Michael Lardon

Infobox person name = Michael Lardon birth_date = |birth_place = Huntington, New York birth_name = citizenship = United States occupation = Psychiatrist notable_works = University of California, San Diego education = Rice University in Houston, Texas Stanford University << University of Texas at Galveston Medical School University of California, San Diego Medical Center Lardon is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, and is the author of two books, "Mastering Golf's Mental Game" (Random House 2014) and "Finding Your Zone: 10 Core Lessons for Peak Performance in Sports and Life" (Penguin 2008).

Early life

A former United States Table Tennis Junior Champion, as well the 1981 United States National Sports Festival gold medalist in mixed doubles table tennis, for giving the suggestion of taking his grandfather's photo and putting it in his helmet on the day of the race. After the 2002 Olympics, Jimmy Shea and Dr. Lardon's work together was chronicled in an article in Sports Illustrated magazine, they then went on a public relations tour, sponsored by the pharmaceutical company Wyeth-Ayerst focusing on the destigmatization of depression in men.

Lardon continued to work with a number of Olympic athletes, including the 2004 Olympic Silver medalist in crew, Samantha Magee; the 2006 Olympic team captain of the men's four-man bobsled, Steve Holcomb; four-time Olympic dressage competitor Steffen Peters and the 2004 400-meter hurdler Brenda Taylor. He continued his work with the Olympic athletes while expanding his presence in the golf world. He has worked with the 2001 British Open champion, David Duval; the 2002 PGA champion, Rich Beem, the 2005 U.S. Open champion, Michael Campbell Lardon has also coached 2021 Masters runner-up Will Zalatoris and LPGA winner Céline Boutier. Lardon has also worked with athletes in other sports, including former San Diego Chargers Pro Bowl kicker Nate Kaeding, champion show jumper Vinton Karrasch and UFC fighter Dominick Cruz.

Lardon has authored numerous academic articles relating to sports performance, including the "Sports Psychiatrist and Golf", and "Performance Enhancing Drugs: Where Should the Line Be Drawn and By Whom?"