The Truth Of The Four-Foot Putt
By
Leonard Zwelling
For those of you not golf-inclined, my perfect Fathers’ Day would not be yours.
First, I played 18 holes of golf with my wife.
Second, I watched the broadcast of the most important tournament in American golf, the U.S. Open.
For those of you under a rock on Sunday, June 16, Bryson DeChambeau beat Rory Mcllroy by a single stroke by first driving into the sand and grass on the left side of the 18th hole at Pinehurst Number 2 in North Carolina, chunking the ball out to a sand bunker forty yards from the hole, and then making an unbelievable up and down (holing the ball in two shots) from that bunker to win the tournament.
To get to that point both men had shown the nerves that can affect even the most seasoned professional golfer, just as it does us duffers in a weekend game at the club.
Each man faced four-foot putts to save critical strokes as they moved through the back nine on Sunday. Bryson had one; Rory had two. They missed them all! Just like me all the time. It appeared that they each struck their putts well, but misread the break and they lipped out—the dreaded “liprosy” affliction.
Those misses determined the outcome. Rory missed two; Bryson missed one. Bryson wins. In golf, as in life, it can be the little misses that matter most.
I am reminded of my dilemma in deciding for whom to vote in November. Mr. Trump has made a career of big misses so there is no way I can vote for him. But it is the little miss that puts me off voting for Mr. Biden. His total lack of understanding of the origins of the current conflict in Gaza making him try to get fight-to-the-death enemies to make peace is concerning. It simply cannot happen with the current leadership of Israel (Netanyahu) or of the Palestinians (Hamas). If you know the history, you know that the current strategy of the United States, especially using Qatar and Egypt as intermediaries, will never work. First, an Israeli victory over Hamas is needed. Then new elections must be held in Israel while the rest of the world decides who will govern Gaza. Then progress, maybe. Not until.
Mr. Biden continues to miss a series of four-foot putts. As Rory showed us Sunday, missing a series of short putts can sink the ship.
Maybe I’ll vote for Bryson. He missed the fewest short putts and made many miraculous saves on his way to victory. Maybe he can fix the current world conflicts.
Nah!
3 thoughts on “The Truth Of The Four-Foot Putt”
Unfortunately, we will have ONLY two real choice in November. I will vote for Biden because I CANNOT tolerate, as a life-long Republican, a man who has dishonored the GOP and lied, cheated, and stole from others (i.e. the innocence of raped women). The most IMPORTANT concept to understand is that the National Security Council and the Cabinet actually guide the President to EVERY decision. He is more for a figure head than most Americans understand. Currently, we have one of the most talented, experienced, and judicious members of those two groups in modern Presidential history. American education needs to inform citizens of their importance. Remember: after President Woodrow Wilson had a major stroke, the country was run successfully by advisors. Ronald Reagan had dementia, and Baker and others sustained us. Trump was a NUT, and General Kelly and others saved us.
Unfortunately, we will have ONLY two real choices in November. I will vote for Biden because I CANNOT tolerate, as a life-long Republican, a man who has dishonored the GOP and lied, cheated, and stole from others (i.e. the innocence of raped women). The most IMPORTANT concept to understand is that the National Security Council and the Cabinet actually guide the President to EVERY decision. He is more for a figure head than most Americans understand. Currently, we have one of the most talented, experienced, and judicious members of those two groups in modern Presidential history. American education needs to inform citizens of their importance. Remember: after President Woodrow Wilson had a major stroke, the country was run successfully by advisors. Ronald Reagan had dementia, and Baker and others sustained us. Trump was a NUT, and General Kelly and others saved us.
Not sure I can forgive Biden for his foreign policy missteps, but then again, do I really have a choice? As you point out, probably not.