By Del Duduit
During the 2014 PGA Championship, golfer Cameron Tringale was not in contention to win. He was just trying to get the day over and move on to the next tournament.
On the 11th hole at Valhalla Golf Course at Cumberland Center Maine, he tapped in a gimme three-inch putt for bogey on the par-3 hole on the final Sunday round.
Six days later, Cameron contacted the PGA of American and told them that he signed an incorrect scorecard and asked to be disqualified.
He said he did this because he felt the putter tap the ball on his backswing and admitted he made contact with the ball before he tapped in for bogey. That counts as a stroke.
After the tournament, this bothered him for days. But no one knew or even cared because Rory McIlroy ran away with the win.
But Cameron knew . . . and God knew.
He made it right. Cameron let the golfing world know that he was a man of honor and integrity.
“We are all called to work hard, do everything we do for the glory of God, and I try to do that. I work hard and I try to set a good example,” he said. “The bottom line is that we give the Lord the glory no matter what happens.”
What would have done in this case?
No one knew he tapped the ball. No one saw it and nobody reported it to officials. In the grand scheme of it all, it didn’t matter.
Would you have called your golf buddies a week later and let them know you didn’t count all your strokes? How do you think they would have acted? They probably would have laughed and asked if you were kidding around.
But being honest in this case was vital for Cameron. He needed to let the PGA know what happened, even when it didn’t matter.
Cameron may not have won the PGA Championship that day, but he scored a hole-in-one with the Lord.
You can read more about Cameron nd other golf professionals and their faith in Birdies, Bogeys & Blessings: 30 Days of Devotions for the Godly Golfer by me and from Iron Stream Media.