"Honesty is such a lonely word. Everyone is so untrue." - Billy Joel
In this sports world we live in, which emulates society as a whole, we read story after story about cheating, scandals, and sports figures who don't seem to give a damn about personal integrity and honesty.
That's why this story is so refreshing. In case you haven't heard, professional golfer J.P. Hayes willingly disqualified himself for using a nonstandard golf ball during a golf tournament in Texas last weekend. The ramifications of his honesty will hurt his ability to make money. Yet he has no second thoughts about it.
You see, Hayes twice admitted to making mistakes that likely would never have been caught by anyone if he had merely kept the mistakes to himself. But that's not how Hayes works. And, he claims, most golfers would have done the same thing.
Golf is a sport that is governed by rules but policed mainly by personal integrity. It is, in part, based upon the belief that the "golf gods", as Hayes refers to them, rewards those who follow the rules.
- B/R Ticket Guide
During the PGA Tour qualifying tournament, Hayes initially admitted to using a ball that was different than the one he started the round with. The rules require a golfer to replace a lost ball with one that is the same type. For example, if you started the round shooting a Titleist Pro V1 ball, you'd better make sure that you replace it with another Titleist Pro V1.
Well, not only did Hayes admit to the mistake of using a different ball type, but it turns out that the one he used was not approved for professional tournament use, as it was a prototype ball given to him by a corporate sponsor.
His admissions, resulting in him having failed to reach the final stage of Q-school, means he won't be a fully exempt member for the 2009 season. But don't feel so sorry for him.
It's likely that this public show of honesty will have advertisers lining up to sign Hayes. Plus, as a multiple champion, he won't be limited in the number of sponsor's exemptions he can receive throughout the year.
Still, it's just so damn unusual for followers of sports such as baseball, football and basketball to see someone be so honest about something that actually has consequences. But in the game of golf, it definitely has its precedents.
As Bobby Jones said after receiving commendation for issuing himself a 2-stroke penalty during a playoff in the 1925 U.S. Open, "You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank."
Golf is a sport that requires players to impose their own penalties, to play with integrity regardless of the personal cost or how dire the situation might be. That Hayes accepts this responsibility and lives by it shows us that integrity does live on in sports and offers a great lesson for children (and adults) everywhere.
So go home tonight and tell your sons and daughters about this. They need to know.
For it lies in stark contrast to the steroids using athletes, the point shaving basketball players and the cheating referees they hear about all the time on ESPN and other media outlets.
This is an aspect of sportsmanship that is sorely missing in sports these days. Honesty is indeed the best path. Even if it is at times a lonely one.
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about 1 month ago
Nice article, Bob!
I think I can honestly say that golf is the one sport out there that still has some honestly and integrity left in it.
Calling a penalty on one's self happens more often than most would think.
I have seen personal penalties called in the Masters, US Open and British Open this year as well as the recent Frys.com tournament where a penalty was called by a player on himslef on the 15th hole of the final round when he was in right in the hunt to win, fortunitely he did go on to win despite the penalty.
Golf does not have steriods (although they have started testing I highly doubt they will find anyone using a banned substance in golf), corking bats, or the various acting displays seen in basketball (the faking of a foul) or football (when a player pretends he has caught a pass without the ball touching the ground when he clearly knows he did not)or any other common way of cheating that is found in so many other sports.
Hopefully golf remains this way for many years to come.
from about 1 month ago
Thanks Martin. As someone who normally follows other sports, and only plays golf occasionally and seldom, if ever, watches it, I had heard it was this way but still found it very refreshing. And with all the negative sports stories out there, why not use this as an example to the kids of how sportsmanship truly should be.
about 1 month ago
can you be honest when no one is watching you? thats the greatest quote that arose from this scenario. if you golf a lot as i have it becomes ingrained into your personality not to cheat! a round of golf is funny! you know in a matter of 4 hours if you can do business with a person by the way they conduct themselves on the course. you also find out right away if your even going to like someone by the way they act on the course. Golf is a micro-cosm of life!
from about 1 month ago
You're right, Thomas, that's a great quote and question...it's one thing to be sorry when caught doing something - it's a whole other thing to admit to something that you know no one else will ever otherwise know about.
about 1 month ago
I was hoping someone would write about this aspect of golf that is unfortunately unique in the world.
from about 1 month ago
It certainly is and it's not something I wasn't aware of...yet this story had great timing amidst all of the bad news in sports...greed, scandals...it's refreshing.
about 1 month ago
I was hoping someone would write about this aspect of golf that is unfortunately unique in the world.
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