LIV Golf, Temptation and The Masters

It's not often a person has their day is made by 0600, but it's possible. I arrived at my weekly Hour of Power group fitness class to hear my friend share a story about his daughter, who happens to be my student. As we were warming up, he told me,  I asked her if she knew what this weekend was. She said, "Dad! Yes! It's Easter." I replied "of course." Before I could reframe the question, she said "well, it's also The Masters." I asked her, "How did you know that?" She replied "Anne talked about it in class and integrated it into a couple of our lessons too." I told him "this so awesome. You made my day."

Cheers to that! Day made at 6:00 on Day 2 of The Masters

It's true. There will be no "forgive me Father for I have sinned" on this one. I won't even apologize. In fact, I'm proud of the fact my sophomores are already picking up on Spirituality and Sports. My friend added, "see, she's listening." 

In the event I need to defend my curriculum to the Vice Principal of Academics, parents or student for that matter, here' but one example of Sports and Spirituality: Case Study—The Masters is relevant in RS 201: Sophomore Scripture.

In Matthew's Gospel, before Jesus begins His public ministry, He is baptized by John the Baptist. In the very next chapter he is tempted by Satan. We spend time with the same question: Why? Why does Jesus get baptized? Why is He tempted? In both actions, Jesus stands in solidarity with us. His baptism is a radical act of humility. Furthermore, every human faces temptation. Jesus understood the challenge of not giving in to sin. 

We discuss what the scripture reveals. In what particular ways was Jesus tempted? How did he avoid it? What does he do after the moral battle is finished? 

Following an assessment of the unit, my students said they would have like talk more about ways that we can overcome temptation. I was glad to read their input. I decided to spend a little more time with the topic, so I asked them to list three tactics for avoiding temptation on their own, We listed these on the board. I did the same....for multiple reasons. One, I taught ethics for close to twenty years and two, this afforded me the chance to talk about The Masters.

One of the hot topics at this year's Masters is the inclusion of players from the LIV tour.  I was amazed to see how many students were familiar with what it is and what it's about. For those who don't follow golf, I had a student explain to their peers what LIV is and why it's controversial. NB: I have a good number of enthusiastic golf fans in every section. They were happy to teach this topic! #lovethem!

These students gave enough context that I didn't really need to say much more for how and why LIV relates to temptation. I mentioned that I had recently read an article from The New Yorker that offered a case study. In Will the Saudis and Donald Trump Save Golf—or Wreck It?, Zach Helfand writes

The enormous sums had a way of revealing priorities to the players themselves. Johnson told friends he had rebuffed LIV offers until he couldn't anymore. "A lot of guys say D.J. isn't smart—he's street smart," the golfer Davis Love III said. "He told me, 'I got to a number where I'm willing to take the consequences'." One day at East Lake, while practicing his chipping, Max Homa, a firm Tour loyalist, said that his strategy was to avoid temptation entirely. "I got an e-mail," he told me. He didn't read it. "I don't want to know. My wife told me if I got offered x she'd kill me if I said no."

I asked my students to analyze how both Dustin Johnson and Max Homa handled temptation. Both are real. Each man ends up on a different path in real time. How true in life. How true for all of us. I added, "you can follow each in The Masters. I love their games, respectively." This was an interesting way to further our discussion and understanding...and of course preach Masters.

Educators at Jesuit institutions are taught to use the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. The IPP is a method that suggest that lessons begin with both context and experience. It is important that we meet young people where they are at. We ought to know their culture, their passions and priorities. In referencing that information and those experiences we can draw them in to engage, dialogue and learn. I would like to add that sometimes it's ok for the teacher to share their own. 

What I have found is that what I am enthusiastic about and what brings me joy doesn't alway go unnoticed. Especially when it comes to an event with history, culture, and beauty. Jim Nantz doesn't say it for nothing, "The Masters is a tradition unlike any other." I hope you're tempted to watch it.

Photo Credits
DJ and Phil
Max Homa

Sight and Vision: The Green is Sacred Space

It is no secret that I have long believed that sports and golf in particular serve as a worthy analog for understanding the spiritual life. I love playing with ideas—and teasing out the correlations, limitations and seeing what sticks. What do I want to pass on? What "works?" It's not only fun, it's necessary for the continued growth and vitality of my own spiritual life. 

