To do that on such a stress-producing stage Compton ingests 10 pills each morning, three at dinner and 10 more before going to bed, many designed to prevent his body from rejecting the third heart he’s known in 34 years. The operation took 13 hours because doctors feared Compton’s body might reject the new heart, but within two months he was again playing golf, something he continued to do yesterday on the game’s biggest stage. No need to explain that term further.įortunately, Compton survived and eight months later, on May 20, 2008, he received the heart of a former University of Dayton volleyball player named Isaac Klosterman who died when his motorcycle was rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver. He was, he later learned, in the midst of what is called a “widow maker” heart attack. His heart was pumping at less than 20 percent and he’d learned enough about such things to realize he was very likely on the back nine of life, so he began calling family and friends to hear their voices one last time. While driving his car the next day, he suddenly realized his heart was shutting down and steered himself to a hospital, where he informed an attendant he was a heart transplant recipient having a heart attack. Then, in October 2008, his second heart gave out.Ĭompton had just missed the cut at the Boise Open and flew home to Miami feeling poorly. That heart beat strong enough for him to become a top collegiate golfer at the University of Georgia and play for 10 years on the Nationwide Tour and Web.com Tour, but the PGA Tour proved elusive. Three years earlier he’d been diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, an affliction which inhibits the heart’s ability to work efficiently, yet after receiving his new heart Compton took up golf as an antidote to the difficulties he faced. “It” is competing at the highest level of golf, which he did yesterday when he shot a remarkable 3-under 67 to tie Rickie Fowler for the best round of the day and move into a two-way tie for second place, 5 shots behind the streaking Kaymer, who is 8-under for the tournament but still within striking distance.Ĭertainly, catching Kaymer is an uphill climb, but Compton knows all about that, having had his first heart transplant in 1992 at the age of 12. As a matter of fact he’s had three hearts, and he’s still doing it. Open, nobody need wonder if Erik Compton has the heart to do it. Regardless of whether he catches Martin Kaymer today or not to win the U.S. But it's not easy to play four days of golf, to travel, to wake up for different tee times, adapt to new conditions each week and the physical and mental strain of it all.PINEHURST, N.C. I’m not running as fast as I can or taking a beating like other sports. I challenged Michael Jordan and Alonzo Mourning, who's a good friend of mine, and there's no denying it’s a combination of skill and sport. How would you respond to them?ĮC: Tough question, but I've challenged the best athletes to play golf. WL: A lot of sports fans tend to sideline golf as not a "real" sport. I was very nervous because I knew that winning would grant me a PGA Tour card. There was so much adversity that week that, well, it almost played into my hands. What was it like to play so well and cap it off with a win at the Mexico Open?ĮC: Well, that week at the Mexico Open was a tough week because we were playing at high altitude. You had a terrific season last year on the Nationwide Tour (eight top 25s, three top 10s, victory at the Mexico Open). WL: Let’s transition a bit and talk some actual golf. I've been able to live my dream, even as I've battled my emotions. Golf has helped me recover from IVs, from major surgery, from the really hard times. WL: With regard to your specific story and the battle you’ve been through throughout your life, how has pursuing golf been a source of persistence and hope?ĮC: Anytime someone goes through a traumatic experience, you need something to help you heal, and golf has done that for me.
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