Let us reject the premise forwarded by a few overzealous egos that golf is grown with smugness and arrogance. Instead, meet someone who uses perspective and a calming dignity to spread the beauty of this game.

Seul-ki Hawley is her name. Touching hearts, opening minds, and igniting enthusiasm are cornerstones to her game.

Not that she isn’t willing to step out on her own from time to time to accept a challenge – no matter how daunting – and foster a belief she has in herself and her mission. Monday, for instance, horrendous weather forced a lengthy delay, so eight hours were required to complete Hawley’s opening round of the Massachusetts Open, most of her golf being played in rain and cold wind upon an Oak Hill CC layout set up at 6,619 yards that probably felt like 7,119 to her.

Hawley conceded that it was hard to feel comfortable.

It was not difficult, however, to feel that she belonged. Not when she had earned it. And not when she had committed to the

message that comes with a historic opportunity – the first woman to ever compete in the 111 editions of the State Open.

“Did I feel the nerves, feel a little intimidated? Maybe. But that’s the hurdle we as women have to go through to play with men,” said Hawley, who played the Symetra Tour for six seasons and is the teaching professional at Winchester CC.

“But the message I am part of is, ‘The more we do it, the more it will help us.’ ”

To appreciate all that was involved in Hawley’s Massachusetts Open appearance requires an understanding that not everyone possesses. Renee Sloan is not one of those people. As the women’s golf at the University of Illinois, Sloan feels blessed to have coached Seul-Ki Park, as she was known back then. (Park married longtime touring professional Scott Hawley of Shrewsbury in 2019.)

“I am extremely proud of her and excited for her,” said Sloan, who shares an important distinction with her former player.

“I was the first woman to play in the Illinois State Open many years ago, so I know. To be the first at anything is exciting, but it’s also an honor and a privilege.”

To those who don’t see the big picture, their focus will go directly to the scores, so here goes: In Monday’s slop – when the field average was 75.054 and more than 50 players shot 76 or higher – she shot 15-over 85.

Seul-Ki Hawley knows it comes with the territory. She didn’t even want any sort of consolation talk, like how the score doesn’t matter, that it’s all about inspiring her students at Winchester CC.

“It’s hard to embrace that right now, because selfishly, I want both – the score and to be an inspiration,” said Hawley. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. I’m a competitor.”

Leave it, then, to a voice of great reason, Jim Salinetti, to embrace the significance of Seul-Ki Hawley’s achievement. In another era, Salinetti was the best amateur in our area; today, he’s equally distinguished as a club professional, a guy who sees the big picture.

“First of all, she earned her spot (by finishing fourth in the New England PGA Section Championship),” said Salinetti. “She’s qualified for three straight major championships (the KPMG LPGA Championship) and a Women’s PGA Cup.

“This could be the norm. She could continue to do well.”

But Salinetti knows that Hawley had played just two rounds of golf this year and “she was probably the least prepared for a tournament that I’ve ever seen her.”

Which brings us to the heart of the story: Two reasons why Seul-Ki Hawley had played so little in 2021.

“One, she works her butt off,” said Salinetti, who said that there are at least 250 junior golfers at Winchester CC, 120 of them are also involved in the club’s PGA Junior program, and nearly all of them “look up to her.”

Parents feel so comfortable with Hawley’s calm demeanor, they entrust their children to her for lessons, coaching, advising, mentoring. The results, said Salinetti, can be translated in a number of ways, but he points to a young Winchester CC golfer, Christine Mandile. Very much a novice golfer a few years ago, Mandile connected so well to Hawley’s encouragement and leadership that she dedicated herself to the game and will attend the University of Richmond on a golf scholarship next fall.

There are more Mandiles in the pipeline, more young kids at Winchester CC latching onto golf because of Seul-Ki Hawley. But if you want to throw a yellow highlighter on a detail to the story that makes Salinetti smile, it isn’t that she shot 76 in Round 2 and bettered the scores of 34 males (although we should all take note of that), it is this:

“In our program, it’s almost 50-50, girls to boys, and that’s an inordinate number. But that’s Seul-Ki; clearly she’s a role model.”

Truth be told, Hawley should be a role model for many of us for the second reason she couldn’t prepare properly: She is 20 weeks into a pregnancy.

“I can’t lie. Being pregnant has been hard and I couldn’t practice a lot,” she said. “But I’m enjoying this now. Physically, it feels good to be out here.”

Standing with Scott Hawley, who caddied for her, Seul-Ki smiled brightly when talking about her pregnancy. They know it’s a girl, which widened her smile.

“I feel like I’m playing for the two of us,” said Seul-Ki Hawley, though truthfully, she was playing these two days for her students – the girls, yes, but also the boys – and for the essence of the game.

“I want them to know that they can do this, too, that they will have the opportunity to challenge themselves and the game will help them open doors.”