The Greatest Game Ever Played

I just finished watching the epic movie The Greatest Game Ever Played.  I am inspired by it.  The movie is about a boy, Francis Ouimet, who is the son of a rather poor family in Boston, Massachusetts.  He grew up next to a golf course.  Francis grew to love to play the game of golf.  As he grew older he began to be a caddie at the course, one of the most prestigious in the nation.

He managed to get a hold of some clubs, which he used to practice in his spare time.  Soon, he began to get quite good.  He was invited by the manager of the golf course at which he caddie to put his name in the US Amateur Open.  He wants, but he doesn't have the $50 entrance fee.  He asks his father, who is reluctant to give it to him, for the money.  His father is a realist, who works hard to support him and his family.  He wants a son who works hard and earns his keep; not a son who wastes his time playing a game.

Well, Francis promises his father that if he does not qualify for the tournament he will quit golf and get a good paying job.  His father agrees.  Francis misses the cut by 1 stroke.  He is crushed by this.

True to his word, Francis goes and gets a job in a department store.  He met a young lady named Sarah during the celebration before the Amateur tournament.  After a while Sarah comes to the store asking Francis why he gave up golf.  Francis is reluctant to tell anyone the real reason for his not playing golf.

Well, the 1913 U.S. Open tournament is being played at the course by Francis's house.  He gets invited to try to qualify, which he declines at first.  After thinking about it, he agrees to try.  He manages to qualify.  As the tournament begins he starts of badly.  As it progresses, he slowly inches his way up the scoreboard.  At the end of 4 rounds, he is tied with two Englishmen, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.  Vardon and Ray are considered the best golfers in the world.

The tie forces a playoff, which Francis wins by 1 stroke.  He is elated, as is America.  The British had dominated the game of golf for a long, long time.  But no longer.

This movie follows a common plot: a seemingly simple person, without any gifts of talent, somehow wins a game, a series or a tournament.  This is a classic underdog story.  Why do so many movies follow these types of plots?  I don't have the answer to that yet.  But hopefully I will soon.

Is it because these types of stories happen in real life?  They do happen.  Nobody expects a new person to win until they do. Once they win everyone assumes that they are the best, because they've proven it.  A new person trying to be the best has a lot against them.  They are inexperienced, not as well known.  But once given the opportunity, some rise to the occasion while others falter.  For every time an underdog succeeds, one fails.

Why do some perform under pressure and others don't?  I believe it is because they do not allow the pressure to affect their performance.  They are able to block out all the noise, the hype.  It is hard to do, I know.  But those who can limit outside influence in their lives often times do better then those that listen to them.