%20(1).png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
Mark Wilson Begins Play At The Honda Classic
February 28, 2008 | Men's Golf
Feb. 28, 2008
PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA. - Former University of North Carolina golfer Mark Wilson begins his quest today to defend his championship at The Honda Classic. Wilson tees off at 12:06 p.m. and will be playing with George McNeill and Troy Matteson at the Champion Course of the PGA National Resort and Spa.
Wilson's win here last year, his first PGA Tour title, certainly changed his life. First of all, he didn't have to endure the Tour's stomach-knotting Qualifying Tournament. Wilson can now pick and choose his schedule, travel with his wife, Amy, and six-month old Lane, and is able to focus on playing his best golf instead of worrying about the cut line.
But ever since his win here last year, Wilson is constantly reminded by others about the way he won. It wasn't just the spectacular shots he made to get into the four-man playoff or the fact that he survived the three-hole playoff, but the way he got there, particularly something that happened in the second round.
Wilson, then 32, showed that sportsmanship is not dead yet. Standing on the par-3 fifth hole with playing partner Camilo Villegas, Wilson's caddie, Chris Jones, almost reflexively let slip that Wilson had hit an 18-degree hybrid. Wilson realized immediately this was a violation of the advice rule and assessed himself a two-stroke penalty, after conferring with a PGA Tour official. Wilson did this even though the violation fell in such a gray area that it's probably the most violated rule in golf.
"I probably got 500 emails from people congratulating me," Wilson said. "The most touching were the ones I got from fathers who said their sons were watching and it was a great example of what they were trying to teach their children about the game. That means something, because my father taught me the imporance of playing by the rules."
Wilson, who now resides in Elmhurst, Ill., was a two-time All-America for the Tar Heels. He played on the 1994-97 Carolina teams and won the ACC Championship in 1996.
