Not yet Tiger Woods

Andrew has always loved to golf. This summer he asked us if he could play in a tournament, so we obliged him and signed him up for a Future PGA tour tournament at Vitense! Yesterday, the big day arrived, and I gathered my three boys and we headed to Madison to watch Andrew play.

When we arrived, one thing was obvious: these kids were serious! They had fancy golf bags, golf gloves -- for both hands sometimes-, golf visors, the proper polo shirt with belted khakis, and a look of steely determination. Not only did they look professional, but they played it as well. We got to the driving range, and the boy who was next to Andrew was driving the ball about 200 yards. (I also think he was about 13 or so.) For those of you non-golfers, hitting 200 yards would be exciting for an adult. Andrew can drive the ball about 125 or so. Andrew's eyes expressed fear, a trepidation of what was to follow. Yet neither of us verbally acknowledged this.

As he began play, I was relieved. While the kids looked awesome, they were also fallible. Tee shots were hitting the woods and dropping, balls were errantly flying everywhere, putts were lipping the cup, etc. However, so were Andrew's. He started with a 6, 7, 6 on Par Three holes. He was bummed.

At this time, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Andrew's superlative raucous coaches in the background. If you have ever been a spectator in golf, you know that any time a player is hitting the ball, the spectators need to be silent. Tell that to my 7 year old and 3 year old who were noisily rummaging through my backpack for treats and kicking the gravel on the path. At one point Evan actually was rolling down the fairway laughing to himself all the way. Here is Evan being a coach on the side of the green-- where he wasn't even allowed to be!

Ultimately, Andrew turned everything around and began posting 4's and 5's. As this happened his confidence bolstered. You could visibly see the spring in his step return and the slight smile he has appear on lips. If you have the highest score on a hole, you get to tee off first. Andrew was able to do that a few times at the end, and he was so visibly proud!

His tournament culminated on the final hole of play. He earned his first Birdie! (If you don't golf, a birdie is one shot under par.) Essentially, he got the ball in the hole in two shots! He was thrilled. Here is his follow through on that awesome drive.

He ended the tournament by posting a 46 overall score. That put him in the middle of the pack of golfers, but I don't think he cared much. He spent a morning doing what he loved, and he proved to himself that he can play with kids older than him. (His division was 11 and under. Only he and one other boy were 8 years old. The rest were older!) I am a proud mom today~