Whynot whiners

He kept his mouth shut as others complained the pins were too severe and the greens too bumpy. The message Koepka sent Sunday was that winners are tough, and winners are resilient. Winners also understand how to adapt to changing conditions, even if they were mostly the fault of man, not nature. Yes, USGA officials were at their incompetent worst when they set up Shinnecock Hills like a roller coaster, with scores peaking one day and plummeting the next.

The losers left muttering to themselves about the unfairness of it all. Koepka kissed the Open trophy and praised the people who put the tournament on. Unfair or not — and there surely was some ridiculousness about the whole thing — everyone plays the same golf course.

The end result was a winning score over par for the first time in five years — but one in the range the USGA likes in the national Open. How it got there was the topic of hot debate, though, with conditions deteriorating so badly in the afternoon Saturday that the course seemed nearly unplayable and so soft on Sunday that Fleetwood — who missed a short birdie putt on the 18th hole — tied the Open record of Koepka managed to play it both ways and play it well.

Because they simply aren't looking for it. Winners find the opportunity in every difficulty because they seek it. Whiners find the difficulty in every opportunity because they, too, find what they seek. What is your initial mental reaction when faced with a difficult experience? Do you look for the good or the bad? Almost every event in our lives can be viewed as negative or positive. Why not choose the empowering path?

Whiners view the world through a negative lens, a damaging perspective that creates needless suffering. And, although suffering can bring its own positive lessons into our lives, whiners experience needless mountains of self-inflicted struggle and pain. The Hill's must read political newsletter that breaks news and catches you up on what happened in the morning and what to look for after lunch.

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