Times that define us
Posted on Jun 21, 2009 by Paul Schempp
Inscribed at the base of the statue are the words “it was ONE MOMENT IN TIME.” It was. Still is. The statue is of a golfer oddly dressed in knickers, cap, and a rain jacket with the sleeves raggedly cut off. He clutches a putter in his left hand while the right is balled tightly into a fist punching the air. His right leg extends behind him—for balance or for joyful expression? Perhaps both.
That moment was 10 years ago today. Father’s Day, June 1999. The statue is the likeness of Payne Stewart. The moment occurred immediately after Stewart’s last putt on the final hole fell and he became the U.S. Open Champion.
Today the scene on that spot is very different. Gone are the grandstands, the crowds and the rain clouds that punctuated that day. Today, 10 years later, the sun baths the green, the course, and everything surrounding the area in a bright light. The flag on the green where the putt was made has been placed in the same place it occupied a decade ago. Rather than Stewart making that putt today, amateurs place the ball in ‘the spot’ and attempt to ‘make the putt heard round the world.’ Unlike Stewart, today everyone comes up short.
Sitting here on the veranda of the club house at Pinehurst, behind Stewart’s statue with the famous 18th green just to my left, the words “One Moment in Time” take on a rather remarkable clarity. It was just ‘one moment in time’. That moment won’t be repeated here today. It won’t be repeated anywhere or at any time, because the moment has passed; and the time has passed. Tragically, even Payne Stewart has passed—and long before his time. But our recollection or the inspiration that moment and that time carries, has not, and should not pass.
The moment was the final round of the 1999 U.S. Open. Stewart was in the final pairing with Phil Mikelson. They came to the final hole tied. As Stewart eyed his putt, Mikelson was already at 3 strokes. Stewart had only taken 2. If he made it, he would be, now and for all time, a U.S. Open Champion.
ONE MOMENT IN TIME. In each of our lives, we have one moment in time. Perhaps we have even more than one. They are moments that come at time and under a circumstance that define us; that tell us and the world who we truly are. How we perform at that moment will be how we are remembered. These are moments that test our skill, our knowledge, and most importantly, our character. These moments come in a time filled with pressure, anxiety, distraction and tension. As Thomas Paine so poignantly noted: “these are times that try men’s souls.” How we act, and what we accomplish in those moments impact our lives and the lives of others for a great many years to come. Because of the significance of these moments and the mark they leave on our lives, we remember them.
As Stewart stepped up to his putt, thousands watched from the sidelines, millions more were glued to their televisions. But Stewart was focused on a singular target, his final objective. He determined the track the ball must take to the hole and calculated the speed it needed to travel. After eyeing his goal one more time, he drew the putter back, and brought it forth with confidence. The ball followed its’ intended course, fell into the hole, and Payne Stewart was U.S. Open Champion. That was 10 years ago to this day. That one moment in time is remembered today.
Tagged: performance, expertise, management skills, leadership skills, listening skills, process improvement, productivity, success, ego, personality, opportunity