Compton's story keeps UGA in Masters limelight

AUGUSTA -- Erik Compton was playing his Masters practice round with Jim Furyk on Monday morning when he spotted his dad on the third hole. The sighting of Peter Compton unleashed something in father and son and created a scene that Compton described as "a little emotional."

Only at Augusta National could a Monday practice round produce a poignant moment. But for Compton and his family, this one truly has been a long time coming.

"It's kind hard to believe my first Masters is at 35," said Compton, a 2001 Georgia graduate who said he's dreamed of playing here since he was 9. "With everything I've gone through, there've been times I thought I'd never play in the Masters."

READ: 2015 Masters field  |  Masters leaderboard and tee times

Compton gets a break on that, though. There was, after all, the rather weighty matter of the two heart transplants that interrupted his professional golfing career. So he's has the distinction being the only golfer in history to qualify for the Masters on his third heart.

But for Compton, the fact that people are talking about his golf game as much they are his medical travails is a bit of a victory in itself. He's among the 98 players in this field by virtue of his runner-up finish in last year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He was eight questions into his interview session in the main press room at Augusta National before anybody brought up his heart condition.

"Yeah, I lost a little bet on that one," Compton said with a laugh.

Compton is one of three former Bulldogs playing in their first Masters this week. UGA graduates Brian Harman and Brendon Todd also qualified for the first time this year. Including defending champion Bubba Watson and returnees Russell Henley and Chris Kirk, there are six Bulldogs in the field, down from eight last year.

Kirk and Todd, roommates while at Georgia, played the back nine together in Monday's practice round. But otherwise there isn't that much consultation going on between them.

"Brendon asked me a few questions here and there, but it's not like I have a ton of experience," said Kirk, who finished in a tie for 20th in his debut here last year.

"I tried to share a few things with him that some of the veteran guys shared with me. But he's a smart guy. He'll figure it out."

Said Harman: "The Tour's kind of like a traveling circus. We've all spent a lot of time together. We're all good friends, and we share a lot of stories from school, but basically we're just buddies."

Georgia Tech graduate Cameron Tringale, one of the hottest young golfers on the PGA Tour, is representing the Yellow Jackets among the newbies. Matt Kuchar and Larry Mize are also are back.

Overall, there are 19 players participating in their first Masters, slightly down from last year's record of 24. But none of them have a more compelling story than Compton. Most have heard some rendition of it during his run at the U.S. Open.

Because of a condition known as viral cardiomyopathy, Compton underwent his first heart transplant in 1992 at the age of 12. He had to have a second one in 2008.

Throughout, the former UGA All-American continued to pursue his professional golf dreams. There were stints on the Hooters, Nationwide and Canadian tours before Compton finally nailed down his PGA Tour card in 2012. Since then he has played 90 events and made 54 cuts with 12 top-25 finishes and five top 10s. Most important, he's now earning an exceptional living for his wife, Barbara, and daughter Petra.

In 2013, Compton was the recipient of PGA Tour's Courage Award, which is given annually to "a player who, through courage and perseverance, has overcome extraordinary adversity."

That award was easy to qualify for. This one, is even better.

"All the expectations are already met," he said Monday. "From driving in, to registering, getting to the first tee, seeing all the fans, really appreciating the golf course. It's almost like Disney World for a golfer. It's almost too perfect, you know?"

Compton would feel even better about things if he was playing better. He comes in 133rd in the FedEx rankings having missed five cuts and recorded just one top-25 finish. He also referred to "some bad breaks off the course," on which he declined to elaborate. He came here directly from Houston, where he finished 55th.

"I hit a few loose shots and that score doesn't really reflect on how I played," Compton said. "So I'm looking forward to having a great week this week. There's no reason why I can't have a week here like I did at the U.S. Open.

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