Court Path Is a Little Bumpy

For all the feel-good posturing about how the PGA Tour blew it and that Casey Martin was right from the start in his one-man cart crusade, there are just as many thoughtful feelings expressed on the opposite side of the issue, which is what may make the Supreme Court’s decision allowing Martin the use of a golf cart even more divisive than expected.

Reasonable people can disagree, especially on such an emotionally charged topic as how to construct a level playing field in sports to satisfy the handicapped under the law. In retrospect, we probably should have seen this coming a long time ago.

What happened is that Martin’s attorneys and the PGA Tour’s attorneys could not come up with anything that made sense for both sides.

So they did exactly what you might expect them to do these days. They went to court . . . and stayed there for more than three years.

As it turns out, there might not be much celebrating on either side, once the hard part starts, which is this: What’s next?

While Martin and his camp rejoiced in Tuesday’s 7-2 ruling and a victory for the Americans With Disabilities Act, the hard truth is that he is no closer to saving his damaged right leg than he ever was, that he lost realistically his three best earning years because of the distractions of the lawsuit and that the condition of his deteriorating leg means his pro career probably won’t extend beyond two years or maybe three at the most.

And while the PGA Tour’s spin doctors rolled up their sleeves and quickly went to work to try to shine a positive light on a devastating defeat, a case they clearly expected to win, there is a tough road ahead. The tour must wade out of a public relations quagmire of its own doing.

If Martin has some powerful allies in his corner, heavyweights such as former Sen. Bob Dole, Sen. Edward Kennedy and golfer Greg Norman, the PGA Tour can easily counter with icons from its own ranks: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and even Tiger Woods to a degree.

Woods did not testify for the PGA Tour or against Martin and in fact expressed empathy for his former Stanford road roommate, but he also shared the tour’s view that it ought to be able to establish its own rules without interference from the courts.

One murky area involves how the Supreme Court decision will affect sports in general. For instance, there has been speculation that wheelchair athletes will be on NBA teams now. Hey, there always was that opportunity, as long as they were good enough to compete.

The fact is that Martin was before and is now the only golfer in the world good enough to play at the PGA Tour level despite his very real and very dire disability.

Martin called the prospect of the disabled in the NBA or the NFL as “farfetched,” and of course he’s right. He also said he thinks that 10 years from now, you won’t see the basics of professional sports conducted different than they are now, despite the ruling.

Chances are, Martin and his trek through the court system and his greatest triumph may ultimately be viewed as a one-shot wonder. Maybe his legacy will be to inspire the handicapped or anyone who doesn’t feel worthy to try for something that they might previously have felt out of reach.

If that’s the ultimate outcome of Casey Martin vs. the PGA Tour, you have to say it has all been worth it. And no one is going to argue about that.

Slightly Overcooked

Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote the 16-page dissenting opinion in the Martin case, served up a large helping of colorful, if somewhat overheated, verbiage that is worth noting.

He referred to the majority opinion’s “misty-eyed” thinking, called it “Kafkaesque” and likened it to both “Alice in Wonderland” and “Animal Farm.”

How he left out “1984” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” we’ll never know.

Anyway, Justice Scalia also expressed fear of the opinion’s possible ramifications, such as a Little Leaguer with attention deficit disorder being allowed four strikes instead of three.

With all due respect to Justice Scalia, you’ve got to wonder if he was paying attention. You see, allowing four strikes fundamentally alters the nature of the game, which means it is not applicable to the Americans With Disabilities Act that was in question.

But that prose, keep working on that stuff, it’s terrific.

Locker Room Room

King Martin says his son wants to prove he belongs.

“I know how badly he wants to be accepted in the locker room as a player,” the elder Martin said. “but he’s fallen short in that department.”

As for Martin himself, he says he intends to return to PGA Tour qualifying school to try to get his card for 2002 if that’s the only option left to prove he belongs in the locker room again.

It’s BYOC . . . (Cart)

The quote of the week is from Martin, after being advised that the PGA Tour is obligated to defray at least a portion of his legal fees: “Hey, party time at my house!”

Globetrotter

News item: Woods is apparently going to play a two-day special event in Shenzhen, China, on his way to the World Cup in Tokyo, Nov. 15-18.

Reaction: Didn’t he say a little while ago that he wasn’t going to spend so much time traveling in the so-called off-season?

But Who’s Counting?

By the way, if Tiger wins the Memorial for the third consecutive year this week, he will have won exactly 20 of his last 40 PGA Tour events.

Or a Caddie Shack

Last week at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., Woods was on hand as the company dedicated a 158,833-square-foot building that includes a 770-seat theater. A life-size bronze sculpture of Woods stands at the entrance of the building.

The new Tiger Woods Center also has a business center named for Tiger’s father, Earl, and an office complex named for Tiger’s mother, Kultida.

There’s no word yet on whether there is also an infirmary named for Tiger’s swing doctor, Butch Harmon.

Or He Likes Hotels

News item: Bruno Taajamaa of Finland has played every golf course in Scotland, 538 of them.

Reaction: How much must he hate his wife?

No Lee-Way

After he finished the Senior PGA Championship at nine over par, Lee Trevino said he is not going to play any majors next year on the Senior PGA Tour. Trevino, who has won three of them in his career, is 61.

Uh, Captain Monty?

Colin Montgomerie wants to be Europe’s Ryder Cup captain in 2009, but only if the match is played in Scotland. If it’s in Wales, do you think Ian Woosnam would want the job?

Ace in the Hole

News item: Using an Orlimar four-iron, Harold Stilson, 101, of Deerfield, Fla., becomes the oldest person to make a hole in one and is named an honorary Orlimar staff member.

Reaction: Was it a lifetime deal?

They’re In

In case you were wondering, nine more players have earned exemptions into the U.S. Open at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla., in two weeks: Frank Lickliter, Sergio Garcia, Scott Hoch, Toshi Izawa, Bernhard Langer, Rocco Mediate, Dennis Paulson, Eduardo Romero and Duffy Waldorf.

Lickliter got in for being in the top 10 on the money list through Sunday and the others got in because they were in the top 50 in the world rankings through Monday.

Birdies, Bogeys, Pars

Lisa Leslie and Latasha Byears of the Sparks have entered the Strawberry Farms/Los Angeles Sparks Invitational to be played Wednesday at Strawberry Farms in Irvine. The event benefits the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund. Details: (310) 559-9334.

A tournament to benefit former Muir High football player Victor Wright, paralyzed from the waist down when he was injured in a game in 1976, will be played June 29 at Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena. The City of Industry Lions Club and the Pasadena Host Lions Club are sponsoring the event. Details: (909) 240-1511.

Augusta National Golf Club distributed more than $3 million in charitable gifts from proceeds from the Masters.

Williams extended its title sponsor deal for Woods’ special event for six years through 2006. The $3.8-million tournament is Dec. 13-16 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.