|
Robert Bicknell
Source: Vietnam News
Golf writers had a field day during the Women’s US Open Championship
when Birdie Kim lived up to her adopted name when it counted. The puns
came fast and furious and the ending was a bird in the sand, er…hand.
Perhaps allowance can be made for the impetuousness of youth, and
perhaps the way the ending occurred contributed to the situation…but it
seemed to me that amateur player Morgan Pressel handled defeat poorly.
Ok, watching your rival in the group in front of you hole out from the
bunker on the 72nd hole is tough…it’s even tougher when the
hole is the most difficult one on the course and only gave up three
birdies all tournament…and it’s even tougher yet when you’re only 17 years
old.
But if Pressel wants to become a champion, she will have to get a
tighter grip on her emotions. Tossing your hands up in the air as if to
say "why me?" and wailing about the unfairness of fate is exactly the
wrong attitude.
In the same circumstance, a seasoned professional wouldn’t have even
blinked. Can you imagine Tiger Woods acting that way? Sure, Tiger tosses a
club and loses his temper when he hits a poor shot, but he gets angry at
himself, not others and he sure doesn’t cave-in. Tiger would’ve simply
shifted gears a bit.
Pressel proved to the world that she has game, but if she had kept her
cool, she might’ve hit a better approach shot on 18, which would in turn
set-up a birdie-try with her putter.
Am I being unfair?
I don’t think so for the simple reason that more people have been
losing at golf than winning for hundreds of years. Yet, you don’t see
people slashing their wrists because someone chipped in. As the British
like to say "keep a stiff upper lip".
I have long complained about people nowadays believing that winning at
any cost is acceptable behaviour. Sure, it’s easy to be a gracious winner,
but people have forgotten how to accept defeat with dignity.
Older players, such as I, were taught the value of sportsmanship very
early in life. Heck, I still remember school athletics and the coach
always making the losing team shake the hands and congratulate the winning
side players. Nobody likes a "sore loser".
Unfortunately, too many people consider losing to be the ultimate
disgrace, but I believe that losing your dignity is worse.
If someone beats you, that’s the way it goes…deal with it. Accept
defeat with dignity and resolve to improve your skills to avoid another
loss in the future.
Pressel commented that because she’s an amateur and cannot accept prize
money, she didn’t care about 2nd place, as it held no meaning
for her. I believe her quote was something like "nobody ever remembers who
came in second…"
Now, while that’s probably true and a nothing –to-lose attitude has
some benefits, it should be remembered that there are literally millions
of golfers worldwide who would give their eye-teeth to be able say they
finished 2nd in the US Open.
However, all that aside, I believe that we will be seeing a lot more of
Pressel and Wie in the near future. In my opinion, it was a better
tournament than the men’s event for the simple reason that more amateur
players hung around the top of the leader-board until the very end.
Given the history of the US Open golf tournaments, it would’ve been
very apropos if an amateur had won.
Maybe next time…
I just got an e-mail from a friend who was playing in Ireland. What
made me smile was his description of the caddies and what happened when he
hit a 600-yard par 5 in two shots…admittedly helped by what the Irish call
a "wee breeze" and what Americans call a gale.
The caddie told everyone in the 19th hole bar about this
magnificent feat of shot-making, thus ensuring himself free drinks for the
rest of the night.
What a pity that caddies aren’t allowed into the clubhouses in Asia…it
might be a lot of fun…naaaaaaah.
|
