Supreme Court justice has been served. After what seemed like an eternity in the U.S. court system, Casey Martin has finally won the right to use a golf cart on the PGA tour. It boogles my mind to think that the PGA would actually let the issue go to court. The PGA "brain-trust" (and I use that term oh so loosely) believes that it is unfair for one player to ride in a cart while everyone else has to walk. In most cases that would be true, but Casey Martin is legally disabled, as he suffers from a congenital circulatory disorder that would make Tiny Tim cringe, and which, heaven forbid, could one day lead to an amputation of Martin's right leg.
PGA players seem to be divided on the Casey Martin outcome. Some of the "purists" and "traditionalists" think that every player should be treated equally. Jack Nicklaus and Hal Sutton have been quite vocal about their disapproval of the Supreme Court outcome. Well, if Nicklaus and Sutton really want to be "purists", maybe they should go back to using wooden shafted clubs and wearing goofy plaid pants.
Steadfast purists seem to be allergic to change, but let us remeber that purists once thought that the sun revolved around the Earth, and visionary people who claimed that this was false were sometimes imprisoned, or even put to death. Now, Casey Martin need not fear such a backlash, but if purists had their way, Martin would suffer a shackled fate of sorts; no cart equals no PGA golf for Casey. Martin's aspirations for a professional career in golf hinged on the Supreme Court decision. How PGA officials could attempt to take away Martin's livelihood is beyond me.
Luckily for Martin, the future of PGA golf is in his corner. Tiger Woods has been quick to defend Martin, who is his friend and former college roommate at Stanford. Tiger knows all about breaking down barriers in golf, and he should be applauded for seeing the humanity in letting Martin ride in a cart. (Note: Any player who is fatigued after leisurely strolling around a golf course needs to worry more about his cholesterol level, and less about Martin driving by in a cart.)
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