by Jeff Skinner
Father’s Day weekend is always special for me. It seems that no matter where my children have managed to put themselves they always find a way to come home and spend Father’s Day with their old man. And I always take a minute to remember my old man who truly taught me what it means to be a real dad.
But my kids know the Father’s Day routine: give the old man a little something, inexpensive of course by my demands, spend some time laughing with each other and then enjoy the final round of the U.S. Open.
Sunday at the Open is as good as it gets and having my kids around makes it more special and I even get to give my ‘golf challenged’ daughter the inside scoop on the best stories of the week.
When I told her the story of 17 year old Beau Hossler her question was the same as millions of other casual golf watchers: How can a teenager play with all these guys?
My response was simple, that’s why they call it The Open. All you need to do is establish a USGA handicap (1.4 or less), pay your entry, tee it up and beat all those old guys. That’s just what Hossler did and now he’s on the verge of making history.
The U.S. and British Opens may not give us the best fields of golfers but by their nature they always give us the best stories. And this year with Casey Martin’s return, Dennis Miller’s journey and Michael Allen’s return to his home club all heartwarming stories it is Hossler that has captured the imagination of all of us.
There’s something about the optimism of youth. Hossler is in a great position on the leaderboard. But he’s in an even better position in his head. When asked if he could win he was adamant. “Absolutely. There’s not a doubt in my mind. Got to go out there and do everything right mentally and physically, but it’s definitely out there for me.”
That’s why they call it The Open. Every entrant has the same chance as everyone else.
Yes, we all celebrate Father’s Day today and enjoy The Open but with a kid like Hossler showing us all that dreams can really come true I’ll take some time to celebrate my kids and the fact that they keep me feeling young and make my dreams come true every day.
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