As we move into the final round of the 2021 Masters, I would like to share one analogy that I have returned to many times in the past year. The green is sacred ground and to read it properly requires both sigh and vision. The purpose of this post is to explain what that means and why it's important far beyond golf.

First, how do we know it is sacred ground? When I asked my golf team about the green as a sacred space, they answered without hesitation. They noted the obvious: golfers exhibit behaviors on the green unlike anywhere else on the golf course. For example, one would never leave their bag or push cart on it. A golfer is expected to fix any divots and tend to any marks to keep the green intact. A good rule of thumb is to do your best to leave the space better than you found it (read: housekeeping!). 

Scripture tells us that we ought to take off our shoes when entering holy ground. I know many people would love to do this on the golf course but thanks to athlete's foot, golfing without shoes is forbidden (believe me, I've seen people try....doesn't go over well). However, a golfer is ever mindful of where and how she walks on the green. For example, you are not to step on a person's line. More often than not, golfers tread lightly on the green. Sacred spaces ask us to do the same.

I often associate sacred space with the notion of pilgrimage. While the purpose of pilgrimage is to reach a meaningful destination, pilgrims discover the journey itself is just as important. It is always physically and spirituality demanding. Pilgrims grow weary but find respite in unexpected people and places along the pathway.

In golf, the green is home to the flag or pin, and the objective of each hole is to get the ball there!. It goes without saying, it isn't always an easy place to get to, either. When approaching the green a golfer ought to implement both sight and vision. In other words, they are tasked with looking hole to part and part to whole. They ought to determine: What is happening here? They should look front to back, and right to left.  And as they look, they are asking What is the slope? Where are the breaks? What speed and distance do I need? This information ought to help a golfer make a good decision about how to play. 

I have been able to visit sacred sites—shrines and cities, churches and memorials. And, in these places I have asked myself similar questions. I have taken a personal inventory, I am seeking clarity. I am hoping for direction beyond here and now—but for where I am going next. 

The green is not a place where people rush, nor should they. Though a putt is but five, ten or twenty feet to the hole, each stroke counts the same. A golfer may get on in two and resents the game when they three-putt (speaking from a lot of experience here). Every golfer has his or her own pace and method. There's no one way to get the job done. A golfer must do what suits him or her.

I have always felt this same way about prayer. There is no shortage of methods and modalities for prayer. Each one puts us in touch with the Lord, others and ourselves. No need to rush it, either.

The reason I spent so much time thinking about this analog is because my colleagues and I took months to determine when would be the right time to have our coaches retreat. Due to COVID, high school athletics were on put on pause in March 2020. Whereas we would have had a coaches' retreat to kick off the new school year, this school year's gathering was slated for November, then December and finally occurred in February 2021.

Given my role in the Athletic Department, there is nothing that I wanted to do more than bring coaches together for formation in the mission of our school through conversations about sports. And yet, I wasn't sure how to do that, and when to do that. I asked questions like Do we need to acknowledge what we have lost? Is it ok to look ahead? Will this be meaningful? How can the message we want to offer be relevant? In short, I was looking for a way to "read the green."

In November 2020, Dustin Johnson set the course record at The Masters by finishing the tourney 20 under par. His win is attributed to being long and strong off the tee, hitting nearly every last green in regulation and reading the greens with excellent precision. But what was most noteworthy to me is how he did that.

Dustin's caddy—his younger brother Austin uses the aim point method of reading the green. This requires sight and vision. A golfer or in this case, a caddy must feel the green with his or her feet. Straddling the line to the hole—half way between the ball and the flag—a read requires feeling the balance of right and left. Is it equal? Is one side 2-1? 3-1? This read determines where the golfer then aims the ball. In short, feel, speed, sight and vision work together to execute the putt. Austin was excellent in advising his brother for what to do and where to aim, but ultimately Dustin had to decide and to execute. He said he couldn't have done it alone.

