GOLFER SHOWS LINCOLNESQUE HONESTY
REDDING LIFESTYLES
November 20th, 2008
Scandals involving cheating have tarnished many professional sports for years but what 
happened last weekend shows the honesty and character that typify the game of professional golf. Pro golfer J.P. Hayes alerted officials that he had played a nonconforming golf ball in the previous day’s round that immediately disqualified him from completing the competition to win exempt status for the 2009 PGA Tour.
No one called him on it, he came forward knowing the admission would disqualify him from competing for the exempt status that gurantee qualification to play in tournaments next year and potentially costing him the chance to win a considerable sum of money. He has already earned more than $7 million during his PGA career. Just showing up to play in a tournament earns a tidy check.
By calling himself out on his violation, he will have to wait a year to go through the Q School which could result in severe damage to his golf career. Like many sports, your prime years as a pro are limited. The Titleist ball he used was an experimental ball that he inadvertently left in his bag and was grabbed by his caddie when he hit a second ball after missing the green on the 12th hole at DeerwoodCountry Club. The one-ball rule requires a player must play with the same model ball throughout the round.
It’s easy to be honest when everybody is watching your every move. But when you are the only one that knows you have broken a major rule and you know the consequences of admission will have career-changing effects, that’s when your true morals and upbringing trump doing the wrong thing. Even though he will have to wait a year for a chance to win the coveted exemption, I suspect his honesty will be far more rewarding in endorsements and sponsor exemptions. Best of all, he can sleep at night with a clear conscience that he did the right thing.
530-224-6767 or 530-941-7492
BRAD GARBUTT
REALTOR/BROKER ASSOCIATE
REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS GMAC
QUARTER CENTURY LOCAL REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCE
