I'm sure so many people were disappointed by the news about Tiger Woods.  Somehow though, I was not surprised that something like this could turn up.

While the world's fascination over Tiger lies in the fact that he started at an early age and proved himself to be a golf prodigy, eventually ending up as a world champion, training a great golfer and raising a gentleman are two separate things.

Between the two, it is obvious where my leanings are.  I would pick raising a gentleman, a Christian gentleman at that, any given day.

My son, Joaquin, turns 7 tomorrow and ends his stint in the youngest of the junior golf age groups wherein he figured as part of the Philippines' representatives to the Junior World Golf Championships for 2008 and 2009.  While Joaquin has been within that circle, his playing proficiency is not tops.  It is more common for him to finish as 2nd or 3rd.  The championship title is landed only occasionally. 

As this latest news about Tiger has turned up, it all brings the essentials into perspective.  Which would one rather have, proficiency in golf?...or a formidable character that holds up to the temptations of the world?

For this, it is not a surprise that while Joaquin likes the moves of Tiger on the course, Tiger is not his favorite.  His favorite (and my favorite too) is Payne Stewart.  We'll tell you more about that soon.