A Master of Timing

Golf is not a sport.

There I said it. I am a sports fan and I do not believe golf is a sport. Nor do I like to watch or follow it on tv. It's an activity that some take to a high level (PGA tour, LPGA tour) or play only on the weekends (see your local city course). That's not to say that people aren't athletically inclined when they play (e.g. Tiger Woods) but to me it's not a sport in the same realm as football or basketball. I've tried to watch it before and it's just BORING!

In the run-up to the Masters this past week, it was all about Tiger Woods. Ugh! Before his fall from grace, I was definitely Tiger'd out. The way media and fans fawned over him, his dad proclaiming his greatness (messiah-like), and just the constant Tiger coverage drove me crazy. The more media talked about him, the more I cringed. He was, to me, like Alex Rodgriguez. Very calculated in his moves & words, yet very phony. I just did not like him.

You would think I'd find some sort of pleasure in his fall but no. It did not surprise me that he fell. Anyone who is built up to that level of perfection is bound to fall. The extent of his transgressions did surprise me. But, there was no satisfaction for me. I felt sorry for his wife and kids. That was it. So as The Masters buildup was going on, I turned off the media fawning on radio and just said " I don't care". It was not worth paying attention to. If he won, the fawning would continue. If he lost, there would be more talk about Tiger than the winner. Until Sunday.

Phil Mickelson won The Masters. Why does that matter? It matters because of what his wife and mother have gone through this last year. Both were diagnosed with breast cancer and have been battling it like so many other women (and men) these last 12 months. Yes with their money, they have access to the best care available. However, that does not diminish the daily grind they and so many others face with the effects the cancer treatment does to the body. Cancer does not affect the individual. It affects the whole family. Phil's wife Amy had not been to any of his tournaments in the last 11 months, whereas before she was a fixture on tour. Phil wasn't quite the same golfer (or so I have read) without her there. The medicine took its toll on her, as well as his mother. And yet, they were there on Sunday, on the 18th green, watching him win his 3rd Masters and green jacket. To see him greet her after he won; their embrace with the tears was better than golf.

While others continued to focus on Tiger this Monday (post-tournament), I did not. I love a story. I love a story about family and commitment which sadly is not something you will hear about Tiger right now. Now for all I know Phil Mickelson could be a philanderer just like Tiger, if not now, maybe in the past he was. Nothing would surprise me anymore when it comes to sports figures. But, for one day at least, I was interested in golf. The story drew me in.

And maybe, just maybe, someone in Tiger's sphere of influence, will help him refocus his priorities and value his marriage and family a little bit more. Not to be "like Phil" because sports figures can be one way in public and another in private, including Phil Mickelson. But, rather, to be a husband, father and role model that comes with the territory he is in. If nothing else, the win by Phil Mickelson was a wonderful "stroke" of timing. He drew attention away from the negativity of Tiger's story and shined it on a positive; love. And for that, I am grateful at least for 1 day.

Until next time,
RSPS Sunny