Mark Wilson

Mark Wilson last week won the Honda Classic in the PGA, his first tour victory. Good on him. What has caught the imagination of many is the self-imposed penalty for his caddy Chris Jones telling his playing partner about the loft on his hybrid club which he has just hit. Giving advice to the other team is out in golf and so technically this was a breaking of the golf rules. Wilson told the officials and received a two-stroke penalty, which could have cost him his first title!

I want to take my hat off to Mark Wilson! What a guy! Good on ya! I have nothing but respect for those who take it upon themselves to play sport with integrity, honouring the rule and the spirit of the game.

Some will call him naive as it may have cost him a lot of money, his first tour victory, his PGA card, the endorsements and exemptions that he would then have missed out on. But he put the bigger issues of life and integrity above short term gain. He kept his integrity.

I think it is time for a revolution like this in all sport. How about cricketers walking and bowlers and fieldsmen calling people back when they are not out? How about rugby players owning up to not scoring a try instead of waiting for endless replays to decide things? How about athletes turning against performance enhancing drugs? I say bring back the integrity of sport.

This is not the first such incident like this; many New Zealanders remember Michael Long owning up to moving his ball on a green in a big golf tournament and potentially it lost him the tournament.

It is time people of the world to bring back the honesty! Or am I dreaming. I am actually, I was typing in my sleep. There is fat chance of this. So to Mark Wilson; go Mark; may you have many more tour victories my friend, you are a role model to us all!