U.S. Team leads Presidents Cup as Tom Kim gives International Team a spark

One year ago, our family experienced a terrible thing. At the same time, we ended up having a wonderful experience. Those two sentences only make sense because of Nationwide Children’s Hospital. In late-May 2019, we were in Ohio so I could play in the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. The Monday after the tournament, there was a U.S. Open qualifier at Scioto Country Club and Brookside Golf and Country Club. I didn’t play well at the Memorial, missing the cut, and that left me with a couple of days to get ready for the 36-hole qualifying tournament. On Monday morning, my wife, Soyoung, took me to the course, while our son, Eugene stayed at the hotel with his grandmother, my mother-in-law. At the golf course, I received a phone call from my wife who was telling me that our son had fallen off the bed and was hurt. I really didn’t think it was anything too serious. But when Soyoung told me they had gone to the hospital in an ambulance, I immediately withdrew from the tournament and left the course, heading straight to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. There, doctors told us Eugene had suffered a concussion and a fracture on his temporal bone that was causing spinal fluid to leak. It was a really dangerous situation. Doctors believe that when Eugene was falling off the bed, he landed at an odd angle, hitting right on the spot that caused all the problems. It was really a fluke. We basically moved into the hospital, and Soyoung and I probably didn’t eat anything for the first 48 hours. We slept very little, if at all. I kept looking at Eugene’s heart monitor because sometimes it can go up and down like crazy, so I stared at it and couldn’t fall asleep. We both had a hard time watching Eugene struggling. There was our child in real trouble. We felt helpless. The biggest problem was doctors couldn’t control and stop the fluid leak. They eventually decided surgery was the best option. After more than a week—eight days—as doctors were getting ready to perform the procedure, the leaking finally stopped. Very quickly, Eugene started acting normally. A couple of days later, doctors discharged Eugene, and we were free to go home. One problem. We couldn’t fly because the pressure inside an airplane was dangerous and could cause Eugene’s spine to start again leaking fluid. Our next choice? Drive 15 hours from Columbus to our home in Dallas. Knowing we didn’t want to do the drive in one day, we mapped out where children’s hospitals were on our route home—just in case. All along, we felt if we could get back home, everything would be OK, and Eugene would continue to improve. It took us three days to travel home, but we did arrive in Texas with no issues, and we were so thankful to be home safely. Of course, what happened was incredibly serious, but fortunately, Eugene’s accident occurred not far from one of the biggest and best children’s hospitals in the world. The staff at Nationwide Children’s Hospital couldn’t have been nicer. The doctors and nurses were professional and kind in every way. When Soyoung and Eugene arrived at the hospital, everyone was so attentive. Before the day was over, 10 doctors had come to Eugene’s room and checked on him. It was so scary, but everybody did what they could to put my wife at ease. They did the same for me after I got there. The whole episode is not something I enjoy remembering, but the care Eugene received brings back a flood of good memories. Eugene does have some hearing loss in his left ear because of nerve damage associated with his fall. Other than that, though, he’s doing well and is happy. The accident, though, isn’t far from my mind, and I will often check on Eugene to see how he is doing. He’s just a normal little boy, he’s so active, he climbs up to everywhere and he jumps around. He also doesn’t remember anything about what happened. While you can’t tell anything was ever wrong, I still get kind of scared of what could happen to him. If he could suffer such a major injury falling from a bed, imagine what could happen when he’s doing regular kid stuff. I do call my wife a lot to make sure he’s doing well, and we do keep an eye on him. Today, we’re extraordinarily grateful he’s recovered, and we know he will have a long and happy life. We have Nationwide Children’s Hospital to thank for that.

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AVONDALE, La. – Jordan Spieth and Ryan Palmer were smiling away on the 17th tee on Friday at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans having ground their way to 8 under par and well in contention. While not playing their best, the duo had found a way to get it under par in the alternate shot format while many others struggled – and were geared up for a good finish and a run on the weekend. And then it all went pear-shaped. A loose 6-iron off the 17th tee from the multiple major winning Spieth found a watery grave and led to a double bogey. It hurt. But it wasn’t a death knell. Yet. On the final hole after Palmer found the fairway off the tee Spieth pushed a 4-iron into the water once more. After a penalty drop Palmer dumped a wedge shot into a fried egg lie near the green and Spieth left the ball in the sand trying to extricate it. Another double bogey and a 74 meant missing the cut by a shot. “I had a couple really bad swings,” Spieth lamented. “I cost our team an opportunity which really sucks given how hard we fought today. It’s not a good feeling. It’s much worse than if it’s just you.” Palmer refused to lay the blame at Spieth – saying his fellow Texan was the main reason they were even in a good spot to begin with. He hopes the partnership returns for a third time next year. “We both struggled a little bit all day, but our short games kept us there the whole time,” Palmer said. “It’s fun. It’s a blast. I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for him (as a partner). It’s the game of golf.” Spieth will next play at The PLAYERS Championship in a few weeks hoping for better form. “I struggled with my swing really both days. Just didn’t hit the ball well at all,” he said. “We held it together for a while and then it finally just came out. Unfortunately, all we needed was two more swings.”

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