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Golfer Signs Ball for Down Syndrome Man Who Shouted During Crucial Final Putt

Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
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By Will Maule
Author

November 19, 2019

A 12-foot-birdie putt was all that stood between pro golfer Brandon Matthews and a sudden-death playoff for only his second PGA tour win. But as he edged his club back from the ball, a man shouted out loudly in excitement. Matthews dragged the putt left, and with that, his dreams of a second tour trophy were dashed.

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Understandably, Matthews was frustrated at his misfortune.

“I’d been putting really well all week, and I had no doubt that I was going to make the putt,” he said, according to Golf Digest. “At that stage, any minute noise resonates.”

“I gave it a little too much right hand, missed it and turned around and said, ‘Come on guys, seriously?!’ I was obviously frustrated about it.”

It was a tough break, for sure, not least because Brandon’s failure to win the tournament meant he missed out on a place at the British Open. But what happened next went far and beyond sporting success. As a deflated Matthews slumped into the locker room, a rules official rushed in and informed him that the man who shouted out had Down Syndrome. Immediately, Matthews dashed backed onto the course to seek him out and reassure him that there were no hard feelings.

View this post on Instagram

Brandon Matthews ?? falló un putt que le habría dado la posibilidad de seguir luchando un intenso play-off con @PipoCelia por el ?del #VisaOpenbyMacro . ¿La razón de su fallo? Un señor con Síndrome de Down hizo un sonido involuntario en el momento menos oportuno. En un acto de caballero, Matthews se acercó, le pidió disculpas por su inmediata reacción, le firmó un guante y le regaló una pelota. On the third playoff hole of the VISA Open de Argentina on Sunday, a mentally disabled fan moved and talked right as @brandonmatthewsgolf was about to make his stroke on an eight-foot birdie putt that would have extended the playoff. Matthews missed the putt and lost the playoff to Ricardo Celia ??. In a #classact Matthews went over and signed a glove and a ball for this fan. • ? @martinbachiller. #Volvo #Hilton #GoVacaciones

A post shared by PGA TOUR Latinoamérica (@pgatourla) on Nov 18, 2019 at 7:31am PST

“I wanted to make sure he didn’t feel badly about the situation,” the professional sportsman told Golf Digest. “I grew up around people with special needs because of what my mom did when I was kid and have a soft spot in my heart.”

Recounting the incident to Yahoo Sports, the compassionate athlete explained how the man in the gallery “said something and got excited” just as he was executing the critical stroke.

“There’s nothing you can do about that,” he added. “The guy was out there, he was enjoying it.”

"Some things in life are just bigger than golf."@B_Matthews12 missed a putt in a playoff of a @PGATOURLA event when a fan yelled in his backswing. It cost him the win and a spot in The Open.

When he learned that the fan had Down syndrome, he immediately asked to meet him. pic.twitter.com/kBbVNqNwsh

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 18, 2019

Knowing how embarrassed he must have been, Matthews did the right thing — he caught up with him face-to-face and assured him it was nothing to feel bad about. He even gifted him a personally signed golf ball.

“I feel for the guy. I’m sure he felt terrible, that’s why I went and gave him a glove and a ball afterwards and gave him a hug,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that happens. Unfortunately, it was out of my control.” 

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Despite the bitter disappointment Matthews felt, he’s keeping a healthy perspective on the whole thing. Yes, professional sport is is a big part of his life, but it’s not everything.

“There are some things in life that are just bigger than golf,” Matthews added to PGATour.com. “And this was one of them.”

Whan a heartwarming moment. We wish Matthews all the best for his career!

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