Integrity Matters!

One Stroke

Bobby Jones is considered one of the history's greatest golfers. He won thirteen majors before he retired at the age of twenty-eight. And he is the first player to win four majors in one year! But even more than his winning record on the golf course, Bobby Jones is famous for a one-shot penalty at the 1925 U.S. Open.Jones inadvertently touched his golf ball and assessed himself a one stroke penalty, but no one else saw him touch the ball.

Not the tournament official. Not his playing partner. Neither of them believed he actually touched the ball. Bobby Jones could have so easily justified not taking the penalty. No one saw it. It didn't affect anything. The tournament official said, "Well, Bobby, it is up to you. Do you believe you touched the ball?" To which Bobby responded, "I know that I did."Bobby Jones lost the 1925 U.S. Open by one stroke! When reporters tried to interview him about the self-imposed penalty, Bobby Jones forbid them from writing about it. He said it would be inappropriate because there was nothing extraordinary about playing by the rules!Is it just me or does that inspire anyone else? Bobby Jones could have compromised his integrity and won the match, but he chose to lose the match and keep his integrity intact!