The Honesty of Golfer J.P. Hayes

"Honesty is not something you flirt with — you should be married to it."
--- Table Top at Joe's Crab House, Aurora, CO.

Actually, it should be on a t-shirt that golfer J.P Hayes wears.

Hayes was playing in the Q School. Big deal. More than a day =after= he finishes playing the round, he realizes he made a mistake. What does he do? He calls his own foul & disqualifies himself. No one would have ever known. Yet, he does the honorable thing. And then he says that it is no big deal & that any other golfer would have done the same thing.

I would hope there are still some honest folks left in the world who would do that. I know there are many who wouldn't.

The guy deserves the accolades for being not only honest, buy having honor.

Here's the Yahoo news link, if you wanna read it for yourself.

While that is certainly a story in & of itself, the reader comments brought me back from the lofty ideals I had so hoped humanity could still display. One reader actually made the claim that Hayes only called the foul on himself to bring attention to his act & thereby get better endorsement deals next year. After all, Hayes is not a top tier player & this is a way for him to make some cash.

Here's the quote from chase07470, whomever that is:

With $7 million in career prize money, probably more in endorsements, what would the fall out be of getting caught cheating? Not worth considering for a professional golfer. Look at all of the positive media he's getting now. I bet the sponsor exemptions will be easier next year with this story all over the media. Not to be critical of J.P. Hayes but just not sure the writer considered how easy a choice this was compared to say a Tillman who leaves the NFL to fight the war. This isn't an act of heroism. It's a smart move by someone with a lot to lose.

Two things wrong with that. First, that sort of thinking shows a cynical attitude. Second, that sort of charge can really harm a person's character should it become a common belief. Without such evidence to make the suggestion, it should never be said. It is assigning motive, something that we have no way of knowing. And if we assign the wrong motive, it is called character assassination. That's why we don't do it. That's why we are commanded to not "judge others" by assigning motive, especially when we may guilty of the same thing.

Kudos to J.P. Hayes. May his tribe increase.

But to the cynics who somehow find glory in tearing down the good deeds of others, chill out while the rest of us make life worth living.

Note: The Yahoo! News link will be gone after a few weeks so I'm including another link. Won't have the snide comment, but folks can still read the story about an honest man.