PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

I can write this headline, not just because of who won the U.S. Open yesterday and the way the victory occurred, but because of the winner’s personal pedigree.

The winner was Gary Woodland, an 11-year pro who had a good, but not great, record heading into the 119^th national golf tournament.

He prevailed on the fabled Pebble Beach Golf Links in Northern California, fending off a challenge from his playing partner on the last day Justin Rose, but also the lurking presence of the two-times-in-a-row U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka.

Good for Woodland.

What draws me to Woodland as a competitor is that, first, he plays golf well, especially under pressure, but, second, is that he comes across as solid human being in doing so.

The best example was at the Waste Management Phoenix Open at the TPC Course in Scottsdale earlier this year.

There, Woodland, in a practice round, “starred” in a viral video of Special Olympics golfer Amy Bockerstette making par on famous 16th hole, the one with so many grandstands that the hole looks like it is being play in an amphitheater.

Woodland was the defending champion who helped shepherd Bockerstette, a college golfer with Down Syndrome, through her incredible tee shot, then an up-and-down out of the sand at one of golf’s most renowned holes.

By every account, including from Woodland, the star of the show was the 20-year-old Bockersette.

It’s also apparent how much Woodland relished being a part of it. “Something I’ll never forget,” Woodland said in January.

As he sat for media interviews after his U.S. Open yesterday, he recalled the moment with fondness. He noted Bockersette’s phrase as she prepared for the bunker shot, “I’ve got this.”

He also reflected on his own journey to golf’s peak, which started after he gave up other sports – basketball and baseball – to focus on golf.

What’s more important than golf to Woodland is his family. He and his wife have one young son who survived physical trials after birth, plus twins are due in a couple months.

Fittingly, on Father’s Day, Woodland said he’ll relish telling his children about his U.S. Open win, even as he does what his father did for him, which is call his children to proceed through life with a positive attitude.

“Positively is infectious,” he said.

“I’ve got this,” he might say.