I just recently broke 80 for the 4th time in my life but the first in actual tournament play. The key for me wasn't really any tricks with nerves or thoughts. I just found myself playing with an older man who kept me laughing, light on my feet, and not really alloying myself to worry about my few misses. In my opinion when you are shooting this low it's almost hard to not know where you stand. You might not remember all of your good holes but you know what your bad holes were. So when you are this low, you will probably know where you stand coming in to the last few holes. And I know it's hard to do this but just be happy you are out there playing golf and shoot what you can when you can. Take what the corse can give you. No matter what you shoot there will always probably be 5 shots that you look back at or wish you could redo. I know finishing bad really hurts and that if you would just have done this or that your score would have been different. But there are 18 holes and a few shots on the front can make the difference on your round just as easy as the last few. Just do your best to stay calm and enjoy it, if you are playing good the score you want will end up on your scorecard sooner or later.

Russell - really excellent advice!  And congrats on breaking 80 in a tournament!

I managed to break 80 twice last year (a 79 and a 77) - but so far this year I'm in the 80s, with one round in the low 90s, but it's early in the season, so we'll see.

Thanks, i just finished my senior year of college and my second year playing in the ORC ( Ohio Regional Campus ) which is fairly low on the totem pole of sports but its fun and free golf. All of ohio's branch campises for d1 school play together, and its pretty much like high school. 5 guys play and you take the best 4 score and the low score between the teams win. Well our team isnt very good and i am normally playing as #3 and i average 87 in tournys while in practice i average 82 so apparently i suck at life when it comes to rounds when they matter. But i have been working on my swing mainly my lower body. I had never taken a lesson or known much about golf i just play and try to play good. And one of the guys noticed my left led my front leg breaks in towards my back leg in my back swing ranther than bending and flexing out. So all round i was having fun and i was focusing and repating to myself flex the knee, flex the knee so those two things i feel is why i shot a 77. That and i was lights out with. My putter which never happens lol

Sounds to me as if you are getting a tired at the end of the round.  Have you tried to energise yourself for the last remaining holes.  Try to eat a banana or muesli bar or nuts and always lots of water. 

(Also for a period (or always) of time) change the strategy for how you play these last three 3 holes.  Like, if you use a drive off tee, change to a fairway wood, 3 iron to be sure to get the ball on the fairway.  Maybe lay up to a distance you know very well and can practice - say 100 yards = PW or what you like to hit a certain distance.   That way you have good change for a par putt. 

The course I am playing, the key to a lower score is on the long par 4s of which there are many.  Actually only two short part 4s and the rest are longer than 380 meter (longest is 420 meter).  In the beginning I was really struggling to score on these holes.  But I found different strategies for each hole in order to lower my score and now I consistently shooting lower than 80.

Clubwise the only change I did was get a gap wedge, to give me better distance control.  Now my set up is PW: 47 degree - 105 - 115 meters, GW: 51 degrees - 95 - 105 meters , SW: 55 degrees - 80 - 95 meters and LW: 60 degrees - 65 - 80 meters.

Good luck