In my own life, I like to feel the green. As with the retreat, I wanted to get a sense of the balance. I realized I might be straddling two different places where people stand. I wanted to account for both, but lean into one more than the other. We erred on the side of hope, but not without naming what we had lost and what we had mourned.

A funny thing has happened since I learned more about the Johnson method of reading the greens. I see things SO much more clearly. There are times now when I play golf and I have the line and I know it. My putting has improved dramatically and with that, so has my confidence (this might not be saying a whole lot because there was big room for improvement). I enjoy the time I spend on the green. I like paying better attention and seeing the part to whole and whole to part. I love feeling it with my feet and firing away. My hope is that this same comfort and enjoyment of reading the green will carry over to how I live my own faith. I can use the boost.

Sight and vision....care and precision....taking time and  doing your best...sounds like a good way to life the spiritual life, too.

Photo Credits
brown greens
Austin and DJ

YES....Report on the 2020 Masters

I woke up on Monday morning and completed an emotional inventory. Masters hangover? No way. Too much of this good thing has never left me feeling badly. A little bummed out? Not so much. Why? The 2021 Masters is less than five months away. One has to wonder, if Dustin Johnson wins again, will he put the green jacket on himself? Probably not. Although Jack Nicklaus did when he became the first repeat winner in 1966, when Nick Faldo repeated in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2002, the chairman of Augusta National did the honors. I'll be watching.

Like many golf fans, I did not take for granted that the tournament was being held. Indeed, the 2020 edition provided us with unadulterated views of the course and four straight days of new content for SportsCenter. We could take in all its beauty—a beauty so captivating its often difficult to look away. While I certainly missed the roar of the crowd, the real reason we watch—the competition was stellar and the champion, triumphant. And so, I would like this post to honor the victor. 

I have written about Dustin Johnson many times. I watched and recorded countless interviews and stories about his first Masters win and second major title. There isn't a lot to say that hasn't already been said; sports stories are running thin right now but I have a few thoughts to share. While the world seems to be saying "no" a lot these days. Here are but fives yeses I have to offer.

Yes, Dustin Johnson won the tournament by shooting 20 under, 5 strokes ahead of the second place finishers, Sung-Jae Im of South Korea and Cameron Smith of Australia. DJ now holds the lowest winning score in Masters history. Johnson closed with a 4-under 68 and finished with a final score of 268, breaking the record set by Woods in 1997 and matched by Jordan Spieth in 2015 (-18). His record will be easy to remember: 20 under in 2020. Finally something cool about this year. 

Yes, it was and is hard not to love Austin Johnson. Brothers born three years apart, Austin broke down in tears first, midway through the 18th hole. While not many golfers have a sibling as their caddie, this has proven to be a worthy partnership. Austin has been on the bag with DJ since 2013. One must wonder what he will be doing with his white jumpsuit or green Masters hat this week. Why? In 2016 after DJ won the US Open, Austin revealed he did not take his caddie bib off for a week after the tourney. He said: "I washed it and got it framed, but I had to enjoy it first." He added, "I played golf in it, speared fish in it, went to dinner in it. Everything." 

And yes, their parents gave them names that differ by one letter.

Yes, Dustin's like the rest of us—except, of course, when he's not. The man is unflappable. He appears to have a resting heart rate of 30. However, he admitted he was nervous the whole time. A caddie friend on the tour said "it was nice to see them show raw emotions. Shows a side we never see!" 

Yes, those emotions came pouring out when he was interviewed after he stepped away from the course. "I've never had this much trouble gathering myself,'' Johnson finally said. "On the golf course, I'm pretty good at it.'' Standing and sitting in his 42 Long green jacket, DJ was reminded that he need not apologize—Bubba Watson set that standard and made it more than ok.

Yes, Paulina Gretzky—his fiance—ran onto the green in her own green jacket, albeit a cropped one. Though most men in America will disagree, I thought the yoga pants were inappropriate for Augusta National. Stay classy.

Yes, Sunday at the Masters is a tradition like no other.
Yes, it will return in early April, 2021.
And yes, we will return to it much different and yet the same—eager for the competition, the camaraderie, colors and the commentary. Oh yes....

