Ronan O'Gara: When my confidence deserted me, I had over one hundred Irish caps

Confidence in sport is a fascinating topic for a column. When everything is tough; making a decision is hard, passing the ball is hard. You can’t find the auto switch. You can see it, you know where it is from before, but you are frozen, you can’t reach out and flick it...

SHADOW OF THEMSELVES: Tough times at the moment for head coach Ronan O'Gara and La Rochelle. Pic: James Crombie, Inpho

THE PGA Championship at Valhalla kicked off Thursday, a major sprinkled with golf’s good and the great. Up close, inside the ropes, they look sharp and smell better, emitting an eau de confidence as they stripe it down the fairway. Centre cut.

They’re the fortunate few. There are others at Valhalla battling, fighting their game, full of dread of where their lost swing and their shot confidence will take them next. Army golf. Left. Right. Left. Right.