College golfer throws playoff to opponent

[Viper]

Remember how Brett Favre gave Michael Strahan a "freebie" sack several years ago to help Strahan break a record? Well, move over Brett, here comes University of St. Francis (Ill.) golfer Grant Whybark:

University of St. Francis (Ill.) golfer Grant Whybark has become a national name in light of his decision to intentionally lose a playoff for his conference tournament's individual title and allow an opponent to advance to the national finals.

Whybark, who had already qualified for the NAIA national championship by virtue of his team's victory in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament on April 27, made a double-bogey on the first playoff hole to allow Seth Doran of Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) University to qualify as an individual.

[OnWis97]

As I understand it, the spot that Doran gets in the national tourney was not taken from another person. If it was, the act would be absolutely appalling. Even so, this is wrong. The kid should earn it and should want to earn it. Plus it taints it. The kid got a par and may have won the hole anyway (or at least forced another playoff). And now he'll never know.

[See Red]

Maybe it's just the cynic in me, but if you're going to do a good deed because you respect a guy or whatever the reason, keep it to yourself -- shoot a bogey, miss a putt that would have forced another playoff, or whatever -- don't advertise it to everybody before and after you do it. I can't shake the feeling he was trying to be recognized for doing this selfless deed as much as anything.

[aci]

It should never have come to that situation anyways. As the low medalist outside the winning team, Doran should have been advancing anyways. To have it otherwise is just asinine.

[Jigga]

Wasn't it a bit presumptuous for Grant Whybark to think the only way for Seth Doran to have beaten him was to intentionally blow the playoff hole?

[Gothamite]

Presumptuous, and condescending.

Whybark was wrong to do it.

EDIT: whoops, switched the names.

[STL FANATIC]

I think it's wrong to do because I expect competitors in a competition to compete. (That came out interesting.)

I don't believe the guy was trying to be condescending or any such thing. I think he probably thought he was just being nice in a very honest way. But I had the idea of throwing a competition at all. It undermines the integrity of it all.

Now, that said, maybe the guy wasn't just trying to throw the other golfer a bone, maybe he really thought the system was messed up, thought that the other golfer deserved to be there anyways. Maybe it was a simple protest and a means of intentionally undermining what he believed to be a bad system. I'd be more ok with that.

[Gothamite]

I don't think he meant it as such, but it's clear that Whybark clearly thought Doran couldn't win on his own and needed Whybark to throw the round. Sounds pretty condescending to me.

Maybe it was a simple protest and a means of intentionally undermining what he believed to be a bad system. I'd be more ok with that.

I wouldn't, but the point is moot - that's not why he did it.

[Eye]

The fact that this guy threw the match is appauling. Could you imagine if this was an event that the masses gave a :censored: about?