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I was born and raised in rural Virginia May 3, 1985. I lived in Fairfield, VA with my father, who was a welder, and mother, a paralegal, until I was 8 years old. Upon their divorce, I moved in with my aunt and uncle to the next town over. All I ever wanted to do was play baseball. I played or practiced every single day from the time I got out of school until bedtime. I can remember watching the Atlanta Braves back in the ‘90s pretending I was Chipper Jones and the “Crime Dog” Fred McGriff.
One fateful day when I was 14, I essentially had a life-changing moment. After waking up from visiting my mother, I realized I could not walk. Long story short, after a full year in a cast, on crutches, an MRI, a potential bone tumor scare, and left heel surgery, my mobility and leg strength had almost dissipated and my high school baseball career was severely stunted.
A blessing in disguise, I can remember watching Tiger Woods win the ’97 Masters. I thought to myself, I will give that a shot…it should be easy – hell, the ball isn’t even moving. One humbling driving range session later, I was hooked. I used the time I couldn’t play baseball to practice golf.
I continued to play more and more, practicing every day. September 11, 2001 occurred my junior year of high school. I watched the two towers crumble to the ground in my World History class. I told myself that day, regardless of my dreams of playing golf, they could wait until I serve in the military to do my part. I attended Virginia Military Institute where I graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Business – ranked 2nd in my class with that major.
Following VMI, I commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army Ordnance Corps with my first duty station in Fort Knox, KY. I attended training there for 2 months, followed by 2 more months of training at Fort Sill, OK, followed by 4 months of training at Fort Lee, VA, and finally stationed at Fort Eustis, VA for the remainder of my service. I held numerous positions and jobs, leading Soldiers, training Soldiers, and being the Officer in Charge of Military Funeral and Honors team…the greatest honor I had in my service. On June 15, 2013, I ended my term of service as a Captain.
Now it is my time to chase the dream I had as a little boy watching Tiger Woods. Although I may be “behind the power curve,” I would not do anything different. I achieved all my goals before pursuing professional golf, and now is the time to act. Focused, driven, and ready to succeed, I can’t wait to tee it up and show the world that dreams are attainable at any age…with any background. After all, that’s why we have a military, to protect the dreams we all strive to achieve - for us and our children.
Every dollar raised/donated will go straight towards entry fees, travel fees, hotel/food/gas money, as well as Q-school entry. I am starting a full schedule on the eGolf tour starting in mid-March. I truly, truly appreciate the time take to read my story and humbled by any contributions made. God bless the US!
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