Erik Compton’s incredible journey goes on as he holds his ground in season-openers on PGA Tour
Having gone through two heart transplants and subsequent rehabs in his 32 years of age, Erik Compton’s incredible journey is far from over.
Compton has struggled in his sport from the very start of his career, when his heart condition prevented him to muster up enough courage to challenge the fields on PGA.
He kept losing and winning back his playing status on the PGA and although he was never able to card a victory, his passion and determination for the sport never fizzled.
Compton not only made the cut at Sony Open in Hawaii but posted an encouraging finish, a much-needed impetus that will help him carry on with his newly gained playing status on PGA.
Compton has been playing on the PGA Tour in consecutive years, most of the time on a medical exemption but has now managed to be a part of the field on more solid grounds.
Compton was born with a viral cardiomyopathy as a kid and underwent his first heart transplant at the age of 12.
He made headlines in the Walker Cup 2001 and while he barged on to his professional career in the sport later on, he suffered another terrible heart condition on October 3, 2007.
Having suffered a heart attack, Compton was rushed to the hospital and was later operated again for his second heart transplant surgery.
He received his new heart some seven months ago and has made the cut just after five months after the surgery.
His story is good enough to make it to Hollywood as another epic movie about life and struggle that comes along with it.
"I don't think my story is quite done yet," Compton said. "I think sometimes Hollywood wants an ending, and something that's going to see is never good enough. You have to win a PGA event, and then you have to win a major, and then you have to win a Grand Slam, and then you've got to be the president of the United States. It's just a tough story to write, because it's still in the process”.
In a bid to survive his professional playing status both on PGA as well as the Nationwide Tours, Compton surged to the zenith of his career last summer, when he bagged his first professional title, the Mexico Open.
He posted several strong finishes later in the season to end up in top-25 on the money list on Nationwide, winning a PGA Tour status in the process.
He added, "I just really want to be able to compete and be able to make a difference”.
He is now quite used to of all the questions thrown at him regarding his cardiac condition in all these years and that how he actually managed to survive in the highly competitive field despite of his conditions.
Compton lives in Miami and made his 31st start on the PGA at the Sony Open. He will be hoping to make good use of his current PGA Tour card and retain the status for the next year.
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