SAN MARTIN, Calif. (AP) — Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton is the winner of the inaugural PGA Tour Courage Award.
The PGA Tour Courage Award is for players who have overcome extraordinary adversity to make meaningful contributions to golf.
It’s hard to find a better candidate than Compton. He was diagnosed at age 9 with viral cardiomyopathy and had his first heart transplant three years later in 1992. He had a heart attack in 2008 and required a second transplant. Compton still managed to make it to the PGA Tour, and this year made it through two FedEx Cup playoff events.
The award includes a $25,000 donation to the charity of the winner’s choice. Compton said the money would be split between the Cardiovascular Institute of Miami and the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation.
