“There’s nothing like being a father.” –Payne Stewart, professional golfer, after winning the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst
The 1999 golf tournament at Pinehurst has been called the greatest U.S. Open over. The exciting drama that played out over a week’s time in North Carolina that year and the fateful events that took the life of golfer Payne Stewart four months later captivated the sports world for a tremendous summer. The drama that was the actual golf tournament was plenty but what made the event even more enticing to the viewers, many of which had not watched golf on television before, was the story of golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, who were expecting their first child. In Mickelson’s eyes, the Open was and is the greatest golf tournament in the world and his longing to compete and win in the Open was at the top of his list for professional achievement. The fact that it was contested at Pinehurst added to the desire to complete because of his love for the course which began from the time he was there at a golf school when he was 13. Amy was in their home in Scottsdale, Arizona, while Phil debated for a while and then finally traveled across the country to play in the tournament that he said was secondary in his eyes to the joy of becoming a father for the first time. He commanded that his caddie carry a beeper on him at all times and swore that he would leave the course immediately if the beeper carrying a message from Amy went off. Each day the papers and news media would recount the story for the masses and by Sunday afternoon in Pinehurst everyone knew the story.
On the other side of the two final combatants, Payne Stewart had endured some tough times after winning the 1991 U.S. Open with his personal and his professional life undergoing much change. Some called him surly for his moments of close calls which brought about an attitude of whining when he didn’t win. He was called “Avis” for his lack of ability to close with a win, often ending up in second place. It had been four years since he had last won on the PGA tour and it was taking a toll on him, personally, as well as professionally. He thought of giving up the game for good. The struggles led to several periods of introspection. He would say after the tournament, that the dedication of his family and the renewed devotion that he had for them was the glue that made the moments of this tournament possible. Fatherhood, he said, was a teacher and a gift. His rededication to his family providing the strength her needed to endure the tough losses with dignity and grace as opposed to the surliness of the past.
It was also fitting that the Open’s final round fell on Father’s Day, as it does every year. The drama moved toward an eventual conclusion late in the day on that Sunday in 1999 with Stewart edging Mickelson out on the final hole, and with the beeper never going off. After the winning putt disappeared into the hole on the 18th green, Stewart screamed a couple of times and then was embraced by his caddie as Mickelson took off his visor and made his way over to him. As Mickelson extended his hand for a customary congratulatory handshake, Stewart cupped Mickelson’s head in his hands and said “Good luck with the baby. There’s nothing like being a father!” Two men, both huge competitors striving for a major victory, were laced with the surrounding aura of being a and soon becoming a father: One man finding peace because of the recommitment to his family; one man rapt in the joy of starting one, all on Father’s Day. The next day, Phil and Amy Mickelson welcomed Amanda into the world as their first child. Four months later, Payne Stewart died as the plane he was flying in lost pressurization and crashed into a South Dakota field. Both men, even on that fateful day, loved their children with the deepest of love. Mickelson would go on to have many children and find great joy in being a dad.
If you are a man and have been given this book by a friend or spouse and you have just become a first time father or soon to become a father of a new daughter, I feel compelled to tell you this book is a love story. While that might not initially excite you to continue reading on, I encourage you to do so with an open mind because Payne Stewart was spot on when he said there was nothing like becoming a father. The love for your child is something that will amaze and strengthen you as time goes on, especially if you are a Dad with a daughter.
If you are a woman a new Mum or an expectant Mum who is perusing this book in the store or online and wondering about getting it for your significant other, I feel compelled to tell you that you might want to read it yourself, for your benefit, too. Your relationship with your father is discussed in this book as well and the experience of being a daughter to a loving Dad is like no other. Perhaps, after you have read it, you will give it to your significant other with a smile and say, “I read it, too!”