ERIK COMPTON HEART TRANSPLANT PRO

And then just played five or six rounds with him before I went back on the road.”

“He was just trying to motivate me to get in better shape. “I went to the gym with him a couple of times and played him for some money games in Miami,” Compton said. In the short offseason, he spent more time in the gym trying to get stronger at the recommendation of former Miami Heat guard Ray Allen. He prefers to look ahead, at the next shot, the next tournament, trying to get the most he can out of his game, just like the guys he is trying to beat.Ĭompton has reached the FedEx Cup playoff the last two seasons and advanced to the third round at the BMW Championship last month. His story never gets old, and Compton is happy to tell it, especially if that means bringing attention to the “Donate Life America” campaign. He had his second in 2008 and ended that year by making the cut in the final PGA Tour event.

ERIK COMPTON HEART TRANSPLANT PRO

The first hurdle when he turned pro was realizing that “everybody out here is really, really, really, really good.” The more serious hurdle was his heart.Ĭompton had his first transplant when he 12 because of cardiomyopathy, an enlarging of the heart that hinders its ability to pump blood. A few months later, Compton played in the Walker Cup at nearby Ocean Forest. So, I’m making a big push this year and that’s just what I’m trying to do, put one foot in front of the other.Compton first played Sea Island when he competed in the SEC Championship while at Georgia in 2001. “I love to play, but there’s been some people who’ve stepped up and made it possible for me to keep playing. “There’s been times where it’s been tough in the last few years,” Compton said. A solid round Friday would mean a spot on the weekend, which would mean a check, maybe even a chance to contend. His clubhead speed and ball speed, he insists, are good enough for him to compete with the best. It may have wavered a bit in recent years, but it’s still there.Ĭompton says he feels great, having just dropped 20 pounds. And I don’t see why I can’t continue to keep chasing my dream.” I’ve had a pretty solid career but compared to a lot of guys I haven’t made the amount of dollars. “A lot of guys that are my age maybe aren’t necessarily as hungry because they’ve made a lot more money than I have. Open, the big spark in a year in which he earned $1.8 million – roughly half of his $4.1 million in career PGA Tour earnings. He has never won on the PGA Tour his best finish was a tie for second at the 2014 U.S. He’s usually on the Korn Ferry Tour these days he’s made one PGA Tour cut in only four tries since 2016 and is playing the Honda this week on a sponsor’s exemption. The 42-year-old Miami native, who still makes his home there, has been a pro golfer since 2001. You honor the donor, just all the achievements that have happened through the years.” “I’ve always celebrated the date of my second transplant and my first transplant. “Obviously, 30 is going to be a big milestone,” Compton said. He has been told multiple times that his sports career was over, multiple times that he could no longer play competitive golf. He drove himself to a hospital after having a heart attack in 2007, seven months before his second transplant in May 2008. Those words weren’t hyperbole, and certainly don’t just apply to him playing golf. “I’ve got more pressure experience in my life, in the field combined,” Compton said. He has battled and battled and battled since, and an opening round of 1-under 69 at the Honda Classic on Thursday was yet another reminder that he’s made a career out of defying absurdly long odds. 26, 1992, when Compton – then 12 – got the first of what has become two heart transplants, needed after he was diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart becomes inflamed and cannot effectively pump blood.

If not, he’ll merely have to settle for the 30th anniversary of getting a second chance at life. If he makes the cut at the Honda Classic, he’ll be playing a third round at PGA National. – Erik Compton is going to have a great Saturday.

Erik compton heart transplant