Straight Drive by the Court

Will anorexics be allowed into the ring with sumo wrestlers? Will swimmers be allowed to compete wearing floaties? No, despite wild talk among some sports nuts, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision allowing a disabled professional golfer to ride in a cart between holes is a limited one and a good one--not the end of sporting competition as we know it.

By a 7-2 vote, the court ruled Tuesday that golfer Casey Martin be exempted from a Professional Golfers’ Assn. rule requiring competitors to walk the 18-hole course; walking is required in most professional golf tournaments. Martin suffers from a circulatory disorder in one leg that has left his bones brittle and his muscles weak, making it difficult for him to walk long distances. He invoked the Americans With Disabilities Act and asked to be allowed to ride between holes. The PGA refused, arguing that overcoming the fatigue that results from hiking the 20 to 25 miles covered in a four-day tournament is an essential aspect of pro golf. Bending the rules for one player’s physical condition, tour officials argued, would fundamentally alter the competition--presumably diminishing its rigor.

But Martin, 28, didn’t ask for a shorter course or a wider hole. He asked for what the court correctly labeled “reasonable modifications” for his disability. The walking-only rule said nothing about how accurately a golfer could lob the ball into a distant hole. What it did was exclude an otherwise talented athlete from the tour.

What Casey Martin wants is what many with a disability want: the chance to compete in a field in which he is fully qualified. The Supreme Court gave him that opportunity. It’s up to him to prove he’s up to par.