Photo Credits
Austin
Tiger and DJ
Paulina
Great Swing

Putting—An Analogy for the Spiritual Life

Sports and Spirituality thrives on analogy. Metaphors are the language we speak. I love a good parable and an aphorism is a rare but precious literary gem. However, as my students are learning the language, I often have to fall back on cliches and expressions we know so well. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Despite the risk of mastering the obvious, I began class this past week asking my students: Why putting is so important? Fortunately, I had a story from my team match play victory as well as two great examples from the BMW Championship to serve as evidence—to help us understand the game of golf and the spiritual life. 

At the risk of stating the obvious, putting is important because the small things do matter. Everyone knows you "drive for show and putt for dough" but what might that mean? The numbers speak for themselves. Dave Pelz writes, "Regardless of skill level, putting accounts for approximately 43 percent of your total strokes, taking into account your good putting days and the ones where you're ready to snap your flatstick over your knee." 43%! That is nearly half of a golfer's game and yet we love to talk about the 323 yard drive Bryson DeChambeau is now blasting down the fairway exponentially more. We want to see the power, the speed and velocity of a ball well hit; putting is often an afterthought. 

Every golfer knows that "the fastest way to game improvement and shaving a significant number of strokes off their game is by improving their putting." Pelz recommends "at least 50% of your allotted practice time be spent on the putting green." This might be true for the pros, but most amateurs—like myself—are out on the range.

In the spiritual life, it's easy to forget the little things. When I make time to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it's not usually to confess the venial or smaller sins—the idle gossip I spread, the aggressive driver I honked at or worse, flipped off....the subtle disrespect I showed a colleague. No usually, I go to the Lord with bigger problems and heavier sins. The truth of the matter is they all add up; they are all related and part of my life. One is not totally separate from the other. 

In golf, we say your scorecard doesn't show how you got there. A six inch putt counts as much as 146 drive (the average distance off of the tee for an amateur female golfer) and/or a 216 yard one (average distance for the amateur male golfer). As I know too well, I can get on the green in regulation...or near it!...only to add an addition two— if on point, three—too often and worse four strokes to my score card. 

I sincerely think it serves us well to spend more time with this analogy if we want to be more holy, loving, compassionate and forgiving. I can be generous and kind in the big moments—the Thanksgiving drive, with the gifts I put under the tree, and more—but it is equally important to do the same with our daily interactions, our weekly meetings and so forth.

With that reminder in check, I would like to offer one other thought that crossed my mind on the importance of putting. Golf fans will know, putting CAN be exciting. In fact, they can be downright miraculous and diabolical in the same round. This quality makes it even more intriguing to consider.

Last Sunday, I participated in the WGN Team Cup Match Play Challenge at Olympic Club. My partner and I were ranked #10 and played the #7 ranked team. We were down by three as we entered the back nine. This is no easy task to come back from...that is unless your partner's putter gets hot. We still aren't sure why or how it happened, but my partner Leslie did not miss a single putt on holes 10-18. 

One of my absolute favorite phrases in sports is "catching fire." Too often, I find people use it prematurely—I know I have, because I want to believe it is true. However, she did. Our opponents, Leslie and I all watched in disbelief as every putt drained into the hole. Four feet, eight feet, ten feet, even fourteen feet out, she did not miss. It was incredible. We all realized we were witnessing something special. 

And all sports fans, must have felt the same way at the finish of the BMW Championship. Dustin Johnson made this putt on the 72nd hole at Olympic Fields golf course to force a play off. One putt! One stroke. In order to do that, he had to read the green—accounting for the slop and the break. DJ also had to determine the right speed for a putt that goes in but 3% of the time. Again, it's the small things—paying attention...detail matters. 

This incredible feat however was matched by his opponent minutes later. John Rahm nailed a 66 foot putt to end it and win the championship. I will let the video footage speak for itself. 

I will let you play with these components of the analogy. Is it possible to "catch fire" and do the little things right—again and again? When we pay attention and notice the details, does it make it easier to do the little things right? And can doing even the little things right be exciting too? This is worth discussion and debate. You don't need to be in my class to consider. 

Media Credits
Dynamic Catholic Image and Video is from PGA
Dustin Johnson Putting Stance

A Quality Worth Considering: Are You Unflappable?

