Swing Slow; Hit Hard

O.K., I can now say that I am officially connected to the city of Charlotte! I tried getting excited about the Bobcats and the Panthers but it never really took. I went to the Wachovia a couple of years back and enjoyed it but nothing to call my mom about... And then this weekend, a friend invited me to go to the Quail Hollow event. I got to see some amazing shots and catch a bit of the atmosphere on Saturday to keep me interested. And then yesterday...

For a sports enthusiasts, today is a pretty good day to live in the city of Charlotte. Millions of people are going to see and remember what Rory McIlroy accomplished yesterday. They will be talking about this for a long time--and well beyond the city of Charlotte.

I am not much of a golfer but I do have a history with it. One of my closest friends in high school was probably the best player that ever went to our high school. I caddied for him in a number of opens and club tournaments. John was an unlikely golfer. He was the only guy that I knew with a bigger chip on his shoulder than mine and he had a horrible temper. Additionally, John was an exceptional athlete. He was only 5'11" but he could dunk a basketball and probably could have run a 10.8 hundred yard dash had the track season not coincided with golf. John ended up getting a partial scholarship to the University of Northern Iowa where he had a break out tournament at some Playboy Invitational in the Midwest where for 3 days he outplayed the best golfers from several of the Big Ten schools. After that, he sort of turned to more familiar college pursuits. He left college before he graduated and has worked as a greens-keeper and landscaper for twenty some years now. His shoulders are shot from all the manual labor but I still believe that John DeVault might been the Will Hunting of golf. If only someone would have caught him while there was still time to curb all that self-destruction.

Anyway, it was really great seeing Rory win. I was just as happy for Billy Mayfair the day before and was rooting for him until it was clear that it just wasn't going to happen. It will be interesting to see how things go from here on out. We're already hearing those inevitable comparisions to Tiger Woods. It's sickening; why can't we just enjoy the golf? Why does it all have to be about astro-heroics?

This weekend I was reminded that it is good to be a student. I went to the tournament with no pretense about golf or about the culture that surrounds it. I let my friend teach me as much as I could pick up in the few hours that we were out there. And it was great! I found myself surprisingly excited about the whole thing. I am never going to be a big-time golf enthusiast but still, it was a blessing to have my mind expanded and to share in the joy of others who were absolutely thrilled to be a part of this thing. One of my favorite scenes of the whole weekend was watching the crowd react to Rory's putt on the final hole. It was, of course, like watching a movie--how else could you describe a 40-foot birdie putt to ice the cake? But all those people--they couldn't have been happier for this kid! And that is wonderful thing. To be satisfied with simply being there--happy to see someone else have their day--that's special.

I hope that I can extend this attitude to other areas. It seems that some folks just can't figure this out--if they're not the deal, they don't have time for it... I've been like that myself sometimes. But the fact is, that's a pretty sorry way to approach life. There is only so much joy we're going to be able to squeeze out of our own stories. So why not learn to celebrate it in others? Just being there when someone else is having a good day can be a blessing in and of itself.