Ben Martins sees bigger picture at Valero Texas Open

SAN ANTONIO — Ben Martin played in the first pairing Friday at the Valero Texas Open. He shot even-par 72 as his wife and mother walked along.

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It was sunny, cool, bright and quiet at TPC San Antonio. Martin finished two rounds at 3 under, which allows him to play the weekend, making his third cut in five starts since September. It was the kind of morning he reminded himself to appreciate. He knows his family, including his two young daughters, are with him this week.

They were with him last week, too. They watched him lead the Corales Puntacana Championship after the first, second and third rounds. They hoped he could win for the first time since his one and only victory at the Shriners Children Open seven years ago. They despaired when he missed a short putt on the 72nd hole to finish in second.

What happened next surprised even them, the people who know him best.

Asked after his round to comment on the loss, Martin could find no words. He tried for more than a minute to gather himself.

He then described how badly he had wanted to win that afternoon. He thought it was going to be his week. The runner-up at the 2009 U.S. Amateur, a two-time winner on the Korn Ferry Tour, had last been in the mix at the 2016 John Deere Classic, where he finished second. He admitted that contending sure seemed a lot harder now than it used to.

“I guess I wanted this one a lot more,” he managed.

Video of the emotional interview inspired messages of compassion, empathy and solidarity. Viewers saw a man broken by his own hopes — a humanity and vulnerability that elite athletes rarely allow. Martin’s wife, Kelly, saw a side of her husband that surprised her, and also relieved her.

“I’m not used to seeing those emotions from him,” she said. “I think it’s been a good thing to tap into.”

Martin said he still hadn’t watched the video, but “she told me that.”

He added, “It could be.”

Like most professional golfers, Martin said he tries to limit the emotional extremes. What happened last week in the Dominican Republic simply overwhelmed his defenses.

“One of the reasons we’re good at golf is that we keep it pretty even keel,” Martin said.

Now, one of the reasons more people know and care about him is because he didn’t.

“I think in a cool way me finishing second had a bigger impact on people that it would have if I’d won the tournament,” Martin said.

A couple of years ago, when he was struggling to make cuts, Martin wondered if he should consider something else. What came easily once — playing in the Masters Tournament as an amateur, earning his TOUR card and winning early in his career — began to seem insurmountable.

But he recommitted, which is exactly what got him to that 72nd hole last week with a chance to force a playoff.

He failed to win. But he nearly did. His Top 10 finish got him into the Valero Texas Open, where he shot 69-72 on a difficult golf course in the wind.

“I’m 100 percent,” he said. “I think this is where I need to be.”