As Dustin Johnson hit the golf ball from 145 yards out—his ball landing but four feet from the pin for a sure-fire birdie—David Feherty described the number one golfer in the world as "unflappable."

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Unflappable. This singular word, one that I don't think I have heard more than twice in the last five years was used to appropriately describe a man who is also one of my favorite golfers on the tour. I suppose the reason I delighted in this coincidence is because of the reason, or rather, the person who brought it to mind: St. John of the Cross. I can assure you, this Spanish mystic has little to nothing in common with DJ, minus, perhaps this singular virtue. However, I believe it's one worth thinking more about and understanding through their example. Here's how...and here's why.

For the past two years, I have been commissioned to write for a Catholic website promoting the canonization of a lay woman—a servant of God—named Cora Evans. As a team of writers, we are assigned a variety of topics that pertain to Catholic teachings, tradition and culture.

In December, I was tasked with writing about St. John of the Cross. As fellow bloggers know, we can't afford to pass on a writing assignment. Why? Today a whole lot of authors write for free. I did not want to pass, but given that I knew little to nothing about this Doctor of the Church, that was what I had to do. Just last week however, my editor asked me if I would reconsider writing that post. The timing and the deadline was right; I consented and in doing so, feel as though I met a new friend in faith.

I read articles and blog postings, and watched videos of theologians singing his praises but the one that stayed with me was a near homily, describing Saint John of the Cross as the "Doctor of Detachment." Here is what I wrote about this unflappable fellow.

St. John of the Cross is regarded as a premier teacher on how to detach and let go of the things of this world to live for God alone. Detachment is important to the spiritual life. In the article “Experiencing Life’s Flow,” Patrick Kelly SJ writes, "we get off track in a spiritual sense when we become too attached to money and status. Jesus repeatedly reminds his listeners of this point, insisting that “no one can serve both God and mammon.” St. Ignatius Loyola points to the same dynamic in the “Two Standards” meditation of the Spiritual Exercises, writing that the tactic of the enemy of our humanity is to ensnare people in the desire for riches, honor and pride.”

With the gift of detachment, one focuses on what leads to and builds a steadfast spirituality. In detachment one’s spirit finds quiet and repose for coveting nothing. For St. John of the Cross, detachment enabled him to live and focus on God alone, which proved necessary in his life’s story. According to Franciscan Media,

John engaged in the work of reform, and came to experience the price of reform: increasing opposition, misunderstanding, persecution, imprisonment. He came to know the cross acutely—to experience the dying of Jesus—as he sat month after month in his dark, damp, narrow cell with only his God.

St. John of the Cross wasn’t perfect, and yet regardless of such trials and tribulations it is inspiring that so little worried him. Truly, he was able to trust God. In St. John of the Cross, we have a wonderful spiritual role model with a unique name: the Doctor of Detachment.

Why Detachment?

Detachment enables us to be unflappable.

Unflappable. When I heard this word ascribed to St. John of the Cross, I paused. “What a great word,” I thought and, more importantly, what a wonderful quality. It’s not a character trait I hear about often. I wondered, “Is ‘unflappable’ an old-fashioned word? Are too few of us unflappable?”

As a high school teacher, I am often asked to write college letters of recommendation. The common application requires me to identify the first few words that come to mind when I think of a given student. “Competent, bright, trustworthy and insightful” often come to mind. I asked myself how many students possess this quality? I think humanity, young and old, might benefit from knowing and surrounding ourselves with a person who is unflappable. It’s worth teaching my students more about.

DJ with a rules official at the 2016 US Open. Talk about a time to be unflappable.

As a coach, I see this quality in athletes quite often. Golfers must be unflappable. The ball lands in a bunker or deep in the rough. At other times, it is as though the golf gods are punishing a player. Putts don’t sink and timing is off. The golfer who is unflappable stays the course—metaphorically. Literally is not a given. He or she takes the game one stroke at a time. While a bogey or worse may faze him or her, they can shake it off. Though I don't think Dustin Johnson is the exemplar of unflappability on the tour, in 2017 he is. I will look for this trait among him and other golfers as we approach the first of the four majors.

