That is a heart-wrenching story and I feel for him, (and you), but success teaches nothing and failure teaches a lot. Painful lessons, true, but I've had plenty.
Also, golf is just a cruel sport. Even the best players in the world occasionally have complete melt-downs in tournament play. Competitive sports in general can be so exhilarating or so pain inducing depending on how things are going that day.
Again, I'm sorry that you and he had to go through this but it can be a character building experience if he does not let it defeat him. Everyone has really bad days in life, now he's had one. You want to protect your kids from all bad experiences because you love them but it's impossible. May the rest of his summer be good days.
