Jay GreesonThe Masters starts today.
I love this week and this event. In fact, this may be my single favorite sporting event of the entire year. It truly is a tradition unlike any other. From the grounds and the way patrons are treated, to the respect the best players in the world pay the event, it has a real feel of how sports used to be.
It also made me think about something that has become all too familiar about sports.
We call them heroes, and for a lot of fans, their exploits and accomplishments are praised or panned, depending on your favorite player or the color of the flag flying outside your passenger side window.
But that term is wrong on its face. Making jump shots or 17-foot putts is not the definition of being a hero. Throwing 95 touchdowns or scoring three touchdowns is not heroic.
Those are great accomplishments, sure, and can lead to great rewards. And that's cool.
As our active attention turns to the glorious grounds at Augusta National, I'd like to introduce you to a better golfing hero than Phil or Jordan or DJ or Rory.
Any of those guys may wear a green jacket come Sunday night and may make millions smile or cry or laugh or feel inspired.
But I contend each would eagerly agree Peyton Ogle's accomplishments - with or without a golf club in his hand - are way more heroic.
Case in point: Ogle, a free-swinging middle school golfer at Signal Mountain Middle High School, has a pretty impressive pedigree. He's broken par in nine-hole events, and like the famous names above, has competed in youth tournaments around the country, including last year's U.S. Kids World Championship at the famed Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina.
He's a sixth-grader and is piping drives 220 yards down the middle. He makes more putts than any three Saturday low-ballers you know. He has the nerves of a cat burglar and the smile of a supermodel.
And, oh yeah, did we mention that last Friday - a day before his most recent tournament - he missed school to have lunch downtown with his parents? No worries, Peyton needed to be there. He was one of the honored guests and a recipient of the Chattanooga chapter of the American Cancer Society's Life Inspiration Awards.
Peyton has been a cancer survivor for more than six years. His parents, Chris and Stephanie, heroic in their bravery and commitment as well, have navigated the rollercoaster of the nightmare that is a sick child. The good times are greater and fleeting; the fears are put on steroids and always around the corner.
"Peyton is doing really well," Chris shared with me Wednesday. "His health is in a really good place right now, it seems. Now that I say that he will get the flu. I surely hope not."
Chris was kidding, of course. When dealing with tragedy, the best medicine can be laughter.
And, for Peyton, golf.
Ogle's skills are clear. His motivation and commitment have the caring folks at Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club raving about him.
In fact, golf may be why we know his story, but his story is why we should call Peyton a hero.
"Watching Peyton try to sink that 10-foot putt in a big tournament is thrilling and somewhat nerve-wracking," mom Stephanie said. "But it in no way compares to the anxiety that comes with taking him back to his pediatric oncologist and waiting to hear whether his cancer remains in remission. One might determine how successful his golf season will be. The other determines whether he will ever have another golf season.
"Peyton is old enough to understand this, and that is why he believes it is so important to give back and to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer. I am so proud of him for choosing to make a difference."
Peyton has joined forces with a gaggle of his youth golfing friends and is looking to raise $100,000 for pediatric cancer. The movement and more information can be found at www.wingreencampaign.com.
"This is something that he wanted to do and felt like he needed to do," said Chris, who also added that Peyton will head back to Vanderbilt this summer for cancer evaluations. "It's personal for him, and we could not be prouder of him. He received his Life Inspiration Award on Friday from the American Cancer Society here locally. Of all of his trophies and wins on the golf course that is the one that I am most proud of. He is a survivor.
"He is truly an inspiration to those that know him, and I can honestly say that he is the strongest person I know."
Regardless of the color of his jacket, Peyton Ogle is a hero.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.