Though unflappability is a quality to describe a singular person, it can benefit a community as well. The one who is detached promotes God, or the good of others and not of him or herself. 

Again, an example from sports comes to mind. Though the school where I teach has a long-standing rival, there is one basketball game against another team in our league that trumps all other contests: SI vs Serra High School in "The Jungle Game." Both teams and their fans extend spirit and passion so strong that it’s downright hair-raising. Always a sell out, this game which takes place in a gym that is standing room only is well named.

time and place to be unflappable. Serra HS gym

With the game tied late in the third quarter, I glanced at our point guard tasked with inbounding the ball. While looking for an open teammate, nearly 500 boys crowded as close to him as they could on the sideline, yelling in his ear, aiming to distract his focus and deter the task at hand. If they had succeeded, I would understand why. But they didn’t. Why? This athlete, in that moment and in his role was unflappable. His teammates needed him to be...and he was (inside the paint, too). His unwavering focus boosted their collective confidence and vision. It's not hard to see.

There is so much in the world that is seeking to distract us from what is important—serving others, reaching out to those in need, paying attention to our loved ones. There are too many voices that are aiming to shift our attention from where we are to the place God may be leading us. Detachment from the demands of this world and the noise around us can keep our eyes on the goal—to be one with God, to be more like Christ. We need the examples of others who are unflappable to point the way. St. John of the Cross, the Doctor of Detachment is a worthy one and whatever he has done in his personal and professional life, I am happy to say that Dustin Johnson is as well. I am a fan of DJ because his swing is just so athletic. To watch him play is a near paradox, for no one moves forward with so little effort...and yet no one has his flexibility, stance, power and strength. No one.

This past summer, a friend asked me what is the difference between "flip" and "glib." I couldn't believe what I just heard—I have considered that very same question in my writing more often than he knew. Words, or more specifically adjectives like flip, glib or unflappable help me to understand the uniqueness of each person. Our humanity is a quirky, yet lovable thing. We need to name, articulate, and share the qualities that make each us of who we are. God has created us with a palette of color larger than the human eye can perceive. Words bring us closer to seeing the ineffable...the remarkable...the lovable...even, the unflappable. Praise Be.

Photo Credits
John of the Cross
US Open Rules

What Happens When You Surprise Yourself: A Case for Dustin Johnson

When is the last time you surprised yourself? It's a strange question, but there's something to it. Our friends and family know who we are, and hopefully, we do too! Typically, our personal interests, preferences and political, moral or religious leanings are of little to no surprise, until well—they are. And over the course of the past year, I have surprised myself in recognizing my favorite player on the PGA tour. It's a man I hope wins his first US Open: Dustin Johnson.

On paper, there is very little reason for DJ to serve as my favorite. For all intensive purposes it should be Jordan Spieth. Educated at a Jesuit High school, Spieth's dad and his mom were D1 college athletes. He uses the word "we" when he speaks of his team, his caddie was a teacher and he's as clean as he looks. DJ? well...

I remember reading more about him with complete disgust in the January 26. 2015 issue of Sports Illustrated. The article, "Dustin Johnson Has New Outlook, with Assist from Wayne Gretzky"  reported that in August 2014, Johnson failed his third test for recreational drugs—two of which were from cocaine. His P.R. team denied that he was suspended and argued apologetically that he was taking a personal leave. He took a similar hiatus two years prior.

Johnson and his now wife, Paulina Gretzky, the son of "The Great One," gave birth to their

Though I know why they did this,
I'm not sure it's ok

son, in January 2015. She has always been fond of posting provocative photos of herself in her latest bikini and it's hard to argue if someone were to do so--she shouldn't be the one. But selfies, her desire to promote her post-pregnancy body via Instagram and her appearance on the cover of Golf Digest just don't resonate with me. (NB: I have read she has taken up golf...)

I know I would have been frustrated if he had been in my classroom. In SI, he said,

“I knew how to get what I wanted,” he says. He wasn’t a great student at Dutch Fork High near Columbia, S.C., or at Coastal Carolina University. Instead, he took perverse pride in doing the minimum. “I could’ve made the time and got straight A’s,” he admits, “but I did just enough to make sure I was eligible to play golf.”

