Could You Do This ?

Pro golfer, J.P. Hayes might have been a little to honest with the PGA tour judges. Hayes accidentally played a non-conforming golf ball and disqualified himself from the second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament last week. So because of Hayes honesty, he is now not on the PGA Tour for the 2009 season. Costing himself perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars. Would you do this ? I for one cheated on my SAT’s (twice, not that it did any help) and I’d cheat myself on the PGA Tour if I had too. The same can’t be said about Hayes. Somebody tell us guy life isn’t fair, and take him to a strip club (with full-contact) and get him a drink, or just introduce him to John Daly. From the Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel:

But as a professional golfer, playing a sport that is self-policed – a sport in which integrity is as important as winning titles and cheating is practically non-existent – Hayes knows he did the right thing.

His sin?

Hayes inadvertently played a non-conforming golf ball – one not on the list approved for competition by the United States Golf Association – for one hole of a second-stage qualifier in McKinney, Texas.

The 43-year-old Appleton native disqualified himself from the second stage of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament last week. The first DQ of his career was especially harsh because it left him ineligible to play fulltime on the PGA Tour in 2009.

Though it is not uncommon for PGA Tour members to call penalties on themselves – Menomonee Falls native Mark Wilson called a two-stroke penalty on himself at the 2007 Honda Classic and still went on to win – Hayes’ honesty essentially kept him from returning to the PGA Tour.

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