There’s a walk in sports that’s better than any other.
Walking isn’t generally too exciting to watch in most sports. But in golf, there is one case where it’s hard to not get goosebumps.
Just imagine how grueling four days of competitive golf must be. Maybe not physically, but emotionally.
You’re competing against the best golfers in the world. You’re competing against the toughest courses in the world. And most importantly, you’re competing against yourself.
Anything could go wrong. A gust of wind could come along when your ball is in the air and put you into a position you had no control over. You could hit a perfect ball that takes a tough bounce and ends up in the water.
There is little margin for error. You can only make so many bogeys before you fall out of contention.
Four days in, you’ve somehow managed to overcome all of this. You’ve been graced by Gods of all different kinds to not only survive, but find yourself at the top of the leaderboard.
You made mistakes. But you followed them up with brilliance.
You’re on the 18th fairway. You walk alongside your caddy and your competitor, who had a great showing but just wasn’t quite good enough. The fans are cheering you, knowing what is to come.
You know what’s to come, too. But you’ve still got work to do.
A golf tournament isn’t over until it’s over. No lead is safe at the highest level.
You’ve got one shot and, hopefully, one putt.
You stand over your ball, wedge in hand, staring at the green – which feels a mile away and also just right there.
You don’t think. You just lay back on what got you there.
Not just a great 71 holes. But the tens of thousands of holes before it that prepared you for this moment.
You swing. It’s perfect.
Your ball lands safely on the green. Your caddy hands you your putter and follows closely behind.
The camera is on you and you alone. The crowd goes crazy. It’s all but done.
You soak in the moment and smile. All the hard work and long days, leading to this moment.
On this walk, you are a king. You are all that you hoped to become.
You finally step onto the green. You read your putt. You hit it – it drops right into the cup.
72 holes, in the bag. It’s over. You are the champion.
In our own way, we are all pining for this moment. The moment when no one can tear you down. You stand alone at the top.
You had help getting there. But ultimately, it was you throughout the whole process. It was you holding your emotions together when it was required. It was you making the final call on the next step.
You aren’t self-made. But by God, you couldn’t have done it without yourself.
Soon, someone else will pine for that top spot. But for now, it’s all your’s.