Manager's Column
Authored by: Richard Fowler
Mark Wilson won the 2007 PGA Golf Honda Classic March 5th on the 2nd playoff hole. Mark had gone through Q school 10 straight years. Q school is said to be the most grueling test of golf where the winners have permission to play on the PGA tour. Through that, Mark managed to get to play in 110 PGA tournaments of which he won none. He was ranked 285th in the world. Mark is 5 foot 9 inches tall and only weighs 145 pounds. He ranks 142nd on the PGA tour in driving distance. Compared to other PGA tour players he doesn't hit very far.
Nevertheless, during one stretch in the recent Honda Classic, Mark went 8 under over 18 holes which literally won him the tournament. (Winning score to make the playoff was -5)
But there was an "event" that preceded this remarkable run. The "event" occurred on the 5th hole. It was on that hole that, Mark called a 2-stroke penalty "on himself" when his caddie inadvertently let it slip to another caddie what club Mark was hitting. That is an infraction of the rules, and although there was no one there to claim foul, Mark showed his true character by calling a two stroke penalty on himself.
When is the last time you saw an NFL football player, an NBA basketball player, or a ML baseball player admitting that there needs to be a penalty on themself? Only in golf.
Well back to Mark. There is a little known statistic on the PGA tour called "bounceback." What this means is, when something negative happens (bogeys and double bogeys) how often you "bounceback" with something good (birdies).
Mark at this writing ranks 1st among all PGA tour players (even Tiger), which probably explains his run of 8 under during an 18 hole stretch. But his run did not end there. On the last day of the tournament, he birdied the same hole where the penalty incurred two days before, sank a 50 foot putt on the 16th hole to remain tied for the lead, sank an 8 foot putt on the 18th hole to get in a playoff, sank a 30 foot putt on the 1st sudden death hole to avoid being eliminated, and sank a 10 foot putt on the 3rd sudden death hole to win $990,000.
Mark showed great perseverance, that never-give-up attitude in this tournament. He showed great "bounceback" in moving from the negative to the positive. But what I will remember most is his demonstration of honesty, calling a penalty on himself, and refusing to criticize his caddie.
At the expense of making this column longer than it should be, permit me to share with you and article I wrote exactly 10 years ago in March of 1997 in this same column. It deserves to be retold. This story is about another PGA professional named Michael Long.
"At a recent professional golf tournament, Michael was tied for the lead going into the last 4 holes. All his life he had dreamed of winning a professional tournament. He had worked so hard to get to this point. He hit a good drive on the 15th hole and an iron shot had him within 30 feet of the hole. A birdie putt here would put him in the lead. First place was $260,000, but more important than that, his would be his first professional win.
He lined up his putt, positioned himself over the putt, and just as he was about to strike the ball, the ball moved - ever so slightly. No one bu Michael could have possibly seen such a slight move, but in golf, if that ball moves at all after you've addressed it, it's a one stroke penalty.
Michael stepped back from the ball, and called a stroke penalty on himself. He missed the putt and lost the tournament - by one stroke. When asked why he didn't just go ahead and hit the putt and forget about the movement, he responded... "If I hadn't called it and gone on to win, it would have been a hollow victory. It happens and you've got to own up. You have to get up in the morning and know you've been honest.
Mark Wilson and Michael Long - doing wat is right when no one sees. I share these two stories with you hoping you will in turn share them with your young athletes.
So what does this have to do with an electric cooperative? EVERYTHING!