{"product_id":"bless-ed-one-from-a-shantytown-in-kabwe-zambia-to-the-first-black-african-in-the-u-s-open","title":"Bless.ed One: From a shantytown in Kabwé, Zambia, to the first Black African in the U.S. Open","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne shot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCenturies of false truths upended. An entire sport redefined. Madalitso Muthiya did both at the U.S. Open in New York on June 5, 2006, armed only with a glistening driver, inexplicable talent, and stern but loving tutelage from his father. His warm smile and casual demeanor cloaked a hardened determination that came from a life surrounded by disease and extreme poverty and enduring the awkward stares and quiet whispers that made him an outsider.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo everyone here, \"Mad\" was new. A fresh face. An unexpected splash of uniqueness that sent fans scrambling for information. But their tournament programs didn't reveal the origin of his story. It certainly wasn't a stately golf course in New York under the warm morning sky, rubbing elbows with the well-heeled. The elite. It began decades earlier, oceans and continents away, in a land defined by one peoples' crimes against another. Racism, forced labor, cultures destroyed, families torn apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistory was often his fuel. At other times, a lead weight chained to his golf bag. A burden he carried everywhere, to every tournament until his father's voice exhorted him to let it go. \u003cem\u003e'Just focus on what you need to do.'\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt 9:01 AM on June 5 his ball and tee were firmly planted. The fairway beckoned in front of him. The heavens shined down. A single display of his God-given swing would change golf. Forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne shot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"This Moment Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50863783313682,"sku":"9781737983002","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dfc1d7a3-3b2a-4ff8-bb94-d0cd440c09ca.jpg?v=1737645894","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/bless-ed-one-from-a-shantytown-in-kabwe-zambia-to-the-first-black-african-in-the-u-s-open","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}