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Wheels of fortune Martin seeks first win on PGA Tour
Posted: Tuesday February 08, 2000 09:51 PM
By Tom Rinaldi, CNNSI.com BERMUDA DUNES, Calif. (CNNSI.com) -- A symbol can't swing a golf club. A cause can't either. Casey Martin can. But swinging now, as a PGA Tour rookie who started his season at the Bob Hope Chrysler this week, Martin is getting ready for the ride of his life. Cart included. "The threat of having everyone ride, that hasn't happened," Martin said. "The threat of me changing the game, that hasn't happened either. So, it's just one player getting to their ball a little different way." Martin suffers from a rare circulatory disease in his right leg. He could one day face amputation.
The PGA Tour has appealed a federal court ruling, allowing Martin to become the first Tour player to ride a cart in competition. The 9th Circuit Court could rule on the Tour's appeal at any time, denying Martin the right to ride. For now, he has his card, his cart, and the more common concerns of any rookie: Can he win enough to last? "I don't know if I will, or when or how, but I do think I have the ability to do it," he says. "I've gotten better. I don't want to be cocky or say I'm going to win a bunch, but I do feel I can. I've seen people who have won, that I can play with. If they can win, I think I can too." Martin is now a member of the same Tour that is still fighting to exclude what he believes is his only means of competing. He can't remember the last time he walked 18 holes, and can't fathom why the Tour continues to see his condition as a threat to the game. "Most guys are going to want to walk," said Martin. "I know I do. If they were to be in my shoes and drive around the golf course with just the logistical problems, dealing with the cart and the whole scenario, they would not choose to do it. Because I would not choose to do it. I'm the only one who has experienced it to know and I'd gladly turn that thing in to be able to do walk, even if it were a painful walk." The golfer has had some success against the world's elite. He was a teammate of Tiger Woods and Notah Begay at Stanford. In 1998 Martin played in the US Open, finishing 23rd at the Olympic Club, ahead of players like Ernie Els and Justin Leonard. Now, he will play among them week to week, even if he must follow a different path.
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