Time to Get Behind the Kid and His Cart

The PGA and its commissioner, Tim Finchem, should be ashamed for trying to squelch Casey Martin’s golf dream because a withered calf requires him to use a cart for transportation during a round. Golf is a shot maker’s game and Casey, by winning last week’s Nike Lakeland Classic, demonstrated his ability to play on tour.

If the endurance required in walking 18 holes were an integral part of a golfer’s examination, as the PGA insists, players would be required to carry their own clubs rather than have the assistance of a caddie. If the use of a golf cart were such a benefit, real or perceived, all Senior PGA Tour members, who are allowed to take carts, would take advantage of the opportunity. In fact, few do.

The PGA can do the right thing and recognize Casey’s disability by relaxing its rules for him. Unfortunately, the narrow-minded PGA prefers to fight to preserve its anachronistic rules. That’s too bad for Casey, who just wants to play golf. It also is too bad for the PGA, which inevitably will suffer a black eye for its intractability.

JOHN TAWA

Redondo Beach