Fan With Down Syndrome Ruins Brandon Matthews' Crucial Putt, But His Reaction Is Beyond Admirable

Needing to make a putt to remain in contention for a victory at the Visa Open de Argentina, Bradon [...]

By John Newby

Needing to make a putt to remain in contention for a victory at the Visa Open de Argentina, Bradon Matthews saw his shot go awry after being startled by a yelp from the crowd. He was frustrated with this incident that resulted in a loss, but Matthews' opinion changed after speaking with the tournament's administration manager. As it turns out, the individual that made the noise was a golf fan that has Down Syndrome.

"I got over the putt, took the putter back and heard kind of a yelp or a scream," Matthews said to GolfChannel.com. "I kind of flinched on the putt and immediately knew I missed it. I thought someone had done it intentionally. I was frustrated. Really, I was in shock that that just happened."

Once Matthews learned the full scope of the situation, however, his frustration was no longer present. Instead, he asked to be taken to the golf fan so that he could make sure he was doing okay. Matthews met the fan, gave him a hug, and signed one of his gloves for him.

"I gave him a hug and I asked him, 'Hey, are you doing OK? Are you having fun?' I just wanted to make sure he was enjoying himself, that he had no hard feelings, that he didn't feel bad about what happened," Matthews said. "I didn't want anyone to be mad at him. I didn't want him to be mad at himself. I wanted to make sure he knew that I wasn't mad. That's all I wanted to do."

As Matthews explained, his mother, Donna, used to manage group homes. His sister also had a best friend with Down Syndrome. With these experiences affecting his mindset, Matthews developed a "soft spot" in his heart and he wanted to make sure that the fan didn't feel bad for this missed putt.

The winner of the Visa Open de Argentina gets an annual exemption into The Open Championship. If Matthews had sunk this putt, he would have remained alive in the competition. Instead, Ricardo Celia took home the victory, as well as the berth in the Open Championship.

Despite losing over the weekend, Matthews will still have plenty of competition action to prepare for. According to GolfChannel.com, he locked up full Latinoamérica status for 2020 after finishing tied for 5th place, as well as runner-up finishes in Argentina.

Photo Credit: Matt Sullivan/Getty

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