Lessons we can learn from Jarryd

Anybody who is interested in golf in Bermuda will know by now that Jarryd Dillas has made it through the first stage of pre-qualifying for the U.S. Open. 

The enormity of this achievement cannot be overstated. 

I understand that there were about 70 players competing for just three spots at his site, meaning the other 67 would be left to wonder about next year.  Just in case you were wondering, every single one of the 70 players would have been scratch or better and so for Jarryd to win one of the three spots is a huge achievement. In doing so, Jarryd brings golfing recognition to both himself and to Bermuda.

While Jarryd was moving through the U.S. Open pre-qualifier, the Bermuda Seniors Amateur Championship was being played at Riddell’s Bay and, over the weekend, the Mid Ocean club championship was also being played. 

These three events cannot be compared as regards the golfing abilities of the participants, however, what each of these events provides to all participants are memories and lessons.

Take Jarryd’s success in the pre-qualifier. I imagine that he will never forget that day, nor will he forget all the hard work he did leading up to that day. 

His memory will be a positive one and the lesson we all can take from Jarryd’s success is that hard work, done well, sometimes does bear big fruit.

Golf is a hard teacher and the lessons we learn from golf are usually painful ones. 

Take Gus Hyslop for example, a Mid Ocean club member competing in the club championship. 

Gus could have played in the senior division but, unlike some, elected to play in the Open division.  Gus made it through to the semi-finals and woke up on Sunday morning to face new MOC member Jarryd Dillas, the same Jarryd Dillas who had just made it through a pre-qualifier for the U.S. Open. 

One of the many valuable lessons that golf teaches us is to never give up. 

In their semi-final match, Gus gave Jarryd a huge scare and as they stood on the 17th tee, Gus Hyslop was two up on Jarryd Dillas. 

The bookies would have lost a significant chunk of change on that score line but what Gus had done was that he had taken the game to Jarryd and, in doing so, showed us all that no matter the size of the task at hand, it can be done if we put our mind to it. While Jarryd managed to squirm his way out of that match, Gus’ battle with Jarryd teaches us that we should always believe that we can succeed. 

All of us who play this game, especially those of us who like to compete, lose far more often than we win, and receive many more bruises than kisses. 

The beauty of competition is that, along with the losses, comes a wonderful balance created by the many memories and lessons we receive along the way.