"You're growns up, dig that”—Trent, Swingers

Rory Sabbatini turned pro in 1998, but it was the years between 2005 and 2007 that seemed to transform him into persona non grata in the public eye. In 2005, Sabbatini, disgusted with Ben Crane’s painfully slow play, left Crane in the 17^th fairway while he went on to the 18^th tee at the Booz Allen Classic. Two years later he said that judging by what he saw of Tiger Woods in the final round of the Wachovia Classic Tiger was more “beatable than ever.” Tiger went on to win the event and seven other times that year; including the PGA Championship. Later on that year Sabbatini had a fan removed from the Bridgestone Invitational for heckling him and finally, he withdrew from Tiger’s Target World Challenge. It seemed just like that a villain was born.

The Villain

For all intent and purposes, on the outside at least; it looked like Sabbatini was ok, perhaps even reveled in this perceived persona. We now know that nothing could be further from the truth. Sabbatini’s press conference after winning this year’s Honda Classic reminds us that we as golf fans, despite the unprecedented proximity we get to players; know very little about the players that walk the fairways from week to week.

When asked about his professional persona, Sabbatini responded with a blunt "No, I don't enjoy it." He then qualified his answer by saying, "I'm a passionate golfer, I really am. I love the game of golf and I've had my moments. I'm not proud of everything I've done out here, but I'm trying to learn. I'm trying to be a role model for my children and I know as my wife has said to me, I wouldn't want my son doing some of the things that I've done in the past. So I definitely have to take into account that my son is old enough now that he understands everything that I do, and really try and be a role model for him.”

Amy and Bodhi

It seems that some recent challenges have played a role in transforming the old Rory we thought we knew. This week we learned that 2010 was a difficult one for the Sabbatini family. This past September, Rory’s wife, Amy, was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit immediately after the birth of their son, Bodhi--complications during childbirth.  When the last putt dropped, Amy and Bodhi were both on the 18^th green to share in the glory as they poignantly hugged.  Afterwards, Rory revealed what his wife whispered to him. “She just said that she was very proud of me.”  He then shared that, “my wife is my No. 1 cheerleader, and she's as passionate about my game as I am. She's always been my biggest supporter and I love her for that, and you know, it's something that we share in the enjoyment of wins. We share in the difficulties of struggling. So there's definitely a great bond there.”  Such comments seem so far removed from the man we thought was a villain just a few years ago.

We also learned something else this week.  When Sabbatini was asked why he was wearing the wide-brim “old school” Greg Norman hat, he revealed that he had to have a “chunk” of skin removed from his face—cancer. As a result, he has since taken sponsorship with a skin care company. Sabbatini summed it all by saying that "It's been a tough road. So it definitely is kind of a turning of a new leaf, so it really does feel good.  It does feel like a fresh start in a sense."

The public might want to take a moment of pause and see Rory Sabbatini in a new light as he’s walking down the fairway. He’s a new Rory and he’s all “growns up”.