Nobody really gave the guy a chance. It was
a good story, sure. And yeah, he was healthy and playing the game he loved. But how was a guy playing on his third heart really going to compete in the most grueling hike in sports?
Erik Compton made us all realize how wrong we were. Seven shots back in the final round of the first stage of PGA Tour Qualifying School, the 28-year-old, who's just five months removed from his second heart replacement,
pulled out the improbable -- actually managing to rally back.
With all the bad luck that has landed Compton's way over the years, the gods shined on him a little in the final round -- gusty winds and a little rain, just the conditions he would need to make up a deficit like that, arrived. If you ever watch British Open interviews, those players five or six shots back talk about how they need bad weather in hopes of posting a low number while the leaders struggle with the conditions.
Compton did just that, with a four-under 68, the best round of the day at Crandon Park Golf Club in Key Biscayne, Florida, to land in a tie at 23rd, the last possible spot to advance to second stage.
"I'm jacked up. I'm excited. I'm almost in disbelief," Compton said. "Everybody counted me out, and I survived again."
Every Monday during the PGA Tour season, Monday Pin Placement will run as a wrap-up of the weekend's action. Basically, we'll focus on what you may have missed while you were out grinding on the putting green.
