editor’s letter
It is a
pretty cool
day when I
can see what
an
awesome guy
I married.
Disclaimer
– sappy stuff
to
follow.
This is not
for the faint of stomach.
Most of you who know
Jake probably also know he’s
a handful. I’m no cakewalk either. Heck, I even question my
friends’ judgment. I’m a total
pain in the neck. But Jake – he
keeps me hopping.
Last week, though, I got to
see one of those really special
moments that we will share
with our great-grandchildren.
(If I let him live that long.)
Jake played in the Gulf
States Section Championship
and got a pretty little DQ next
to his name. No really, check
it out.
It wasn’t because he did
something egregious. It was
just a simply mistake. And
only one person knew about
it – Jake.
On the first tee, Jake hit
his first shot and then noticed
an extra 6-iron in his bag. He
didn’t think much of it. He
thought someone on the driving range must have accidentally put the club in his bag.
He gave it to an official
so they could return it to its
rightful owner and continued
his day.
A little good, a little bad,
and a little one-over-par score
later, his round was complete.
That night, as he sat at
the Section meeting after the
round, Robert Brown held up
the 6-iron and asked who it
belonged to. No takers.
A lightbulb went off. Jake
had taken the Southeastern
golfers to practice Sunday
morning before he had left
for his own practice round.
He then recognized the club,
texted the player to whom it
belonged and asked if he was
missing something.
Confirmed. The club came
with Jake to the course.
Jake stepped out of the
meeting and called me.
“I think I have to disqualify myself from this tournament,” he said.
Of course, I asked what
happened, and he explained
the course of events.
“We can never tell (insert
name of player here),” I said.
“He’s gonna know as soon
as he sees me disqualified because I just texted him about
this club,” Jake said. “But
this is my fault. I should have
counted.”
Never once did he blame
his player. It is now that I also
must also say that he absolutely loves those boys, and he
would probably never do that
anyway.
I told him I was proud of
him for doing the right thing
and immediately called his
mom to report his good deed.
Like proud mommas holding
an honor roll report card, we
cackled about how golf still is
a gentleman’s game – a game
that holds true to sportsmanship and integrity.
When I told him I was
proud, he told me there was
no other choice. I really don’t
think he could have lived with
himself. And he did it when
he was actually in pretty good
shape for the tournament. It
would have been one thing if
he was at the bottom of the
leaderboard, but not this time.
I’m so glad this game has
become such a huge part of
my life. Even though my play
is scarce, I still love this silly
little white ball.
Speaking of the game, I’m
looking forward to watching
two tournaments this month
for the Fightin’ Lions and
seeing what Jake’s players are
made of. Lion up!
Amber
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