Davis Love III's Integrity
Story★★★★Davis Love III’s Integrity In 1994, golfer Davis Love III called a one-stroke penalty on himself during the second round of the Western Open. He moved his marker to get it out of another player’s putting line and later couldn’t remember if he’d moved his ball back to its original spot. Since he wasn’t certain, he gave himself an extra stroke, and that one stroke caused him to miss the cut. He was eliminated from the tournament.
Ironically, if he’d made the cut, even if he finished last, he’d have earned $2,000 that week. At year’s end, Love was $590 short in winnings to automatically qualify for the Masters and needed to win a tournament to get into one of golf’s most coveted events. Fortunately, the story ends well. The week before the big event, he qualified by winning a tournament in New Orleans and went on to earn $237,600 by finishing second in the 1995 Masters.
Later, when Love was asked how he’d have felt if he’d missed the Masters because of calling a penalty on himself, he replied, “The real question is how I’d have felt if I’d won and spent the rest of my life wondering if I’d cheated.” (Integrity, Consequences, Redemption)
The point
Golfer Davis Love III calls a penalty on himself, costing him a tournament spot, but later qualifies and succeeds, valuing integrity over short-term gain.