“Second Place is the first loser,” is a quote from Dale Earnhardt. The question I have is can you or should you ever be satisfied with finishing in second place? Personally, I say not only no, but hell no! I would rather finish forth or fifth than second. I finished second in a sales competition two years ago by less than one percent and was miserable. People would come up and congratulate me for doing such a great job, but all I could think was about that missed one percent. What if I had sold in another display program or run another promotion at Food Lion or Harris Teeter, would that have been enough? Looking at things now, I can see I had done the best I possibly could, someone else just had a better year. That was not on my radar at that time. My dad gave me the best compliment he ever could have when he said he never worries about me as I push myself harder than anyone else possibly can. I do not like losing at anything, no matter what or whom I am playing.This is not going to be about your US Open Champion and Clemson alum, Lucas Glover, but rather about how are Ricky Barnes, David Duval and Phil Mickelson doing tonight?

            Ricky Barnes is where I will start. Looking at his career stats, one could ask how he did this at the Open. Coming into 2009, Ricky had played in just 5 events on tour, making the cut in 2, earning just over $ 19,000. From 2005-2008 on the Nationwide Tour, Ricky played in 104 events, making the cut in 77, earning $ 601,544, with a best finish of second in 2007. He finished 25^th on the Nationwide Tour in 2008, providing him with his PGA Tour card for 2009. So all Ricky does is carry the 54-hole lead at the US Open, shoot a 76 in the final round and finish in second place. “It was a great week,” he said. “If you told me at the beginning of the week I would have been two under, if you would have told me I was second, bridesmaid isn’t too bad. But when you know you’re right there, it’s a tough one to swallow. But I would say a lot, lot more good came out of this week than bad.” The good that came out of this was qualifying for the British Open next month and the Masters and US Open in 2010, not too bad for four days work. Oh yeah, he also earned $559,830 and moving from 197 to 104 in the FedEx Cup standings. He seemed to very happy and satisfied with second place.

            David Duval, the former #1 player in the world, came into the Open ranked 882 in the world and not finished in the Top 10 in seven years. The last tournament he won was the 2001 British Open, so he had been on this stage before, just a long time ago. Tied for the lead on the 71^st hole, Duval had a 5 foot put lip out. He was down after the round stating he fully thought he was going to win this event. Comebacks seem to be, “in,” right now, from bands to sports. My question with Duval, is having earned all this money and at this stage of his career, what is left to prove? Is he willing to go that extra mile to get back on the mountain consistently, much less climbing to the top?

            Finally, I will go to my guy, Mr. Phil Mickelson. Monday at the Open shows you why being a fan of Phil is more adventurous than your favorite roller coaster. He has a ton on his plate right now with all his wife is going thru and getting ready to go thru.  I have difficulty deciding if his highs of highs are better than the low of lows he brings upon himself. He now holds the record of 5 bridesmaid’s appearances at the Open with never being the bride. “Certainly I’m disappointed, but now that it’s over, I’ve got more important things going on, and, oh, well.” He wants to win this thing so badly, but has his priorities in order. Each of the last five years on tour, Phil has won at least two events and finished second once each of those years. I think most players would take that line any day.

            Looking at things, second place would bother me more in an individual sport than a team sport. I think it would be much easier to look and issues that could haunt you more than say the Michigan State Spartans, Orlando Magic or Arizona Cardinals. Those teams may be able to look at a situation here or there, but most of those involve multiple players. In individual sports, such as golf, the only place to look is in the mirror. Second place may work for some, but I just can not make myself think that way. Will anyone remember these guys finishing second in a few years, I doubt it.

 

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