Golfer J.P. Hayes does the right thing and loses PGA Tour card

November 19, 2:58 PMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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               Golfer, J.P. Hayes

During last night's Lakers game it occurred to me that the team has more whiners than good sports. Many an NBA player complains when he's called for a foul and some even make believe they are fouled to see if an official will fall for it. Not all athletes are like that.

In professional golf, it is a matter of etiquette to call a violation on yourself if you realize a rule has been broken, whether it is observed by an official or not.  Golfers who do that are aware they will be penalized strokes for it; in the most extreme case a player can be disqualified from participating in the tournament.

That has set the sport of golf apart from all others I am aware of. Can you imagine a base runner in MLB advising the umpire that he hadn't actually touched the base after a slide? Of course not.

The story of J.P. Hayes is one of those tales that make some shake their heads and others just smile. A journeyman professional at 43 years of age, Hughes had lost his right to play on the PGA Tour after he didn't win enough prize money. He was forced to try and qualify. There are lesser tours for pro golfers besides the PGA but the prize money isn't as grand and the venues don't draw nearly as many fans. That means that endorsements don't come your way and it's tough to make a great living at the game. Nonetheless, Hayes blew the whistle on himself at the qualifying tournament this week and was DQ'd as they say in golf: disqualified.

The story is enlightening for sports fans who think all athletes are spoiled, social fools and petty criminals. And to show you how the universe starts to pay you back when you do something that is honest but not in your best interest in other ways, an article on ESPN.com offers hope. There are ways that tournament sponsors can ask a non-qualified touring pro to play in PGA events. John Daly has made a living on sponsor invitations for more than two years now. Hayes isn't a fan favorite like Daly and wouldn't be the first, or even the second name a sponsor would think to invite.

But in this economic environment when every company that's still standing needs an edge for consumer dollars, smart sponsors could use Hayes' story as a way to highlight the other side of the coin. He's not a whiner, he's not a hypocrite and he was willing to leave himself without much hope of making a decent living for the 2009 season. That's a great story and a company could use a spokesman like that.

Read about how Hayes ratted himself out and then the espn.com story about sponsors who might make his act a profitable one after all.

For all the latest on the pro golf tours, read our Golf Examiner Dave Seanor