I've never appreciated those that say they could earn a 4.0 if they had only applied themselves. I am suspicious of their claims. Do they really know how hard it is to do that? And,

Along the way he has had two significant legal issues. At 16, he was involved in the burglary of a handgun that was used in a murder. (He testified at trial, paid restitution for the burglary and was pardoned.) And in 2009 he was arrested for DUI. (The charge was dismissed, but he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.) The legal issues, the suspicious breaks from the Tour, the careless play on the golf course -- after being penalized at the 2010 PGA for grounding his club in a bunker, he said he had neglected to read the local rules sheet -- make skeptics question whether he can change.

If you are watching this year's US Open at Oakmont, you know that the question of change has plagued Johnson beyond his personal life. Putting for eagle on the 18th hole, he missed it and the next one. His 3-putt on the final hole at Chambers Bay gave the 115th US Open title to Jordan Spieth. 

So what's the appeal in Dustin Johnson? Why is he my favorite player on the tour? I wish I could tell you it's an appeal to his humanity, but it's not. I don't identify to any part of his—though I am confident many others do...and that's a good thing. People I know and love have struggled with substance abuse. Though I find a DUI to be a true crime, I know people who have made that mistake—more than once. It's so scary. No, I like DJ for what he brings to golf: his sheer athleticism.

I can't look at Dustin Johnson and not see him as a wide receiver or a tight end. I wonder how many people in South Carolina wish he had played for the Gamecocks. I love the fact that he hits the ball off the tee further than anyone on the tour; his average is 309.5 yards. When I see him tee off, I recall the number of splash hits of a different kind he had  at AT&T Park when the US Open was at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. I'm sure when he threw out the first pitch later that night that the Giants pitching staff took a decent look at his stuff. We still need help in mid-relief. Pete Thamel wrote

Last fall Johnson started by getting his body right. He was carrying 220 pounds -- “not a good 220” -- on his 6' 4" frame, so he dropped 20 through daily workouts with his trainer and has since put on 13 pounds of muscle. In sessions with his life coach and clinicians, Johnson discovered that he didn’t handle stress and anxiety well. “My way of getting rid of it was drinking or partying,” he says. “Yeah, that might work for that day or the next week, but eventually everything keeps piling up.” Johnson has sought other releases, from skiing to fishing to free diving.

Only recently did I learn about free diving. #badass. I'd love to see him play basketball, but really, I'm just glad he's on the PGA tour.

For too long, the image of professional golfers was one middle aged men in plaid pants. Today's player is young, he is not only physically fit and strong but mentally resilient. I question if he is using Performance Enhancement Drugs, but I also know today's equipment allows them to hit farther than ever. 

Because golf is an individual sport, it's not unnatural to look for reasons to identify with an athlete. If we're Irish, we may be partial to those players from the Emerald Isle. Perhaps you love Bubba Watson because you too grew up outside of a country club and never had a formal lesson. Maybe you and your favorite player share an alma mater. Walking through the clubhouse at Stanford, I couldn't help but think the list of Cardinal players is impressive: Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie among them.

But as I've seen in Dustin Johnson, maybe you follow an athlete because of the reason you know about them in the first place: you like what they do in their sport and how they do it. Perhaps you surrender their personal story and stay with the professional one. I realize that's not an easy thing to do, but it must be what loyalists of Tiger Woods say. And maybe in the process of cheering for an unlikely pro athlete, you learn some unexpected things about yourself...

Other thoughts on DJ

• Anyone can stand behind the athlete that always wins. Johnson is known for coming unbelievably close (more than once) and something goes wrong. In all honesty, that's not hard for me to relate to!
• When I told my seniors that he is my favorite player, about 7 boys in each class looked at me and one another and gave a collective "yeah!" with appropriate head nod. 
• Johnson's younger brother Austin is his caddie. 
• "Never before has someone moved forward with so little effort." Quote by my friend Paul after watching DJ at the Masters. 
• Is it just me or would Bradley Cooper play him in a golf movie?

Photo Credits
Is that MadBum? No it's DJ
with Willie McCovey
Splash Hit
Golf Digest