The way the ball bounces

I just heard about professional golfer J.P. Hayes, who realized he may have used a nonconforming prototype ball, a ball that his caddy had mistakenly handed to him, a ball that he used on just a single hole. He reported it, despite knowing it would probably cost him a chance to earn exempt status for the entire 2009 PGA season.

What a contrast from the pros in other sports who use illegal substances, try to hide when they drop the ball or engage in any number of tricks that are glossed over as "just part of the game."

It reminds me of my own favorite sport, handball, an obscure game in which you have to hit the ball before it bounces twice. On many shots near the front wall, the only person who really knows if it bounces twice is you, and you're expected to call it -- likewise if you hit it with your wrist instead of your gloved hand.

Most of the time it only costs a point. J.P. Hayes' honesty was much more expensive.