At this weekend’s Honda Classic Tiger Woods will be replaced by The Celtic Tiger, Rory McIlroy. Rory will continue his march towards The Masters when he tees it up with other big names like Sergio, Els, Villegas, Boo, Jimenez and Rose. There is still plenty of star power at the Honda, but stars aren’t the only guys playing this week. There are many golfers out there that have their own special story. It is a shame that sometimes many of the inspiring and fascinating stories are overshadowed by the hype and publicity thrown at the “golf celebrities”. We forget that most of those guys have responsibilities much like our own. I know they earn more money and spend most of their day playing a game, but that does not make them exempt from the same trials and troubles that effect everyday people like the rest of us. These are a few of the guys out there dealing with issues more important then making the cut. Take a minute this week to cheer for one of these guys, they are all “one of the good guys”. Darren Clarke lost is wife to cancer in 2006 and has been raising his two boys ever since. It appeared that he returned to form in 2008 by winning twice, but he knows his life is forever changed (See Story). Former World Number One, British Open Champion and Tiger’s buddy, David Duval continues his attempt to reclaim his game (See Story). Paul Goydos, the true everyman, is still dealing with the death of his ex-wife while he continues to be a single dad to his teenage daughters (See Story). Tadd Fujikawa is the five foot one, eighteen year old that is trying to make it on the tour despite the odds, but he has been fighting the odds his entire life (See Story). Maybe the most compelling story is that of a man that really does not care about winning this tournament. It is a miracle that Erik Compton is alive. It is a bonus that he is playing golf. He is walking around with his third heart in his chest (See Story).
Life on the PGA tour seems like a dream come true for all the players and for the most part it really is. However, not every player leads the life of Tiger or Phil. The tour goes on without Tiger. Life on the tour goes on…everyday life.
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