So Unexpected

Last week, the first Cognizant Classic of the Palm Beaches was played at PGA National.  Junior student, Mateo Muñiz, was assigned to be standard bearer for the group that included David Skinns.  He was not familiar with any of the golfers in the group so he was excited to meet some new players.  David immediately introduced himself and after the first tee shot surprised Mateo by kicking off a conversation with him as they walked down the fairway to assess his second shot.  Most golfers keep the conversation with the standard bearer and walking scorer to a minimum but David enjoyed talking to Mateo throughout the round.  

The most memorable part of the round for Mateo was watching David's response to a damaged putter.  Ray, David's caddie, tripped over a tee marker on the 5th hole which caused him to take a tumble with David's clubs.  Fortunately, Ray was fine, but when it was time to putt David discovered that his putter somehow got bent during the fall.  Ray was visibly distraught since his misstep caused an important club to become damaged but David did not get angry with him.  Instead he maintained his compusure and called an official to explain that his putter needed some repair.  "I watched him bend that putter with a purpose and he never gave up.  Somehow he got it back into position and sunk an 8 ft 7 in putt with authority.  It was awesome!" said Mateo.  Ray still feeling bad, continued to apologize, but David simply replied "Forgot about it, it's in the past."  This is a great example of how to respond to a situation with dignity and acceptance.  

Mateo also enjoyed watching him interact with his son who was walking outside the ropes.  "One time, his son was complaining about being thirsty and David responded like a dad 'why didn't you tell me that at the tee box so I could get you some water?' It reminded me of something my Mom would say," giggled Mateo.  "They only walked the first 9 holes of the  round but David never lost sight of them.  He stayed focused on his game the whole time no matter what was going on," Mateo continued. "He even spoke to me a lot which was so unexpected and kept playing well. I hope to apply this lesson in my own game."  

David Skinns would finish the round tied for 3rd, by the 4th round he would be tied for lead and ultimately finish in 4th place.  That was his best finish in 33 career starts.  If you would like to learn more about David click here.  

Disclaimer: Mateo's experience as a standard bearer is not the norm.  If your golfer chooses to do this in the future they could encounter a golfer that does not interact beyond the introduction and the thank you at the end of the round.  
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