He Has Sobering Thoughts on Making Honest Living

For the record, when Notah Begay said, “It’s terrible. It’s embarrassing,” he was talking about his bad approach shot on the 17th hole Saturday.

It’s important to keep these things straight, because Begay has spent as much time discussing his Jan. 19 arrest for driving under the influence as he has his play at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am this week.

And it’s difficult to tell which is the more remarkable development: a professional athlete candidly ‘fessing up to his wrongdoings or someone in Begay’s situation sticking within a shot of the lead after two rounds.

Begay is looking at a week of jail time at the end of the month, but that didn’t keep him from shooting 10-under-par 134, one behind Vijay Singh.

“I’m happy to be playing golf, to be honest,” Begay said. “In a situation like that, there is a bunch of different possible outcomes. I could hurt myself trying to drive home. When you get in a position where you really have to reflect on what you have done--and I’ve been doing that for the past couple weeks--I realize I’m really lucky to be out here and I appreciate the opportunity just to compete.”

Begay, 27, was arrested for driving under the influence in Albuquerque on Jan. 19. During his court appearance, he volunteered that he had a previous DUI in Arizona. That made this his second offense, meaning he faced 364 days in prison. The judge appreciated Begay’s honesty and suspended all but seven days of the sentence.

Nevertheless, on Feb. 28, when Begay’s buddies on the PGA Tour are in Florida for the Doral-Ryder Open competing for a $3-million purse, Begay will be in what he described as a “moderate security” correctional institute in New Mexico.

Athletes always use things such as contract negotiations and trade rumors as excuses, saying those “distractions” prevent them from concentrating. But here’s Begay, carrying a heavy burden, and he’s sinking tricky putts and escaping sand traps with creative shots.

Fortunately, Begay’s situation only rates as a distraction and not a tragedy.

The only damage occurred when he backed into another car in the bar’s parking lot. He could have wrapped his car around a utility pole. In the worst-case scenario he could have killed an innocent driver or pedestrian. Drunk driving is as serious as any crime, and it might also be the easiest to commit. If you drink, chances are you’ve sat behind the wheel when your blood-alcohol level was too high for you to legally do so. That doesn’t make Begay’s actions justifiable, only a little more understandable.

And his response doesn’t make him a hero, it only demonstrates the proper way to amend mistakes.

He isn’t letting agents or ghostwritten statements do the apologizing for him. And even though athletes have a way of escaping charges--and the $1.26 million Begay earned on the tour last year would enable him to mount a high-powered defense--he didn’t try to beat the rap.

“You break the law, you are supposed to . . . take responsibility and pay the price, whether it’s a fine or a ticket or whatever,” Begay told reporters after he shot a 66 that included a hole in one Friday. “And so that’s just the way I saw it. I messed up, broke the law. What do I have to do to make amends?”

When you’re a public figure, and in this case a golfer whose play merits trips to the interview room after every round, that duty includes taking every question related to the incident and not brushing them off with “no comment.”

“I figured as long as anyone was interested I was happy to answer any questions in regards to the incident, simply because from day one I haven’t tried to hide anything or I haven’t made any excuses for what happened,” Begay said. “And so, essentially, I have nothing to hide. I’m not backing down from what I did. And so I know a lot of guys have had some questions of me, and I’ve tried to fill them in.”

At times he has been almost too cooperative, even making a couple of lighthearted remarks about his impending incarceration that drew laughter from the room of reporters.

Don’t lose perspective here. It’s important to keep the gravity of the matter at the forefront--ask anyone who has lost a friend or loved one to a drunk driver.

Begay is lucky that things didn’t turn out any worse, and fortunate he only has to miss a week of his privileged life on the PGA Tour.

The legal process has run its course and the punishment meted out (in addition to the time received a $1,000 fine, one-year probation and 48 hours of community service).

He probably would have faced only a two-day stay if he hadn’t disclosed his first offense. Perhaps his low scores this week are a reward for his honesty.

But the fact remains that someone who has a first DUI should be sufficiently scared to ever put himself in position to get a second one. How many mulligans does a guy get when lives are at stake?

It’s not enough for Begay to demonstrate he’s sorry. He must show he has learned.

Here’s a scene we’d like to see when and if this rain-plagued tournament concludes Monday: Begay signs the winning scorecard, takes a swig of champagne . . . and calls for a limo.

*

J.A. Adande can be reached at his e-mail address: j.a.adande@latimes.com.