© Getty Images Sport – Sean Gallup / Staff
From February 23rd to 25th, the Spanish International Senior Championships were held at the Real Club Sevilla Golf, valid for both the doubles and individual titles. After 54 holes, Joe Lyons, an Irishman from Galway, clinched the individual Championship by overcoming a three-stroke deficit on the final day with a round of 67.
He was promptly awarded the title.
Golf, story
Immediately after the ceremony, Lyons headed straight to the airport with his wife to catch a flight to Cork, then on to Galway, ready to celebrate with friends. However, upon reaching the boarding gate, Lyons encountered an unexpected hurdle.
The said hurdle manifested itself at the boarding desk. When Lyons presented himself with the trophy in hand, Ryanair staff informed the couple that the cup couldn’t be carried on board as is but needed to be placed in their hand luggage.
Despite their attempts, this proved unfeasible. Abiding strictly by company policy, the officials regretfully informed Lyons that the trophy couldn’t be taken on board. In response, he stated: “Let’s do the right thing, folks.
Leave it here. If that’s how you want to handle it, go ahead and keep it.” The desk attendant asserted they couldn’t keep it, and when Lyons inquired about the trophy’s fate, she replied, “We’ll throw it in the trash.” So, the couple boarded their flight, leaving the trophy for which Joe had given his all over the weekend at the Ryanair desk.
Contrary to expectations, however, this story also has a happy ending. Senior management at Ryanair, moved by Joe’s story (and likely the outcry spread by Lyons on social media and in the newspapers), swiftly arranged for the trophy’s boarding on a subsequent flight and its delivery directly to the winner’s home.
Lyons warmly thanked the airline for promptly addressing a matter of principle: “What I was trying to do was what anyone else would’ve tried to do, maybe someone who had won a trophy for the first time.” Joe Lyons, a two-time champion.
