“Thanks for the info, and just a small piece of advice — keep that phone hidden.”
As Goodell and Manning each issue a quick wave goodbye and head toward the second hole, you’re left standing there dumbfounded at the situation that just unfolded.
You feel for the outline of the phone in your left pocket and review the last few minutes of your life: You got caught breaking a rule at Augusta National, then were let off without even a warning by the NFL commissioner and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. For a second, you think about taking out the phone and sending this story to the group text with your golf buddies, but decide not to push your luck and wait for later instead.
Just as you realize there are more important matters to attend to, a huge roar originates from up ahead. You follow the path of Goodell and Manning, heading down the second hole, weaving your way in and out of spectators who have stopped in their tracks, despite the fact that there’s almost nothing to see from their vantage point. By the time you get to within a wedge of green, you look up just in time to catch Rahm knocking in a 12-foot eagle putt to immediately erase the opening bogey and then some.
“Let’s go[” you yell to nobody but yourself, as Rahm is now within a single stroke of the lead.
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Nothing he does over the next several holes does anything to discount your original thought when you saw him on the first tee today: He just looks like a guy who’s ready to win.
He makes another bogey on the fourth hole, but follows with birdies on the fifth, seventh and eighth holes, making the turn in 33 strokes for the round.
The more confident Rahm seems in this environment, the more confident you become, too.
Not to extend the comparison too far, but he’s not the only one who seems ready to win today. So do you. You’ve spent countless Sunday afternoons camped in front of the television, watching a final round and rooting for your guy to claim the trophy. And sure, you’ve won plenty of bets over the years, but man, it’s those losses that really stick with you. So many sweats, so many close calls, so many memorable defeats – there’s a thin line between windfall and naught, and you’ve been on the wrong side of it too many times.
Today feels different, though. You feel different. Sometimes the sweat is even literal, as you constantly have to mop your brow during the proceedings. But this feels comfortable, as if your victory – and Rahm’s victory – is already preordained by the golf gods.
You were issued the world’s biggest reprieve from the NFL commissioner, of all people, and now you’re walking around Augusta National, watching your pre-tourney horse make the final lap. What could go wrong?
- Rahm wins, cashing all your tickets.
- Rahm loses, leaving you on the wrong side of that thin line once again.
