Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Golf anyone?

image from www.knowcancer.com

This weekend all eyes of the golfing world will be focused on Bethpage, Long Island for the 2009 US Open Golf Championship. On Thursday, Phil Mickelson will tee off with Tiger Woods. These two long time rivals will be vying for the same title and the prestige that goes along with winning the US Open.

Although they have been pitted against one another for years and seem to have many differences on the golf course, off the course, they share a very similar experience, one that is much bigger then the game itself.

This year Phil’s wife, Amy, was diagnosed with cancer. He took some time off the tour to spend with his family and to be at her side. He has since returned to competitive golf and has played in one tournament leading up to this major championship, ironically enough the St. Jude’s Classic.

Tiger Woods lost his father 3 years ago to prostate cancer. It was well publicized how close Tiger and his father Earl were. Tiger has always been known to keep his emotions off the course in check, but after he came back and won his first tournament after Earl’s death the emotions came pouring out. He became a human being to many a golf fan.

This post is not about golf, or two of the most recognizable people in the game. It is about cancer and how it can strike anyone, famous or not. It is moving to see how a community can rally around one of its members and offer support and understanding. It is wonderful to see how Tiger Woods, a man deemed a bit of a robot off the course and a surgeon on it, is actually human, and understands that family and your health are much more important than majors and green jackets.

My hope is that everyone who reads this can agree with me in that health & family are the true riches in life and without them we are poor.

Labels: family, golf

posted by Michael Kertelits at 6:34 AM   0 comments