limit for the man with the most nonchalant swagger in the game. His gait is a fair portrayal of the man himself.

It would not be unreasonable to say Dustin has got a “whatever” attitude to match the walk.

He gives it an almighty rip, finds it, and rips it again and whatever happens simply happens; Dustin accepts the outcome.

Exciting players
He is probably one of the most exciting players in the modern game to watch, if you are prepared to take what you get and not be too demanding.

He has got an enthralling go game. The majority of players would have been sent whimpering to their mommies or their shrinks after his triple bogey on the penultimate hole in Glen Abbey last week.

Not DJ. He bashed his drive almost as far left off the last tee as he hit it right on the previous hole and managed to make birdie to get himself back into second place.

If he does not have the perfect temperament for the game then I do not understand it at all.

It is probably what most golf psychologists would love to be able to extract from his brain, analyse and dish it out to their fretful clients as the template for successful pressure performance.

Dustin’s talent, and particularly his attitude, have made him a seven- time winner on the US Tour and he will undoubtedly add a considerable amount of victories to that tally on courses that lend themselves to his swashbuckling, carefree brand of golf.

Of course there is one major disadvantage to the Johnson method of golfing; there is no off button, there is no safety mechanism.

When he is on, he will win by plenty or implode into second place with a blast; he will not fade into a win.

The ever expanding corridors of sports psychologists are mainly dealing with players who have too much going on in their heads, especially when under pressure or in the cauldron of a winning situation on the back nine on Sunday.

What they never have to deal with is the talented but simplistic golfer, he will never end up on his couch.

Attitude
I recall a very successful player's caddie explaining to me once how simplistic his man was and he attributed his success as much to his attitude as to his talent.

When he was hitting a tee shot once, the caddie was getting something out of the bottom pocket of the golf bag. The player hit, the caddie didn’t see where the shot went so he asked his player “Where did that go?” to which his player replied: “Where did what go?”

Now that’s the type of attitude that will win you tournaments.

Of course there were other forces working in the very popular Brandt Snedeker’s favour.

As the very talented Hunter Mahan was warming up on the range on Saturday last he got the call informing him about his wife going into labour back home in Texas.

As every modern husband would do today, he immediately made plans to get back home to be there for the birth.

I do not ever recall hearing about players dashing home from events back in the Nicklaus and Palmer era for the imminent birth of their children.

As much as I am sure Hunter wanted to witness the birth of his first child, I can’t imagine the furore if he decided to take advantage of his two-shot lead and make life more difficult for Snedeker and play through his wife’s labour.

Given the vagaries of trying to win a golf tournament it is vital to concentrate solely on what you are doing to try to win.

If Snedeker was to consider the “what if” scenarios at the Canadian Open last week, “who knows?” what would have happened if Johnson exercised uncharacteristic restraint, and Kandi Mahan hung on for a few more days with her birth.

He didn’t and she didn’t, but Brandt did it.