Nailing the perfect line

We’ve all been there. The moment arrives, we strive for the perfect line…and we fall short. 

But very occasionally, when the sun is out, the sky is blue, and all is right with the world, you nail it.

Enter Rory McIlroy. After eleven years of waiting to complete a historic grand slam, McIlroy sunk a putt in a sudden death playoff to win golf’s Masters and achieve his lifelong dream. His line to friends? "I gotta go get a Green Jacket." Instantly iconic.

Others, not so much.

Having completed the first all-female space flight in more than 60 years, celebrities including Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez returned to Earth to be met by the world’s media. 

Perry: "I feel super connected to love."

Sanchez: “I had to come back. I wanted to come back. I’m getting married. [The alternative] would be a bummer for me”.

(The alternative presumably being a choice between the cold, ceaseless emptiness of space and a fiery end on the way up or down).

This is not to pass judgement, but to demonstrate how truly difficult it is to find the perfect words. After all, even Neil Armstrong’s timeless quote was apparently prepared in advance. 

It’s all indicative of a modern media environment where authenticity is valued above all, but the tiniest mistake will be dissected in detail. 

There’s no perfect solution here - no amount of media training can teach someone to be genuine, and authenticity is inherently imperfect. 

So perhaps, in the age of endless AI-powered, smooth-edged adequacy, we should proudly embrace being wonderfully, uniquely flawed - whether returning from space, achieving our lifelong dreams, or simply attempting to communicate an important message.

The alternative would be a bummer.