![]() He spent most of those years on the Nationwide and Canadian tours, occasionally turning up at a PGA Tour event. There are guys who would’ve given up on this dream long ago, even without a life-threatening malady along the way.Īfter turning pro in 2001, Compton struggled for the better part of a decade to break through. ![]() While that may be someone else’s heart in his chest, the willpower and determination is all Compton’s. “Charl actually asked me, ‘Did they take out the whole heart?”’ He looks like just another player trying to deal with Pinehurst’s treacherous greens and punishing waste areas.Įven Schwartzel, who had some idea of Compton’s ordeal, wasn’t entirely up to speed on the enormity of it. Unless one knows the details of the story, there is no way to tell that Compton was so close to death not so long ago. “Adrenaline is one thing, but stress isn’t stress to him. “There’s no doubt that’s one of his advantages,” said Charles DeLucca, who has been coaching Compton since around the time of the first transplant. That doesn’t figure to change when the tournament begins. As the group walked away from the 18th tee, someone shouted out, “Go Dawgs!” - a reference to Compton’s college days at the University of Georgia.Ĭompton looked as calm as could be. Yet there he was on Tuesday, playing a practice round with good friend Ernie Els and two other major champions from South Africa, Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. “Most people don’t survive a widow-maker heart attack,” Compton said, referring to the ominous nickname for the condition that nearly claimed his life in 2008. Open, giving him a chance to promote a cause that is certainly dear to him - organ donation - while inspiring others to keep pursuing their dreams even when life deals them a cruel hand. Now 34, he has qualified for his second U.S. Sixteen years later, he suffered a major heart attack but managed to drive himself to the hospital quickly enough to extend his life with another transplant. ![]() To check out Compton in Connecticut this week, watch the Travelers Championship live on Sky Sports starting Thursday, at 8pm.Diagnosed with heart disease as a child, Compton received his first transplant at age 12. I'm not going to go through a list of names but it's really cool to have a lot of guys who have been very encouraging on my story and really rooting for me."Ĭompton, who has dual nationality as his mother is Norwegian, was a member of the US Walker Cup team which lost to Great Britain and Ireland in 2001.ĭuring that contest in Georgia he faced Luke Donald in a foursomes match and he could meet the Englishman again in a little over three months, providing he can maintain his excellent form on the PGA Tour. "A lot of the greats in sports have reached out. ![]() “He's one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time and I had been struggling a little bit with the putter. He and I talked a little before I went to the US Open about just visualising shots. "I spoke with Ray Allen (basketball player with the Miami Heat). That was kind of cool for him to be encouraging on my game before the round and he went out and had a great round himself shooting 67 to finish joint fourth. He adds: "Keegan wrote me a nice note on Sunday. Six of the players who made up the top 10 in last Sunday’s major championship are teeing up in the Travelers Championship in Connecticut which starts on Thursday.Ĭompton is paired with Keegan Bradley and Jason Day in rounds one and two, and he admits he has received many words of encouragement from people during the past week. “It's just a dream of mine to be able to say that, and now I can actually live it." Being able to prepare for the British Open, I think that style of golf suits my game, a lot of pars and creative shots. Thanks to his high finish at Pinehurst on Sunday, Compton moved 40 spots up the latest standings to 19th, needing to rise another 10 places between now and the PGA Championship in August to secure automatic qualification to the team.Īnd it is a huge achievement that has not gone unnoticed by the player himself, with Compton saying: "I would love to play on the Ryder Cup team, it's a huge goal of mine, and that's now a possibility if I continue to play really, really well.
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