Where we Should Be Can Taint Where We Are

Friday, at the conclusion of the second round of The Masters golf tournament, Rory McIlroy had a six shot lead. No one in the history of the tournament had ever had a lead so large after the second round.

Yesterday, at the conclusion of the third round, McIlroy found himself in a tie for the lead. The six shot cushion was all gone.

In post-round conversations with the media, the tone felt like McIlroy was in a challenging spot. Granted, he didn't play well. And the big lead was gone. But, he was STILL in the lead going into the final round. A position any player in the tournament would have gladly signed up for when the tournament began.

Life does that to us sometimes. It can be easy to forget the position we are standing in because we're no longer standing in the position we used to stand in.

McIlroy wasn't just standing in the place of co-leader of the Masters golf tournament; he was at the same time standing in the place of the golfer who had a six shot lead just 24 hours earlier.

Same reality.

Different reference point.

Completely different emotional experience. Different for the golfer and media and fans alike, where winning somehow felt like losing.

Sometimes it's really hard to appreciate where you are when you are wrestling with where you should be. It's hard to look at the opportunity in front of you when you are wrestling with what might have just slipped away.

For us mere humans, I think that's a tough wrestling match. For Rory McIlroy, well - I have a feeling he'll respond like a guy determined to become only the 4th golfer to win The Masters in consecutive years.

Yes, he's trying to keep it from slipping away. But there are worse places to keep a golf tournament from slipping away from than at the top of the leaderboard.