It's refreshing in a deceptive world to see honesty and integrity. Especially from a professional athlete. Such is the case with John Patrick Hayes a professional golfer on the PGA tour.
J. P. was trying to earn his way back on the tour by playing in a "Q" (qualifying) school tournament. He inadvertenly played two strokes (out of 70) with a ball that was not approved. He called a penalty on himself during the tournament which cost him penalty strokes. Later that evening he realized the ball was not approved and would have to face disqualification. Not to mention the loss of several thousand dollars by being honest. The next day, he did what is right and what his honest and what shows integrity, he turned himself in and was subsequetnly disqualified from the tournament and from getting his PGA card back.
News of this act spread fast and Hayes found himself being interviewed and questioned as if this were some totally wierd act. J.P. couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about saying, "Any golfer would have done the same thing I did". This seemed to puzzle the media. His honesty became the fodder for the talk shows. It seemed to motivate people to talk for hours about honesty and integrity. I think that's a good thing but I wondered, "Have we become so dishonest that honesty is abnormal?" In a recent article I read, more than 90% of college students said they would cheat in order to get a job. So maybe honesty is abnormal. How sad.
I saw one interviewer ask Hayes, "No one would have ever known if you wouldn't have turned yourself in and yet you still did it, why?"
Hayes replied, "There's someone looking down on me and He knows." Thank You, J.P. Hayes. Great answer!
In a world where people live by a fake motto: It's not cheating if you don't get caught; it's wonderful to see a story like this. J.P. Hayes's decision to turn himself in is a small setback for the golfer and a big victory for virtues like honesty and integrity. Thank you J.P. Hayes, I just became a fan.

"The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful." Proverbs 12:22

Pastor Tim