Opposite Game

SOUTHERN PINES, NORTH CAROLINA | Arnold Palmer used to say that the hardest tournament to win is the one you are supposed to.

It is almost certain that Arnie didn’t study the law of reverse effect, an axiom that states the more you want something, the harder it is to attain. But you don’t have to be a clinical psychologist to know that wanting something to the point of obsession invariably insures that you won’t get it.

Want to quit smoking? Better not obsess on quitting.

Want a promotion? Best that you put your head down and focus on your current job and not think about the new job too much.

And, of course, if you want to win a USGA championship, one a good number of people think you are supposed to win, the last thing you should do is think about winning.

That is why, when chatting with one of the players most likely to contend for the U.S. Senior Women’s Open title this week at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club, the last thing she wanted to talk about was “winning.”

“You still have to go out there and hit the shots...