Honest 7-Year-Old Golf Champion Returns Trophy After Discovering Score Error Nobody Else Noticed

If there was ever an excuse to pull out the “Golf Clap” GIFs, it is the case of Yago Horno Mateo, a 7-year-old Spanish golf champion who just sent a very polite, handwritten note to the Royal Andalusia Golf Federation (RFGA) saying that he realized his score had been incorrectly calculated and that he was returning his trophy so it “could be given to the player who deserves it.”

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(Via Tumblr)

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(Via Tumblr)

According to The Local, Mateo won a golf tournament last Saturday with a score of 50 strokes. That’s a pretty cool accomplishment for a little kid, and something to be very proud of. But what his parents should really be proud of is his reaction upon doing the math when he got home and realizing that he actually took 51 swings, not 50. Mateo and his father made the discovery while transferring his score for the tournament onto a clean sheet of paper, and Mateo was reportedly devastated and very worried about the mixup.

“He was very worried about the reaction of others. It was a genuine mistake but he didn’t want anyone to think that he was a cheat, and he really didn’t want his mum to know,” his father said.

But of his own volition, Mateo decided to write to the RFGA and report the score error. He did so even though he knew that accidentally signing his name to a false score report was grounds for disqualification. Still, he told his father that he had to send back the trophy so it could go to whoever really deserved it.

A lot of adults wouldn’t have been as honest as Mateo, especially since he was the only one who caught the error. He could have just kept the trophy and nobody would have been the wiser. The adults over at the RFGA were very impressed and issued an official statement praising Mateo’s honesty and maturity.

“We want to recognize this wonderful gesture of a player who, at a mere seven years of age, has proven to be a true gentleman,” the federation said in a statement. “He has already learnt that the most important thing golf can teach us: honesty and a respect of the rules and of your peers.”

Mateo is one good kid! A lot of kids would not have been so honest. Hell, a lot of grown-ups wouldn’t have been that honest. His parents should be really proud, and so should he. I’m glad he’s getting all the plaudits this action has engendered, because he’s a good example for other kids. I hope he keeps that noble streak well into adulthood, because the world could use more people like Mateo.

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