Casey Martin - A Winner In All Walks of Life

Remember Casey Martin? Casey is the professional golfer who made headlines back in 2001 when he won a court battle with the PGA Tour to allow him to ride in a golf card to compete on the PGA Tour. He has the disorder known as Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome, a degenerative disorder that causes his veins to rupture and fill the cavities around his tibia with blood. He may eventually face amputation.

What most people don't know is what all Casey has accomplished in his life so far. As a junior golfer, he won 17 junior golf tournaments in Oregon. He received a golf scholarship to Stanford University and together with his teammates Tiger Woods and Notah Begay III, helped win the national championship in 1994.

He played on the PGA Tour a couple of years and competed on the Nationwide Tour for many years. He even qualified for the US Open in 1998 and finished tied for 23rd place. Many professional golfers never qualify for the US Open, so this in itself was a huge feat. Then to make the cut and finish within the top 25 was truly amazing with his physical challenges.

What I am writing about today though is what is happening to him now. Casey is no longer playing professional golf on a regular basis. However, he's still very much involved in golf. He is now the head golf coach at the University of Oregon. And, in only his second tournament as the head coach, Oregon won the Northwest Collegiate Golf Classic by nine strokes.

Casey is a perfect example of someone who faces difficult challenges everyday, but continues to persevere and win at whatever he does. Is there any reason why we shouldn't be doing the same? The only reason is in our minds. If you think you'll win, you probably will. If you think you're going to lose, then you probably will.

Keep it positive folks. Life is too short to always lose.

Make it a great day!

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