The suited broadcasters and sneakered reporters who disseminate the varied and excellent stories that come out of major-championship golf, despite the absurd over-management of the players by far too many player managers.
The players, as they always have, reveal themselves with how they handle bad lies and lucky bounces.
After completing his second round, he realized that he had inadvertently and repeatedly violated a rule — the so-called One Ball Rule — that had no impact on his score whatsoever.
Henley was signing autographs after a round, signing game balls, when he realized he had been using one type of Pro V1x for most of the round, and a prototype Pro V1x, with slightly different marking, for four holes.
That he embraced the idea of leaving the game and the course in better shape than you found it.
And that the rulebook published every two years by the USGA, in concert with the R&A, is the necessary and sacred starting point for any serious competition.
His best finish was in his first Open, in 2010, when he was the low amateur.
Henley’s balky player credential was stuffed in his back pocket with a long blue lanyard dangling along his right leg.
After rounds of 67 and 70, he shot a 71, playing in the last twosome with Richard Bland, on a day when 71, even par, was about as good a score as he could make.
Bobby Jones once said, famously, “You might as well praise a man for not robbing a bank as to praise him for playing by the rules.” Still, pretend you’re Henley: You and only you know you have broken a rule.
“Gosh, I feel like you’re always going to feel better about making the right decision,” he said Saturday night.
Richard Bland, 47-year-old Englishman, shot a third-round 77 playing with Henley, and still he was willing to talk to a reporter after his round.
He has written a variety books about golf and other subjects, the most recent of which is The Second Life of Tiger Woods.