Sometimes, there is victory even in defeat. Dupont’s Brandon Matthews proved that Sunday when he finished runner-up at a PGA Tour Latinoamérica event in Buenos Aires and made national headlines in doing so.
Facing off against Ricardo Celia in the third playoff hole of the Argentine Open, Matthews watched Celia drain a 30-foot putt for birdie before attempting his own 8-foot putt.
At stake, in addition to the trophy, was a spot in the 2020 British Open at Royal St. George’s, one of the PGA’s four majors.
The silence was so loud, Matthews said, it was deafening.
“When there’s any sound ... the extent of it is much greater than everyone realizes except if you’re in that position,” Matthews said.
A fan yelled during Matthews’ backstroke, causing the 25-year-old to flinch and miss his shot.
“At the time when I missed the putt, I was initially frustrated because I thought it was an intentional yell from a man in the gallery,” Matthews said.
Matthews went to the locker room in disbelief, where an apologetic tournament director approached him and explained the interruption had come from a middle-aged man with Down syndrome.
“I was actually upset at myself for getting
upset at the situation and not realizing what happened sooner,” Matthews said.
As someone who grew up around people with special needs and has a “very soft spot” for them in his heart, Matthews said, he immediately sought to make some good come out of a bad situation.
“I went out, found the guy, gave him a big hug, signed a ball and a glove for him and wanted to make sure he didn’t feel bad about the situation,” Matthews said. “I wanted to make sure he left with a smile on his face.
“That was as good, if not better, than a win for me.”
The PGA Tour Latinoamérica Media Team captured the encounter in photographs that soon appeared on USA Today, Yahoo!, Golf Digest, Golf Channel, “Today Show” and other news sources.
There were plenty of reactions across social media, too, with various Twitter and Facebook users saying they are now “pulling for Brandon Matthews,” who is “winning at life” and shows that “just a little kindness goes a long way.”
Brandon’s father, Ted Matthews, said he “couldn’t be prouder” of how his son handled the incident.
“That’s the way he was brought up,” Ted Matthews said.
Brandon was also raised to work hard and to adjust when things don’t go your way on the golf course, according to Ted.
“He gets frustrated, obviously, it’s a golf thing,” Ted said. “Adversity-wise, he’s learned to have a very short memory. ‘OK, this is what happened, how do I correct it?’ He doesn’t dwell on things very much.”
Brandon Matthews on Monday had nothing but good things to say about Celia, who tied Matthews with a four-day score of 11-under-par 269 and made four birdies in his last five holes to force the playoff.
“He played fantastic golf,” Matthews said. “Props to him. He went out there and won the golf tournament. He wasn’t anything short of fantastic with the way he played.”
While he would have preferred to win Sunday’s championship, there is a silver lining in that Matthews’ two most recent finishes — tied for fifth at the Neuquen Argentina Classic, second at the Argentine Open — earned him full status on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica next season.
After winning a PIAA state championship in 2010 for Pittston Area, Matthews had a standout career at Temple before turning pro in 2016.
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