Lately, golf has been in chaos. Many feel that the very soul and spirit of golf is in danger. The U.S. Adaptive Open is different. Not at Pinehurst No. 6. There was no talk of money when friends gathered at the bar to buy Jeremy Bittner a drink after Bittner won the championship’s first ace.
The topic of tour golf was discussed because of the possibility that the huge leap in adaptive golf could lead to a circuit linking with the PGA Tour. Similar to the DP World Tour’s seven-event series with the G4D Tour (Golf for Disabled), which uses the same course during the same tournament week, tour golf was discussed. Brian Bemis nearly missed his No. 1 round tee time. 6. He forgot his parking permit. This was an indication of how formal everything felt for these 96 players. Bemis is a man who can only play golf after three amputations and 57 surgeries. He took great pride in putting on the same badge that he has seen U.S. Open competitors wear for decades.
He exclaimed, “This is the best thing I have ever received from golf.”
It is quite extraordinary to see Bemis hitting a golf ball on one foot. Jake Olson, who is a blind golfer and works as a strength-and conditioning coach, was there to play alongside Bemis for the first round.
Olson said, “That dude, swinging on one foot,” “probably does more athletic movements and more amazing movement than any other athlete bilaterally on any of the major sports teams in the country.”
At the Adaptive Open, respect runs deep. The Adaptive Open is a historic field that recognizes the strength and courage required to be part of it. There are 24 players who have handicaps that are more than average. Both pros and amateurs, both men and women, can compete against each other. Judi Brush, 80 years old (leg impairment), is the oldest player. Sophia Howard, 15, is the youngest (arm impairment).
Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA, stated that “this isn’t just about money and contracts.” “This is about meaning.”
After losing his leg in an RV accident, Ken Green won five times on PGA Tour. Green played Jordan Thomas, a 33 year-old man who lost both his legs in an accident while boating at the age of 16. Thomas founded a foundation to provide prosthetics for children while he was still at the hospital. It has a handicap index value of +1.6.
This field has players who talk about how they can make the game more life-changing. Even life-saving.
Randy Shack was an Army veteran whose spinal cord was damaged by five roadside bombs. He was left homebound for almost a decade, because he refused to use a wheelchair in public.
He is now an ambassador for PGA HOPE which aims to encourage veterans to the game. Shack, who competed in the seated category at Pinehurst, marveled that this is the first adaptive tournament he’s played in that had wheelchair-accessible bathrooms on the course.
Here, gratitude overflows.
There’s always room for improvement, just like any first. It would be a good place to start, to televise the events. Golf Channel would be a great place to start a “Live From” program that highlights the achievements of these players and their incredible athleticism.
This is what the world needs.
Dennis Walters practices from a greenside bunker at the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open. (Course No. 6) in Village Pinehurst, N.C., on Sunday, July 17, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
Dennis Walters, the world-famous trick-shot artist, stated at the beginning of the week that it must have felt like to be Horace Rawlins back in 1895 when the first U.S. Open was held with 11 competitors. Walters’ seated category had seven players this week.
He said, “This is the one.” “That’s why i wanted to be here.”
His dog Gussie, abbreviated Augusta, was also present. This week’s event had two service dogs, which was the millionth reason this event was so great.
Luke Carroll (17 years old) was one of four Pinehurst teenagers. Carroll was a 10 year old AAU basketball player. He was also the quarterback for his football team, and the left-handed pitching coach on his travel baseball team. After a Saturday basketball game, Carroll complained of back pain. He was paralysed from the waist down by idiopathic Transverse Myelitis, an inflammation in the spinal cord.
Carroll needed to learn to walk again, and refused to be restricted by a wheelchair. He fell in love golf and has a +0.3 handicap index. His dream is to play college golf at Vanderbilt.
Carroll said that he had never played with someone like him before his first adaptive tournament.
Luke Carroll (Neurological Impairment) hits his tee shot at hole 12 during round one of the 2022 U.S. Adaptive Open. (Course No. 6) in Village Pinehurst, N.C., Monday, July 18, 2022. (Jeff Haynes/USGA)
Bemis wants to see the USGA include regional qualifiers in the Adaptive Open for players not already exempt.
He said, “That’s the way it’s more truer Open, If you will.”
This week was a significant step towards adding golf to the Paralympic Games. It is a hot topic in this tight-knit community.
The 15th USGA championship will undoubtedly inspire the disabled as well as the able-bodied to strive for excellence.
One parent said, before the end of the final round, “What a gift!”
There will never be another person like you.
By: Beth Ann Nichols
Title: Nichols: Forget the LIV-PGA feud — the U.S. Adaptive Open has reminded us of golf’s true spirit
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2022/07/20/u-s-adaptive-open-liv-golf-pga-tour-golf-spirit/
Published Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2022 17:35:18 +0000
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