I've been on my back twice, and I never thought I'd ever leave the house. But you have to make the best of it the next day. And as always."When you have disabilities or health issues, some days are really bad. I’ll be rooting for him, so please join me in cheering Erik on. Because he’s a competitor, and because he’s a Bulldog. He’s 40 years old, at high risk for serious complications from COVID-19, yet he continues the fight to get back to the PGA Tour and reach the pinnacle of his sport. You know he’ll have to take the same precautions every other player will, plus probably 50% more. He’s the poster boy for “underlying condition” or “compromised immune system.”īut this week, we find our hero heading north to Ponte Vedra, site of the Korn Ferry Tour’s return to golf at TPC Sawgrass, joining Greyson Sigg, Joey Garber, and Hudson Swafford. For one who has seen more hospital time than a lot of us put together, Compton is fully aware what catching the coronavirus would do. He wipes down things most don’t even think about. His mask is, shall we say, top of the line. During the pandemic he’s had to be especially so. And he still calls Miami home - an area hit very hard by the virus.Ĭompton is pretty diligent about social distancing and preventing the spread of, well, anything. It’s well documented that he thought his death was imminent. His body simply can’t fight off the common germs and viruses we all are exposed to every day. And these meds have to be tweaked almost continually. He plays on even though he takes dozens of pills a day to help manage his immune system and to prevent his body from rejecting the transplanted organ. A condition that has now required not one, but TWO heart transplants. Oh, except he was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, a condition affecting muscles of the heart. He even placed second at the 2014 US Open. Turned pro in 2001 and had good success on the developmental Tours, earning his PGA Tour card and having a decent early career. A Miami, FL native (of Norwegian descent) who played at UGA in the late 90’s and early aughts. But considering Compton lost his PGA Tour playing privileges (think relegation) and is back playing on the Korn Ferry Tour (think AAA baseball), why would we revisit? Because he’s got a LOT of heart. We’ve covered former UGA golfer Erik Compton’s story previously on this site and through the ‘Dawgs on Tour series. So this cautious approach with measures in place, phasing in larger crowds, and preventative measures should be easy on everyone, right? And there seems to be few, if any, pro golfers who have contracted COVID-19. is the wise move and they can reassess at each stage. The general consensus is that phasing in fans via constricted entry, wearing masks, reducing common areas, etc. The players are, at this point, happy to play and earn fat paychecks even with no one clapping, yelling “Mashed Potato” after a shot, or taking pictures in their downswing. They will play the next four tournaments without patrons, before eventually allowing a limited audience back in with masks at Muirfield Village in July. The Tour hasn’t played a shot since.īut after consideration and congress with various golfing bodies, and the players themselves (independent contractors all, but they have a representative committee that deals with the Tour), a decision was made to restart the season this week in Texas. Then overnight they cancelled the whole thing. The PGA Tour was at a flagship event, the Players Championship, when they made a decision after the first round to play without fans. Pro golf came to a stuttering stop in early March once the pandemic caught the right ears. First, some background in case you were following Bundesliga: A few former ‘Dawgs are in the field (Keith Mitchell, Brian Harman, Harris English, Sepp Straka, Brendon Todd, Bubba Watson, Kevin Kisner, and Chris Kirk), but that’s not what I’m here for. The PGA Tour begins play Thursday in Fort Worth for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club. Yes, pro sports are starting to return, and golf is chief amongst them.
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