“Some green untested souls might be tempted to wonder why
one should still care, but none of us are here forever, we’re not even here for
long; and if it’s true that our collective past exists inside all of us, unless
we take time to bear witness to the best of those who strived before us, our
chance to learn from their lives will be lost forever, and we will be the poorer
for it.” --Mark Frost, The Match
The Mark Frost quote above is worth rereading. It’s the final words from the book, The
Match, summarizing what has been called one of the greatest golf matches ever
played. It was arranged by two
millionaires during the infamous Pro-Am Clambake on the Monterey Peninsula in
California, hosted by Bing Crosby. The
essence of the bet was that two young rising amateurs were now capable of beating
two of the best professionals of the time.
The best-ball match was arranged between Ben Hogan and Byron
Nelson versus Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward.
They agreed to quietly meet at Cyprus Point on the morning of January
10, 1956 so they would not be distracted by the players and fans, but an
estimated 5,000 had gathered by the time word spread as they finished the
round. The contest was so close with
both teams fully engaged in the competition that the pros ended up winning by only
one up with a net score of 58, 14 strokes under par. The margin of victory ended up being the
eagle that Ben Hogan scored on the tenth hole.
The immortal foursome would never play another round of golf
together as their most relentless opponent, time, would inevitably outlast them
all. But all four of these men in the
course of their careers capitalized on their collective past and exploited the
best attributes they needed to be the very best they could be in their
lifetimes.
And this applies to the game of life as well.
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