J.B. Holmes returning to Charlotte, Wells Fargo Championship in healthy state of mind

J.B. Holmes doesn’t want to say that winning the 2014 Wells Fargo Championship directly led to what for him has been a memorable 12 months of golf.

“I think it mainly confirmed all the hard work I’d done; it pointed me in the right direction,” said Holmes, who returns to Quail Hollow Club this week to defend the 2014 Wells Fargo title he won by one stroke over Jim Furyk. “I knew that I was heading in the right direction.”

What’s happened since Holmes left Charlotte? He didn’t play great for the rest of ’14, but his results this season have been good enough for him to jump from 66th in the world to 12th. He won again at Houston and has two second-place finishes (Farmers Insurance Open and World Golf Championships). His 10-under 62 in the first round of the WGC tied a course record at Miami’s Trump National Doral.

“It was great, one of those days,” Holmes said of his 62. “I was just having fun, swinging, not thinking about playing great.”

His Wells Fargo victory was his first since 2007, ending a winless stretch during which a promising career appeared to have stalled. But there were reasons for that.

While playing at the Players Championship in 2011, Holmes nearly fell in some of the water on the TPC Sawgrass course. He felt dizzy and didn’t know why, but figured it was nothing more than a sinus infection or an ear infection.

Holmes was diagnosed with structural defects in his cerebellum called Chiari malformation that caused his vertigo-like symptoms. He had surgery in September 2011 at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University, with the operation removing a small part of his skull. That bit of his skull sits on a window sill in a closet in his Windermere, Fla., home.

He had another operation a month later because of an allergic reaction to the titanium plate in his head.

Holmes returned in 2012, playing 25 tournaments and finishing in the top 10 twice. But in March 2013 he broke his left ankle while rollerblading with his wife, Erica. He also had surgery to fix tennis elbow in his left arm.

That put him out of action until February 2014. Three months later, he won at Quail Hollow, the third victory of his career.

“It’s nice to say, ‘Hey, I’m healthy,’” said Holmes. “It’s great to be have a year like that where you’re feeling good the whole time.”

But Holmes’ seven-year victory drought was about more than physical problems.

“My biggest competitor had been myself,” said Holmes, 33. “I was my own worst enemy.”

Holmes was struggling with self confidence and negativity on the golf course. He decided he needed professional help and hired a mental coach, Julie Elion, a sports psychologist who helps several other Tour players including Phil Mickelson.

Since 2008, Elion has helped Holmes deal with a mild form of dyslexia, as well as working on keeping his emotions in check while he is playing.

“J.B. is dyslexic,” Elion told the New York Times, “and when he came to me, it was a heavy burden for him. He really felt stupid. He would say things like, ‘I’ve got all these smart friends.’ The more I talked to him, the more I thought, ‘This guy is brilliant.’ We did some I.Q. testing with him, a battery of tests, and sure enough he scored off-the-charts gifted. That’s one of the best things I could have done for him.”

Said Holmes: “I’ve been managing my emotions really well; I’m keeping my expectations down out there,” said Holmes. “That’s been helpful.”

Holmes – one of the tour’s longest hitters – can often be seen closing his eyes before he takes his swing. He said people mistake that for him “visualizing” his shot, a popular mental technique. No, he said, he’s just relaxing himself.

“I’m just taking deep breaths, not really visualizing,” he said. “I’m being thankful for where I am most of the time.”

It has all left Holmes with a healthier outlook, not only on his game, but his life. A native of Campbellsville, Ky., Holmes played collegiately at Kentucky and was disappointed last season when the Wildcats didn’t go undefeated and win the NCAA basketball championship.

“I realize now that golf is not that important in the grand scheme,” said Holmes. “If I win 10 tournaments this year, in 10 years nobody will know. You obviously want to work hard and do well for God, your family and friends, but hitting a golf ball isn’t that important.

“It takes you a while to figure all that stuff out. But I want to be happy in my life.”

Next up for Holmes is a return to Charlotte and Quail Hollow, where he seeks to become the first player to repeat as Wells Fargo champion.

“It’s always nice coming back, I have good memories from there,” said Holmes. “I like that city. They do a great job of hosting the tournament. The crowds are always great.

“That puts you in a good state of mind.”

This story was originally published May 9, 2015 at 2:43 PM with the headline "J.B. Holmes returning to Charlotte, Wells Fargo Championship in healthy state of mind."