Man with Cerebral Palsy Walks Every Hole of PGA Tour

D.J. Gregory, 30, a native of Savannah, Georgia, started walking the first round of the first Professional Golfers Association (PGA) tour event of the year in January 2008, and he kept on walking every single hole of every round of every PGA event this year, finishing in mid-November.

Doctors Said He'd Never Learn to Walk

Gregory seems like a great fan of golf — which he is — but there's another aspect of his feat that makes it especially noteworthy. Gregory was born with cerebral palsy, and at the time, doctors told his parents he'd never learn to walk at all due to the muscular impairments related to cerebral palsy. The fact that he just completed 988 miles of walking the PGA tour speaks volumes about the determination and drive possessed by Gregory and his parents.

At birth, Gregory's lungs were underdeveloped and his legs were entangled; his toes still overlap, and he fell a total of 29 times during his time on the PGA tour. He was okay with falling in public, explaining, "I'm going to fall; it's just the way it is…I'm going to do it. So you know what? You get back up, and you learn from your mistakes, and you don't do it again."

Paired with Professional Golfers

Gregory's perseverance inspired individuals with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and the professional golfers he followed along the courses. Gregory was paired with a different golfer each week after submitting his idea for the walk to PGA Tour Commissioner, Tim Finchem.

As golfer Jason Gore (with whom Gregory walked in the final event) said, "It was a great honor for him to pick me this week…it was a very emotional week for him, but he is a wonderful story and an inspiration to us all. I am very proud to call him a friend."

Every PGA Tour Event

Gregory walked more than 3,000 holes over 180 rounds of golf, at events including:

The Mercedes-Benz Championship
The Wachovia Championship
The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial
The Arnold Palmer Invitational
The Wyndham Championship
The Children's Miracle Network Classic

(Los Angeles Times)

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