Nice guys DO finish first
Friends, it rained earlier today in Lexington. At one time that would have been big news, as in years past, rain pretty much stopped in our area by the latter half of June.
But in today's climate, off-and-on rain is pretty common, and we're having yet another day of exactly that.
But I digress. I've come today to share a couple of stories about good fellas, nice guys all, who've done well and defied the old "nice guys finish last" credo of the late, great Leo (The Lip) Durocher, the combative former baseball player and manager.
Exhibit A for my premise is professional golfer Gary Woodland, who won the United States Open golf championship over the weekend at Pebble Beach in northern California.
Woodland is one of those guys who golf fans sort of know and recognize when he's shown playing, but not the type who's a perennial favorite of fans and experts of the sport. This is especially true when there's a major championship to be played.
Woodland played solidly all four days, but began to assert himself in Friday's second round and held the lead (or was at least tied for it) the rest of the way in. Woodland is a somewhat big hitter, above average (he ranked 11th in distance off the tee at the Open last week), largely a steady but unspectacular player, and one who normally keeps his emotions in check.
What got my attention was a prepared piece about his interaction with a young woman with Down's syndrome at the PGA event in Phoenix last January. Woodland was shown playing with this particular young woman, who had a ready smile and answer "I got this" when asked if she needed help with, well, anything. She put her tee shot in a sand trap. Said "I got this" when Woodland offered to hit out of the bunker for her. She then walked calmly onto the green for a putt of around 15 feet, was again heard to say "I got this" just before draining the putt. She and Woodland embraced and apparently have stayed in touch since.
What was particularly touching was that this young woman posted a note on Twitter Sunday morning, directed to Woodland, saying "@GaryWoodland you got this!" He did.
And he returned the favor, interrupting his post-tournament press conference to have a video chat with this young woman.
It also came out that two years ago, he and his wife were expecting twins but she miscarried one of the babies. The other is doing well, and she's again expecting twins.
I love stories like this. We don't see enough of them.
But in today's climate, off-and-on rain is pretty common, and we're having yet another day of exactly that.
But I digress. I've come today to share a couple of stories about good fellas, nice guys all, who've done well and defied the old "nice guys finish last" credo of the late, great Leo (The Lip) Durocher, the combative former baseball player and manager.
Exhibit A for my premise is professional golfer Gary Woodland, who won the United States Open golf championship over the weekend at Pebble Beach in northern California.
Woodland is one of those guys who golf fans sort of know and recognize when he's shown playing, but not the type who's a perennial favorite of fans and experts of the sport. This is especially true when there's a major championship to be played.
Woodland played solidly all four days, but began to assert himself in Friday's second round and held the lead (or was at least tied for it) the rest of the way in. Woodland is a somewhat big hitter, above average (he ranked 11th in distance off the tee at the Open last week), largely a steady but unspectacular player, and one who normally keeps his emotions in check.
What got my attention was a prepared piece about his interaction with a young woman with Down's syndrome at the PGA event in Phoenix last January. Woodland was shown playing with this particular young woman, who had a ready smile and answer "I got this" when asked if she needed help with, well, anything. She put her tee shot in a sand trap. Said "I got this" when Woodland offered to hit out of the bunker for her. She then walked calmly onto the green for a putt of around 15 feet, was again heard to say "I got this" just before draining the putt. She and Woodland embraced and apparently have stayed in touch since.
What was particularly touching was that this young woman posted a note on Twitter Sunday morning, directed to Woodland, saying "@GaryWoodland you got this!" He did.
And he returned the favor, interrupting his post-tournament press conference to have a video chat with this young woman.
It also came out that two years ago, he and his wife were expecting twins but she miscarried one of the babies. The other is doing well, and she's again expecting twins.
I love stories like this. We don't see enough of them.
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