Begay back on board - Saturday, July 01, 2006
| CROMWELL, Conn. - When Notah Begay III earned his fourth PGA Tour victory in less than two years at the 2000 Canon Greater Hartford Open, the engaging American Indian had firmly established himself as a rising star on the PGA Tour. His career has been crippled by a back injury ever since, to the point where he considered quitting. Before the start of the 2001 season, he suffered annular tears of the L-4 and L-5 discs in his lower back. "If you look at my performance the last four years, it's been so bad. It's been inconsistent. I've gone six or seventh months without even playing at times. You just can't get good doing that. I definitely have entertained thoughts of life after golf at the tender age of 33," Begay said. You can't blame him. From 2001 through 2005, he failed to make the cut in 102 of 148 tournaments, and he's 0-for-4 this year. "It's hard to explain because physically I don't look hurt, but I've endured a tremendous amount of pain in terms of having mobility issues in my back and in my hip," Begay said. "I had a major scitic develop last May which prevented me from walking, literally, for two weeks." But Begay, playing on a sponsor's exemption, has rediscovered his game this week at the Buick Championship. By shooting a 4-under 66 Friday, he vaulted into a four-way tie for third at 6-under 134, just two strokes behind leader Darron Stiles. It's been a long road to semi-recovery for Begay, who grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was a three-time All-American at Stanford. "The initial disc injury, the torn disc that I incurred after the 2000 season was only the beginning and the rehabilitation process has gone on so much longer," he said. "I'm still recovering and I still have pain. It hit me a couple of times out there today." Having been through so much adversity, Begay was asked how he maintains his positive attitude. "I still consider myself very lucky to be a member of the Tour and be a part of I think a great organization that has a tremendous track record with community service," he said. "In spite of what's happened to me, I still have an opportunity to have a positive effect on my communities back in New Mexico." Indeed, he started a charitable foundation last year and drew 150 youngsters from his reservation for a soccer program. "I don't need to have a good resume on the golf course to be a positive member of my community," Begay said. |
