On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS August 3, 2015 # 552 Up Next… Core Values!
After further review… (I copied this from another site, but thought it fits well with the intent of TunneySide of Sports.) Some may have heard Zach Johnson say in his press conference following his victory as Open Champion at St. Andrews in July of 2015 when he referred to Jordan Spieth: “He is a phenomenal golfer, but he is a much better person.” Here’s a story that not a lot of people outside eastern Iowa know that tells you a lot about both men.
Johnson conducts a charity golf event every summer on the Monday before the John Deere tournament in the Quad Cities. He holds the event at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids, where he learned to play golf and where his parents are still members. He invites a dozen professionals and a bunch of former athletes and coaches who are well-known Iowans. Any player can donate money to participate in a draft to pick the pro or celebrity with whom they then can play. There is also a silent auction on Sunday night during the pre-tournament banquet. At the end, he writes a check to match all of the money generated by the auctions and the draft.
Johnson’s foundation distributes the money to public and private elementary and middle schools in the Cedar Rapids metro area. He also has donated a lot of money to various charities that were involved in relief and recovery efforts still occurring since the 2008 flood. When you hear Johnson say in his press conferences that golf creates opportunities, he is not talking about opportunities for him to make money; he is talking about opportunities to give money. He has been beyond generous and has never forgotten where he got his start.
But the real story here is about Jordan Spieth who Zach invited to play in this 2014 event; Jordan accepted, did play and further said he would return for the 2015 event. Now in 2015 Jordan wins the Masters and the U.S. Open, and is next headed to St. Andrews for The Open (July 16-20), which he has not only not played — but never seen. However, Jordan committed to Zach that he would play in this year’s Deere tournament. 0n July 6, 2015 Spieth is playing in Quad Cities!
Here’s what Johnson said: “Maybe it’s just me, but the notion of that 21-year old young man from Texas who is trying to win the third of three majors in a row had kept his commitment to play in this charity golf tournament just nine days before that Open is pretty remarkable.”
Will you keep the commitments you make – every time?
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