Lee Miller (25.1)
Leicestershire, United Kingdom

I sat in the recliner with a brew in one hand and the sky remote in the other watching with envy the pros caress the ball around Agusta. My wife came and sat down and began immediatly with the twenty questions game all wifes and girlfriends are compelled to play when sport is on.

Whos playing, What does he have to do? Where is this at? Who do we want to win? etc...

Amongst this barrage of questions Paul Casey had addressed a putt and before he practiced his swing either the wind or Uri Geller moved his ball a fraction of centimetre. He immediatly stood up and called a penalty on himself.

"Why did he do that?" my wife asked

"The ball moved so he has to call a penalty on himself its in the rules" i replied glued to the box

"Yes but why did he admit it... He would have got away with it..."

I explained that golf was a gentlemans game but she didnt seem to understand. A few weeks later I drove my callaway warbird number 3 into the rough. A regular occurance for me. My playing partner to my delight stumbled on it and walked across to the fairway to were his ball smiled at me. As I got to my ball it was a Callaway Warbird Number 1. Without even thinking I informed him it wasnt my ball. I ended up taking a drop in the end.

It has since dawned on me that Golf really is unique in terms of sportsmanship and fair play.

Take our nations sport of football in which diving is now commonplace and playacting to get a fellow professional sent off is widespread. Players spit and swear through 90 minutes and then induldge in god knows what off the pitch.

Even cricket now has sledging and using gummy bears or whatever to shine the ball illegally. Formula one's Alonso and Hamilton were hardly an example of sportsmanship even before their team were busted for spying on another team.

Sport is big business and so if the rules can be bent or broken without anyone noticing then teams and individuals will do it. I understand that.

I hope that this never happens to golf though.

In a sporting world of corruption and foul play Golf has to remain true to the fundimental which make it such a pure sport...

Honest self regulation.

Lee Miller