Usually when we talk about “Sunday at Augusta” we are setting the stage for the final round of The Masters and eagerly waiting for a run at immortality. Even though that attempt at history won’t come for another week there was plenty of history being made at Augusta National this morning.
The finals of the Drive, Chip and Putt have become one of my favorite Sundays of the golf season. Yes, soon I can stop counting the days until The Masters finally tees off on Thursday but there is something magical about watching these children make their own memories at Augusta.
Unfortunately, this year my Sunday routine got a bit sidetracked as I spent most of the morning and all of the Golf Channel’s telecast of the finals driving home from Rochester, New York through a snowstorm. Yes, it may be spring but winter lasts a bit longer in upstate New York.
Through the marvels of technology and the Golf Live Extra App I was able to listen in and kind of watch some play on my cell phone as I sloshed my way back home through this early spring snowstorm.
So while I couldn’t actually see much of the play I could listen to the announcers and most importantly the kids themselves.
It’s easy to see, or hear actuality that these are some special children. The short videos which featured many of the kids showed that most of them are indeed overachievers with many interests other than golf. All well rounded and highly motivated kids who try their best at golf, school and everything else.
As the winners were interviewed I heard all I could have hoped for: humility, politeness, emotion, excitement and pure joy. And that’s what impressed me the most. The pure unadulterated joy coming from their mouths.
And isn’t that why we all started to play this game? It was fun. We had fun. And sometimes we lose sight of the fact that its a game and should always be fun.
So many of us, me included get caught up in handicaps, or technique, or equipment, or trophy courses and so much other nonsense that we forget why we are playing in the first place.
We are supposed to have fun.
I know everyone on Augusta National this morning had fun, right from the members to the parents to the professionals and finally to the kids.
Thanks kids for reminding me why I play this game. It’s fun and we should never forget that.
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