How Tony Finau helped save volunteer’s life

Tony Finau heard Bill Patterson before he ever saw him. “And it’s something that I don’t want to ever hopefully hear again,â€� Finau recalls, his voice suddenly turning solemn. “An older gentleman yelling for his life. That’s what it sounded like.â€� Patterson was crumpled under a golf cart, screaming as he was dragged across the range at TPC Scottsdale. Finau, who was the last player on the range after the Wednesday pro-am at the 2018 Waste Management Phoenix Open, had just finished hitting balls when he heard the frantic cries for help. “You could see the skid marks all the way, and he was underneath the cart the whole time,â€� Finau says. Finau, his uncle and his coach, Boyd Summerhays, sprinted toward Patterson and lifted the golf cart off him. A nearby police officer radioed for help, and the EMTs arrived within minutes. Patterson was taken to a trauma center and later moved to the Barrow Neurological Center for more specialized care. The diagnosis? Well, Patterson had two broken vertebrae, 12 broken ribs, two shoulder lacerations and significant cuts on his arm. Doctors ended up breaking two more ribs in order to do the spinal fusion surgery where two 12-inch titanium rods with 16 screws were inserted in his back. Patterson, who was in what is called a neck-to-waist “turtleâ€� body cast for two months – “It was a joy the day I got rid of that thing, I’ll tell you,â€� he says — didn’t find out it was Finau who helped lift the golf cart off his battered body until weeks later when he was in rehab. Now, he describes himself as the pro’s No. 1 fan. The accident happened as Patterson, who has worked part-time at TPC Scottsdale for 13 years and was overseeing the driving range during the tournament, collected the last of the remaining magnetic A-frame boards used to identify the pros. He put two in his golf cart and had just picked up a third as he walked around the front of the vehicle to get in the driver’s side. “The third A-frame must have hit the golf cart,â€� Patterson recalls. “And one of those A-frames fell on the gas pedal and I was directly in front of it, so it ran me over and then pulled me underneath and then drug me about 50 feet. “I was awake through the entire thing, but I wasn’t sure what had just happened. All I know as I’m looking up, I see what I think is the undercarriage of a golf cart and I’m screaming. “I’m just so lucky and so fortunate that it didn’t land one of the wheels on my throat or on my head.â€� And that Finau and company were there. “That was a blessing,â€� Finau says. “… I finished, and we were just for some odd reasons, just talking in the back of the range for five, 10 minutes. “If we would’ve left right away when I was done with my range session, I think a lot of further damage could have been done, but I was happy just to kind of be there and, and be able to rush over to him and take that cart off in.â€� In the weeks after the accident, Finau quietly checked with TOUR officials and TPC staff to see how Patterson was doing. Patterson, in turn, tried to get in touch with the PGA TOUR veteran to say thank you, as well, but the email address he was given didn’t work. Patterson, who had gone back to as a starter at TPC Scottsdale last November, finally had an opportunity to talk with Finau earlier this year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Patterson was back at his usual spot on the driving range. Finau had chipped and putted and was making his way over to hit some balls. “Once I found out he was there, I was on my way over to see him and he was getting ready to walk over to the long range,â€� Patterson recalls. “We shook and embraced. And I said, Tony, I can’t tell you how much, it means to me for what you did for me. “And he says, well, I’m just so glad to see you and see that everything has been the way it turned out for you as compared to the way it could’ve been.â€� After months of rehabilitation for his back and his shoulder, Patterson was able to start playing golf again. The first time he teed it up, he shot 42 on the front nine of the Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale. “I shot light’s out. I couldn’t believe it,â€� Patterson recalls with a broad smile. “I was so methodical cause I was so afraid to bend or twist or pull and I shot a great nine hole round the golf and I was just thrilled. I had no pain. “So, I think there was a lot to be said for that slow and deliberate. Don’t try to kill the ball as they say.â€� Now that he’s able to play 18 holes again, Patterson admits some of his “old habitsâ€� have crept back into his game. But he’s happy just to be able to be playing again and beyond grateful to the TOUR pro who helped make it possible.

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