Martin Has Rough Start To U.S. Open
First he had a flat tire coming to the course. Then his first cart malfunctioned. Then his second cart was so flimsy he nearly flipped it on a hill. Then he walked two holes.
Finally, the USGA gave him a standard EZ-GO cart to finish his first official practice round on Monday.
Not the easiest Monday for Casey Martin.
"I had some minor transportation glitches," Martin said as he struggled up the steep hill surrounding the 18th green to the Olympic club clubhouse. "But it will all work out."
On Thursday, Martin will become the first player to ride a cart in a major. Martin suffers from a congenitive circulatory disorder in his right leg, Klippel-Trenauny Weber Syndrome, and earlier this year successfully sued for the right to ride under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Martin, the former Stanford golfer who won a Nike Tour event in January, qualified for the U.S. Open by winning a five-way playoff for the final spot in Cincinnati.
At least Martin got Monday's ending right. Playing in a practice group with Open champion Justin Leonard and U.S. Amateur champion Matt Kuchar, Martin stiffed his approach to within three feet at the 18th green. Under blue skies, Martin went out with a birdie.
"A great day," Martin said after getting a rousing ovation from the gallery.
But not such a great start. First he got the flat tire on his Nissan Maxima driving from his Forest City apartment to the course. Martin and his caddie, Steve Burdick, got the jack out and started cranking until AAA arrived to finished the job.
Then, at the first hole, the Pride single-person cart provided by the USGA malfunctioned.
"It didn't work at all," Martin said. "At first it didn't start, and then when it started it wouldn't stop. I had to pull out the key. It made it about 200 yards."
He was given a replacement, an even smaller one-person cart that Martin said resembled "something you'd see at the supermarket." Martin almost flipped it on a hill.
"I almost popped a wheelie," Martin said. "The wheels came up in the air."
He jumped off the without incident but it was a close call. Martin, who limps noticeably due to his condition, walked the second and third holes. At the fourth hole he was given a standard cart. He rode the rest of the round in it, going up fairways and walking around greens. An official rode the cart from the end of each fairway to the path leading from each green.
USGA officials said they were fixing the original Pride cart and hoped he would be able to use it for his Tuesday practice round. Martin is scheduled to play Tuesday with former Stanford teammat Tiger Woods.
Because of Olympic's steep hills and severe inclines, Martin said he would feel more comfortable using a standard cart for the week.
"Whatever they'll give me I'll use, but I'd prefer a regular cart," Martin said.
Leonard, who knows Martin from NCAA competitions, said he enjoyed playing with Martin on Monday. Asked if he thought Martin was gaining a competitive advantage on Olympic's hilly terrain, Leonard said, "I'm not even going there...It's not a big deal to me. He's playing well, he's a talented golfer and I hope he does well this week."