Routine Rules

Karen Stupples became only the third British major champion in women's golf when she thrilled the galleries at Sunningdale at the Weetabix Women's British Open with one of the lowest closing rounds in major championship history.

A final round eight-under-par 64 was set up thanks to a dream eagle-albatross start at the two opening par-fives and from there on she stuck to her game plan, did not change anything in her usual routine, and breezed home by five shots to win the £160,000 first prize and a place in history.

Stay in the 'here and now" to withstand pressure and play well

One of the common mistakes made by club golfers is that they get so preoccupied with what the outcome of a shot might be they do not focus enough on the actual doing. To give you a guide, my pre-shot routine starts as soon as the bag goes down on the ground, for whatever shot I am playing. If I am hitting a normal iron shot - be it a drive or a tee-shot at a par-three such as this - my caddie, Bobby, and I work out the yardage, the wind direction and speed and then we assess the lie to see if it's downhill, uphill or sidehill. That is key in me (and you) deter¬mining the most suitable club to hit.

Using a pre-shot routine is every bit as valuable around the green, too. When chipping, or on short pitch shots, I really have to imagine the shot in my mind before I play it. These are shots that you do not want to take any chances with. You need to fully imagine playing the shot, then walk into the ball and replicate it in real time.

Those shots are 'feel' shots and the practice swing is so important. You need to know exactly what you want to do with the ball. Golf is a 'feel' game, not a science. It is the same with putting. Again, I go through the entire routine of picking my line, imagining the speed, the breaks and which points the ball will run over. Then, I just make my practice strokes and watch the imaginary ball running into the hole. All I have to do then is replicate those same feelings and thoughts when I hit the putt for real.