David Toms

David Toms, our local golf hero, will play in the U.S. Open and British Open. On its face, that's not news. He usually plays in these two majors. This year is different. He barely made the "cut."

As you probably read recently, David decided to play in the Byron Nelson tournament in Dallas last weekend. By sitting out, he had a better chance of playing in the U.S. Open and British Open. That's just the way the system works. By playing and missing the cut, he jeopardized his top 50 world ranking. He did miss the cut, but all the stars aligned, and thankfully he did qualify. He went from 47th place to 50th place. He made it by the barest of margins.

It would be easy to say "congratulations," good things should happen to good people. David truly is one of the good guys.

But I will defend his decision to play in Dallas on a couple of levels.

First, it makes sense to play this close to home. Pros rarely get that opportunity. You have to take it when it comes. It also gives us fans a chance to see our favorite pro in action. It's hard for us to travel the tour, from West Coast to East Coast.

Secondly, David has done well in Dallas. This was one of those rare times he missed the cut. And he has been playing well, so why not go for it? The odds were in his favor. It was just one of those weeks.

Third, suppose he didn't make the top 50. Suppose he had to go through the grueling 36-hole qualifying. He said he would do it. At least, he would have given it his best. 

To be honest, I don't know that I would subject myself to qualify for the U.S. Open. I probably would pass. Like professional golfer Bruce Lietzke,  my old high school classmate, used to say, why torture yourself by playing the U.S. Open? Especially this year at Bethpage Black. If David decided to stay home and not go at all, I wouldn't blame him. How many 500-yard Par 4s do you need before it's just not worth it?

But David put it all in perspective for me, you can't win a major if you aren't entered. And, I guess, that really is the bottom line.