Character outweighs talent every time

By Fredie Carmichael / editor

I always find it interesting when people say golf is a boring sport, a sport that lacks excitement. Some of those same people don’t believe golf can be a team sport.

Those people obviously have never experienced the game — or watched the Ryder Cup.

On Friday, I watched some pretty intense moments as a golf spectator. I was in picturesque Scottsboro, Ala., watching five young men from Meridian Community College compete in the 2007 NJCAA National Championship Tournament at Goose Pond Colony.

I saw 18- and 19-year-old young men exhibit unmistakable courage, grit and character — all under extreme pressure.

Here’s how the drama unfolded in the shadows of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains:

It all started with little technical glitch near the end of the tournament. In this age of PDAs (personal digital assistants), cell phones and text messaging, information is always at your fingertips in an instant. The problem: that information isn’t always accurate.

MCC was playing the final round in the final pairing, starting the day in third place out of 20 teams in the four-day tournament.

As MCC competed the final 9 holes, Sean Covich, one of my best friends who is in his first year as MCC’s golf coach, asked me to find out the score that Tyler (Texas) posted. Tyler entered the day in fourth place, a few shots behind MCC. Before I made the long walk, I decided to check the scores online. Clinton Hales, who played golf at MCC a few years after Sean and I did, used his cell phone to go to the course’s Web site and find the scores.

Tyler wasn’t a threat; they didn’t post a low round. But John A. Logan (Ill.), who began the day in fifth place, posted an even par total of 288, according to the course Web site. What that meant: MCC would have to finish no worse than 11 over par as a team to a secure third place finish. And in a tournament where the difference between first through fifth is so close, the competition is fierce.

MCC’s top four players finished the first 9 holes at 2-over par. But all four players had shaky starts to the back 9.

Still, MCC looked to be in great position to secure third place. We felt pretty good about our position.

Then came the surprise: the score originally posted on the Web site was wrong. John A. Logan had actually shot 3-under as a team, meaning instead of 11-over, MCC could do no worse than 8-over to stay in at least a tie for third.

A few text messages and quick math lessons later, we discovered that MCC was at 8-over par as a team. That meant the final three players on the course — Justine Eaves, Dustin Petit and Scottsboro, Ala. native Jarrod Lemaster — would have to finish the final two holes at a combined 1-under to take sole possession of third place.

Simple pars wouldn’t do it.

There was no room for error.

Everyone was on edge.

The final two holes provided two par 4s, a dogleg left and a dogleg right.

Lemaster was the first to play the two holes. He gutted out two pars, both after bad drives. He even calmed his nerves to nestle in a slippery, 5-foot par put on 18.

As Lemaster made par on 18, Eaves was making some major noise on 17.

Eaves, who became the second MCC golfer to finish as an All-American in back-to-back years (quite the accomplishment considering the quality of MCC’s golf program), used a long drive and a dead-on approach shot to give himself a 12-foot birdie put. He drained it with ease — an appropriate word considering his demeanor and last name.

Eaves then recovered from a bad tee shot near the trees on 18 to hit the green with his approach shot. The problem: he had a 40-foot putt, with a double break, that he had to two-putt in front of more than 100 spectators. He not only got it down in two, he nearly knocked it in for birdie.

It looked like he felt no pressure, like he was playing golf with his buddies on a Saturday afternoon.

Moments later, Petit — who had an outstanding tournament and finished second out of 131 of the nation’s top junior college golfers — split the fairway with his drive, hit a perfect approach shot and easily tapped in for par, giving MCC sole possession of third place.

The relief set in. Later, as I watched MCC’s players accept their trophies and certificates, it hit me: I was proud of this MCC team for more than their third place finish.

Talented, yes. But more importantly, they had character. They could have easily given up after the first day. That’s when Bryant Self had a stomach virus and couldn’t finish. The fact that he was able to get through that virus and finish the tournament the way he did was remarkable by itself. That same day, Joshua Ivy broke his driver.

They had even more bad luck that day when Lemaster shot an uncharacteristically bad round. They ended Day 1 in 10th place. They fought back every day after that to make up seven spots and finish third.

Ivy, a Quitman native, known for his strong integrity and grind-it-out golf game, provided the best example of the character of this team as he walked off the 16th green. Ivy, a freshman, is the kind of young man you can instantly tell was reared by quality, good ‘ole down-home country parents. He’s a “yes sir” and “no mam” with a southern drawl.

He completed three solid rounds in the 70s in the first three days — a steady performance that really helped MCC during the tournament.

But he struggled on Friday. And as he stood on the 17th tee, Covich walked up to Ivy and informed him that Bryant Self had posted a 78. That meant Ivy, who was already 7 over at the time, could relax because his score wouldn’t be needed.

Ivy let out a long exhale, then stepped up to the tee and hit a solid drive on 17. As the players made their way down the fairway, Ivy turned back around and headed towards a group of MCC supporters, which included former MCC Golf Coach Lou Hart.

“How is everyone else doing, OK?” Ivy asked with a serious voice.

“What about Dustin, is he still playing well?”

After he was updated on the scores, a wide grin emerged on Ivy’s face. “Yes, that’s awesome,” he said, then clutching his fist as he walked down the 17th fairway.

Even though he’d had a bad day knew his scored wouldn’t be needed, he was happy for one simple reason: his teammates did well, which is all that mattered for him. There was no pity party for him. He didn’t sulk or pout.

That character, more than anything else, is what I’ll remember about this MCC golf team. Nothing could have made me more proud of Sean Covich and his MCC Eagles.

Fredie Carmichael is editor of The Meridian Star. He also played golf for MCC between 1998-2000 and competed in the 2000 NJCAA National Tournament in College Station, Texas. E-mail him at editor@themeridianstar.com.