And finally allows himself that smile of relief. A brief hug with his caddy as he walks off the tee, after seeing his tee shot land safely on the right side of the green, well away from the Valley of Sin. No need for heroics with a seven-stroke lead.
The wife, holding the baby daughter, daubing tears from her eyes. The occasional South African flag waving. The put for par drops, the big smile, the big kiss from his bride, and the kiss for his baby girl. The warm applause. The engraver adding his name to the Claret Jug. The calm, smiling young man, modestly talking with the BBC interviewer. Credit given to Ernie Els for mentoring the young champion.
The bookies had him at 200-1 on Wednesday, and here he is on Sunday.
Polite, cheerful, sober crowds in the stands. No vuvuzelas! No riots. No storefronts smashed. No one, on either the field of play or in the stands, injured. No players cursing at referees, no ejections, no yellow cards, no grudge matches, no controversies about the score. No vitriol from the runners-up, and no gloating or trash-talk from the winner. No multi-million dollar long-term contracts from teams that use municipal bonds to build stadiums that will be abandoned long before the term of the debt issue.
The low amateur, Mr. Jang, is recognized first, with a silver medal.
The runner-up, Mr. Westwood, is recognized with a silver tray.
Mr. Oosterhuizen gets the gold medal, the Claret Jug, and begins his remarks by wishing Mr. Mandela a happy 92nd birthday. Thanks to the R&A, his mom and dad, to his mentor Ernie Els, to the fans, Mr. Gary Player, and his wife and baby.
It's a great game. It's everything the NBA, NFL, NASCAR, and Premiere League aren't.
No comments:
Post a Comment