Humble in Victory, Honorable in Defeat

Golf is more than a game of concentration, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and muscle memory. It was developed to be played with the principles of honor and integrity. It’s game where you are required to impose self-penalties, even if nobody but yourself witnessed the infraction. On Sunday this part of the game was at the forefront of the PGA Tour at the famed Harbortown Golf Links in Hilton Head, SC in the Verizon Heritage Classic.

Englishman Brian Davis is a long time journeyman on the PGA and European Tours. He has bounced back and forth from Great Britain to the United States over the past decade competing in events as if it was more like a job than a privilege. A few years ago Davis decided he was going to lay it all on the line and move his family from Britain to Orlando Florida in hopes to play exclusively in ‘The Show.’ He had earned his Tour card and ever since has hung in there enough to continue playing on a year to year basis. 2009 was Davis’ most successful season on the PGA Tour and although never in the winner’s circle, he had a run in May of three straight top 5 finishes (The Players, Valero, and The Nelson).

On Sunday in Hilton Head Davis had his chance to sew up the two year Tour exemption and the almost as important slot in the field at Augusta in 2011, that comes with a Tour victory. After 72 competitive holes where a lot of talented players were in serious contention, Davis and now World Number Five and Transitions winner Jim Furyk were tied for the lead; following a 25 foot birdie putt holed on the signature 18th by Davis. Both competitors ripped tee shots onto the tarmac that is the 80-plus yard wide fairway on Harbortown’s home hole to start the sudden death playoff. Both players showed 167 yards out, and long time PGA rules official Slugger White deemed Davis was out – this would not be the last time we hear from Slugger.

Davis tried to take a little off of a six-iron and tugged it left sending it off the rocks and bounding onto the hard sanded beach along Calabogue Sound. Furyk, understanding the door was open took a bit more club and sent a shot to the back fringe of the green leaving him some 50 feet for his birdie effort. In fact, Furyk’s ball was so far away from the pin, that he was actually further away than Davis and had to execute a putt to about 8 feet. Davis then had to decide whether to execute a difficult pitch out of the junk or take a drop and basically put the tournament on the putter of Furyk. He decided to keep it in his own hands and pitched it up onto the green, but as the ball was rolling across the surface of the green he looked up and said, ‘Slugger’ as he motioned toward the rules official.

Re-enter Slugger White. The two discussed a possible violation as upon takeaway, Davis noticed that his club may have clipped a reed, something that only he could’ve detected in live motion. After in depth discussions and handheld communication with officials watching the video, Slugger bent down and pulled the reed out to show that it was a loose impediment as opposed to part of the ground. He notified Davis that because it was a loose impediment in a hazard, the small graze of the reed upon takeaway would be a 2-stroke penalty. This ruling basically gave Furyk the tournament as he smoothly drained the 8-foot par putt amongst the boat horns off of Calabogue Sound to earn the Tartan Jacket and his second victory in 2010.

For Furyk is was a well-earned victory and for Davis it was a crushing defeat. But Davis should have nothing to feel bad about (aside from the possible 400 grrr he left on the table). He may not have punched his Masters ticket or earned that 2-year exemption, but he earned the respect of his peers. In the ‘if your not cheating your not trying’ steroid HGH bribing for TV contracts coach Calipari new world of sports, a story like this is refreshing. He may not have won, but Davis, although probably difficult, did the honorable thing. Just as difficult to watch was Furyk accepting congratulations for his victory, more humble than usual. It certainly now looks like ‘Mr. Consistency is back…as if he went anywhere to begin with.