The scenes continue to numb us, the thought that our own would open fire on workers attempting to repair breeched levees is surreal, yet the world spins on. I’d like to begin by recognizing and thanking the many courses who are hosting day-long benefits for the victims of the hurricane and flood; they don’t have to give up 14 hours of revenue, but they freely do. I’d like to recognize Greg Norman, who once again donated the services of his helicopter and pilot to ferry supplies and medicine in the name of the cause. The Spanish Red Cross is sending a five-member advance team to help coordinate efforts between our two countries. I hope that the many other countries that we’ve helped in the past 200 years find some bodies, cash, or supplies (preferably all three) to pay us back a bit. Selfish? No, just reverse-generosity at work.

Tonight my local convenience store began a matching program whereby each case of water purchased by a patron would be paired with one from the company. I nodded, and plan to do so quite frequently in the coming days. So what if the daily coffee now costs $4 instead of $1?

In the world of golf, a former teacher of mine is making an effort to avoid Champions Tour q-school. Lonnie Nielsen sits in the top 30 with five tournaments left. My gut wrenches with every shot, hoping that he’ll find the path to complete exemption.

On the PGA tour, a former sociology classmate of mine is striving to become the second New Englander to win in New England in the last two weeks. I’m hoping that the former all-state (private school, o.k.?) point guard can use his funky new sunglasses on Labor Day to break out of a tie and win.

So many courses and resorts are closed, so many tournaments and seasons are faced with uncertainty. It seems ironic that the Southern Farm Bureau, sponsors of the SFB Classic, is so involved with the relief efforts; the “other” tournament that runs opposite the American Express Championship, now takes the spotlight, whether it is played or not. So much of what we take for granted is no longer granted. Simple words like “play” and “compete” and “win” take on entirely different meanings.

We’ve been fighting a war overseas for more than two years, and now, a domestic one for nearly two weeks.

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