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Casey Martin misses the point
Updated: Monday November 06, 2000 2:57 PM
MADISON, Miss. -- For the past several weeks, while the LPGA moved to the Far East, I covered the PGA Tour. Most of the guys were great to deal with, but one in particular has me really looking forward to the LPGA's return to the U.S. at the Arch Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla., next week. The person who was so hard to deal with was one Casey Martin. While I have encountered some tough cookies on the LPGA -- like Dottie Pepper and Pat Bradley -- none of them ever had a Good Samaritan reputation yet turned out to be the total opposite.
Well, through all of his ordeals Martin must have lost his sense of humor. But he still has a pretty decent two-step. The first time I attempted to talk to Martin was last month at the Michelob Championship in Williamsburg, Va. While the timing might not have been perfect, he didn't make a very good first impression. On his final hole during the second round Martin airmailed the ninth green, sailing his ball into the bleachers. He made bogey on the hole to miss the cut by one. After signing his scorecard, Martin sidestepped a group of reporters by sneaking out the back of the tent. He then tried to escape the autograph hounds, but to no avail. They cornered him against the barrier surrounding the putting green. After putting pen to paper several times, Martin started screaming at a man holding a program. "I said just one autograph," Martin screamed loud enough to cause all of the players on the practice green to look up. "Don't you understand what one means?" said Martin as his face turned red and his voice rose even louder. I watched in shock. There was no way this could be the same guy who gave the testimonial during the Sunday-morning worship at the SEI Pennsylvania Classic. Then, bad leg and all, Martin scaled the four-foot metal barrier and escaped the throng. He hobbled hurriedly to his car. I trailed him and waited as he put his bag in the trunk and had a short talk with his caddie. "Hey, Casey, can I ask you just a couple of questions?" I said. "No, right now isn't a good time," Martin said. I gave him the benefit of the doubt then. But last Sunday at the Southern Farm Bureau Classic, I found out that no time is a good time. He made the cut on this occasion, but on Sunday he didn't just disappoint reporters. After his round, Martin started signing autographs for kids who had been camped outside the scorer's tent all day. Guys like Lee Janzen and John Daly had made sure every kid got an autograph, but Martin had other things on his mind. Martin stood there for less than a minute before he told the kids he would be right back. Instead, he jumped on his cart and took off, never to be seen again. Sure, Martin just lost his PGA Tour card, but there was no way he could have been in a hurry. Because he had finished out of the top 150 on the money list, he was scheduled to play in the second stage of Q school on Tuesday, just down the street at Deerfield Country Club. In times of adversity, a person's true personality is revealed. Martin could take a lesson in dealing with disappointments from the LPGA's Lisa Hackney. After a year in which she made only two cuts, Hackney was as gracious as the Queen of England after missing out on the final exempt spot at Q school in a playoff three weeks ago. She talked about the wicked slide that saw her fall in just three years from Rookie of the Year in 1987 to No. 187 on the money list. She admitted succumbing to a painful bout with the shanks and losing all of her confidence. She also showed a ton of class by just giving reporters the time of day. Mr. Martin, I think the fact that you have endured the rigors of the tour has made you a great role model for people who have to live with disabilities. But part of being role model is acting like one. It's one thing to blow off the reporters who would like to write about your fascinating life, but to ignore your fans -- the ones who have been rooting for you as you battle not just on the course but in the court -- is a crying shame. One that I hope you can live with. Tom Hanson, a regular contributor to Sports Illustrated's Golf Plus section, is a longtime caddie on the LPGA Tour. Click here to send him a question or comment.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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