sportsblog

This is another new recurring subject that I will update any time I get the urge or see anything that particularly triggers my love for sports.

I love sports because of a guy like J.P. Hayes. J.P. Hayes is a 43 year-old professional golfer. He is even a two-time winner on the PGA TOUR. He is by no means an established pro, despite turning pro almost 20 years ago and just this week Hayes was back in Q School to get his TOUR card for the 2009 season. On the 12th hole of his first round he accidentally played a different model of ball than he had been playing the round with. Upon realizing this, he called an official over and called a two-stroke penalty on himself. He went on to shoot a 74 that day and a 71 the next, leaving him in a great position to finish in the top 20, which he needed to advance to the next and final stage of Q School.

This is where he took the long held tradition of golf to another level. He realized after his round on Friday (at LEAST 24 hours after the ball-switching incident) that the ball he played may not have been approved for use on the PGA TOUR and infraction that would disqualify him from Qualifying School (something he needed to get a full exemption for 2009). He could have just ignored it and finished out the tournament, because no one else noticed. But, he chose to call an official and disqualify himself. (He in fact was disqualified and will have to rely on his past champions/veteran player status and sponsor exemptions to play in 2009, something he will have little problem with.) In a world where the Barry Bondses and Roger Clemenses maintain their innocence despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, the J.P. Hayeses are a refreshing change of pace and a great reminder of the power of sports. I really hope that something good comes from this for Hayes. We need more people with his level of honesty in the sports world.

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