Lessons learned from almost breaking 80

My lowest score in a round of golf is 80, which I posted for the fourth time last month. Sadly, painfully, I needed two putts from about 45 feet for a 79, but I lipped out the 7-footer for par. Did I choke? It’s easy to say I did. Put it this way: If I were a golf writer “covering” my round, I’d likely spend a few paragraphs on how I appeared to crumble under the weight of the moment. But that’d be a rather contrived analysis of a more nuanced dynamic.
Stupid media, always grasping.
Anyway, since you’re asking–technically, you didn’t, but too late now–I figured you deserve a more textured explanation of how I’ve crept closer to breaking 80 and what’s holding me back. But this isn’t for me. Since I’ve spent several years researching and writing about the challenges that befall an average golfer trying to reach the next level, I figured one man’s disappointment shouldn’t be in vain. The lessons from the last few years, both the good and bad, were scattered throughout my near-breakthrough round.
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