I’m sure that most sports fans out there followed Tom Watson’s near miss at the British Open last month. For some reason, I seem to be cheering on my fellow gray-templed comrads in sports these days…
But a story that didn’t reach the headlines was more significant in my eyes. An English golfer named Ross Fisher went into the final round tied for second place with a 2-under par. One more day of consistent play and a few lucky bounces and he could win one of the four Major PGA tournaments right in his own backyard. However, Ross’ wife was expecting the birth of their first child at any moment. When a journalist brought up this fact on Saturday, Ross stood firm to his statements earlier in the week.
“Like I said all along, if Jo does go into labor, I’ll be supporting her 100 percent,” he said. “And I won’t be here, I’ll be with her, because it’s something that I definitely don’t want to miss. You know, it will be a shame, but I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”
If THAT doesn’t inspire you to become a better father and parent, I don’t know what kind of motivation you need. Fortunately, he never received the call from his wife but it obviously was in his mind as he finished the fourth round with a 5-over par and ended up tied for 12th. If you are looking for heros in sports, look no further than Ross Fisher. Not for what he did on the field, but for what he was willing to give up. He has made a new fan in West Chester.
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