The story follows the fictional exploits of 25-year-old Mark Madden and his ability, or lack thereof, to navigate life as a professional golfer.
While the sport of choice in The Longest Drive is golf--and how Madden deals with added pressures after winning the U.S. Open and being anointed the Next Big Thing--parallels can easily be drawn from what Madden faces to any professional athlete in any sport in 2016.
Here's Part 1 - The Win
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The sun has begun its descent into the Pacific as the players make the short walk from the 16th green to the 17th tee box. The cliffs adjacent to the ocean are providing a stunning backdrop to what has been a stunning championship. Mark Madden, the 25-year-old from Michigan, stands on the precipice of golf history, two holes away from joining 85 other men who can lay claim to the title of U.S. Open Champion."
"Just give me the driver, Idiot." Madden looked down at his bag, unwilling to meet his former teammate's gaze. Knight obliged.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six shots later, Madden walked up the 18th fairway still in possession of a three-shot lead. And there was nothing but an eight-foot birdie putt standing between him and a U.S. Open championship. He doffed his hat to the thundering crowd as he approached the fringe. Thousands of golf fans lining the fairway were bearing witness to the ascension of a young player making the leap from good to great.
"Mark, you've had some time to digest what exactly has transpired over the past four days. What is going through your mind right now, standing here as a first-time major champion?"
Madden stood on a makeshift stage erected on the 18th green with the setting sun in his face. He clutched his new trophy in the crook of his arm, tracing the fresh engraving, Mark Madden, with his finger.
Here's Part 1 - The Win
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The sun has begun its descent into the Pacific as the players make the short walk from the 16th green to the 17th tee box. The cliffs adjacent to the ocean are providing a stunning backdrop to what has been a stunning championship. Mark Madden, the 25-year-old from Michigan, stands on the precipice of golf history, two holes away from joining 85 other men who can lay claim to the title of U.S. Open Champion."
"Madden's
up by three, after dropping a shot on the Par-3 16th. And now he faces the
toughest tee shot on the course, the 455-yard 17th. The fairway is tightly
guarded by trees on the right and a steep canyon that leads down to the Pacific
on the left, but it's made tougher by what Madden can see from the elevated
tee: the 18th hole and the clubhouse where the championship trophy lies in
wait. Letting his mind drift to that trophy could blur his focus on this next
swing and that two-shot advantage could evaporate in a hurry."
"Speaking
of that next swing: Is the driver in play at all here, Partner?"
"I don't
think so, Jim. It just doesn't seem worth the risk. Madden's got more than
enough distance with a wood or a long iron. Don't even bring the trouble on either
side of the fairway into play."
"Of
course, playing devil's advocate, Madden has led the tour this year in driving
accuracy. And he's first this week, as well. The fairway has cleared as Madden
and his caddie confer."
"I feel like you're not
giving me enough to do," Ben Knight whispered. "At least let me grab
the 2-iron halfway out of the bag like I'm trying to convince you to hit
it."
Madden stared at his caddie like
he hadn't heard him correctly.
"It
will give the reporters something to ask me about after the tournament. I even
got my haircut this week, so I'd be camera ready," Knight continued.
Madden felt the corners of his
lips curving upward. He covered his
mouth to stifle the smile. "Just give me the driver, Idiot." Madden looked down at his bag, unwilling to meet his former teammate's gaze. Knight obliged.
"But we are going to have
to work on how you talk to me," the caddie quipped. "Aim for the
first tree beyond the bend and work it to the left about 15 yards."
"Now you're being
helpful." Madden grabbed the club
and approached the ball as the massive crowd surrounding the tee box hushed. He unfurled a metronomic swing that crushed
the ball into the bright sky, destined for the middle of the fairway.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six shots later, Madden walked up the 18th fairway still in possession of a three-shot lead. And there was nothing but an eight-foot birdie putt standing between him and a U.S. Open championship. He doffed his hat to the thundering crowd as he approached the fringe. Thousands of golf fans lining the fairway were bearing witness to the ascension of a young player making the leap from good to great.
Madden's playing partner, who
had self-destructed with consecutive double bogeys to start the back nine,
hurriedly finished the hole to clear the stage. Madden approached the putt from
behind the hole, displaying the cool demeanour and preternatural calm that had
become the signature of his fledgling career.
He stood atop the putt and
everything around him--the crowd, the cameras, the MOMENT--all disappeared into
the void. Madden's focus narrowed to the 96 inches of green that separated his
ball from the hole. A short backswing and a confident follow-through rolled the
ball into the centre of the cup.
Madden would have to watch the
highlights from his victory celebration later that night as it was all a blur
in real time: the goofy embrace with Knight, his former rival on their college
golf team and now best friend; his parents streaming onto the green after the
putt dropped, the culmination of years of sacrifice by the family to get Mark
to this point; and a new normal where Mark was now anointed golf's Next Big
Thing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Mark, you've had some time to digest what exactly has transpired over the past four days. What is going through your mind right now, standing here as a first-time major champion?"
Madden stood on a makeshift stage erected on the 18th green with the setting sun in his face. He clutched his new trophy in the crook of his arm, tracing the fresh engraving, Mark Madden, with his finger.
"Well, disbelief for
one," he began. "Not in the sense that I didn't think I had the
ability to win because I've always thought that I did, but to actually achieve
something I've worked so hard for--it's a little surreal."
"You shared quite a moment
with your parents after that final putt. What did you say to them?"
"I honestly have no
idea," Mark answered, which drew laughs from the crowd. "I'll have to
ask them later. But, I hope I told them how much I love them and how
instrumental they've been to my career. I think I got my athleticism from my
mom--sorry, Dad." More laughs from the gallery. "But she played
softball in college. She taught me a lot about preparation and competing and
being mentally tough on the course. And my dad was the hardest worker I've ever
met. He worked like crazy to make sure I
had the right equipment, the green fees, the means to travel for junior golf.
Those bills add up. So, the amount of work he had to put in to not only support
the family, but to support my dream of being a pro golfer, I can't even
describe how much that means to me. I never want to let them down after what
they've done for me and that fuels my desire to always get better."
"Can it get better than a
major championship?"
Madden smiled. "How about
two? No, this is pretty great, but I think there's always room to improve. Oh,
and before I forget, I absolutely have to thank, or I'll never hear the end of
it, Ben Knight. He's so much more than a
caddie to me. He always knows the right thing to say to keep things loose on
the course. Oh yeah, and he wants more Twitter followers. So, if everyone could
follow @KnightandDay, he would really appreciate it. And so would I, so he can
stop bugging me about it."
The millions of people watching the
coverage across the continent, many of them casual golf fans, were getting
their first chance to glimpse Madden's personality. And unlike many of his
fellow tour players, he actually had one. That, coupled with his prodigious
talent, was going to endear him mightily to the sports world at large. In fact,
Madden had no idea of the avalanche of publicity this victory and subsequent
interview would trigger.
"Well, after a victory like
this, I'm sure BOTH of you will have to contend with a lot more social media
followers."
Madden chuckled, ready for the public
celebration of his win to end so he could enjoy the moment with his inner
circle.
"With this victory, you've
broken into the Top 10 of the World Golf Rankings and really established
yourself as a major championship contender and a force to be reckoned with on
tour. With that, of course, comes increased expectations and pressure, not to
mention off-course distractions. Are you ready for it?"
Madden felt his breath catch. He
quickly turned it into a cough. "Well, I'd like to enjoy this one a little
before I look too far into the future, Tom."
The reporter gave a chuckle of
his own. "Fair enough. Mark Madden. U.S. Open champion and, now, a
household name."
Part 2 - The Slip
Part 2 - The Slip
