Raising awareness by raising funds

The U.S. PGA Tour concluded for the year after the Fall Series of events. 

Golf is a true meritocracy where the rock only rolls in favour of the chosen few and these five events have players fighting for a spot in the top 125. 

The European Tour came to its conclusion at the Race to Dubai, where Robert Karlson defeated Ian Poulter in a playoff characterized by an odd ruling that went against Poulter. Poulter dropped his ball on his marker causing his marker to move, thereby incurring a one stroke penalty. 

Had Poulter been in the act of replacing his marked ball, there would not have been a penalty. 

The Ladies European Tour came to an exciting conclusion this past weekend when Iben Tinning won her very last professional event. 

She had a one shot margin playing the last, a par 5, and faced an 81 yard third shot over water. 

It’s a golf shot that can keep you up at night for years to come. 

Chunk it in the water and you will wake up in cold sweats in the middle of the night forever more. 

Tinning held her nerve, knocked it on the green and holed the putt from eighteen feet to win by two.

The U.S. LPGA came to its conclusion a few weeks ago as well, amid a plethora of possibilities as to who would end up in the number one spot.

All of these conclusions mean we are now officially in the unofficial part of the golf year commonly referred to as the Silly Season. 

Frankly, it’s anything but silly.

Tiger hosted the Chevron event, which raises money for Tiger’s Foundation which in turn helps a number of good causes. 

The event came down to the wire between Tiger and Graeme McDowell, and when Tiger stuffed his approach at the last to three feet, everybody thought Tiger was back, including Tiger. 

Everyone that is, except for G-Mac who did a Tiger on Tiger, holing two magnificent putts to defeat Tiger in a playoff. 

This past weekend, we were treated to some pretty good golf at the Shark Shoot Out, an event that raises funds to help find cures for cancer. 

The result was never really certain until the very last hole when Poulter cozied up a little Texas wedge to within a few inches of the hole.

The icing on the cake, though, is the Wendy’s Three Tour Challenge.  Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s and who himself was adopted, started this event many years ago to raise funds to help foster children find loving homes. 

The so-called Silly Season is less about what golf is and more about what golf can, and does, do for a community. 

It is this ability of golf to bring communities together to raise funds for good causes that separates it from other sports. 

Frankly, these events show that the Silly Season isn’t so silly at all.