February 5, 2001

The PGA has a right to enforce its rules in the manner it thinks best suits the game. But does excluding someone with a permanent disability benefit the game?

Sports Are a Way of Belonging

By JIM ABBOTT

ORONA DEL MAR, Calif. — As most everyone knows, the PGA has fought the request by Casey Martin, a professional golfer who has a circulatory disorder that impairs his ability to walk, to use a cart on the course during PGA Tour events. The Supreme Court is currently considering the PGA's appeal. This case involves a couple of things close to my heart. One is golf. The other is the belief that competitive sports should be as inclusive as possible.

I love golf and its respect for rules and etiquette. The beauty of golf lies in the fact that it is a game against yourself; without a discipline to the rules of the game, you can never truly measure your progress. The PGA has a right to enforce its rules in the manner it thinks best suits the game. But does excluding someone with a permanent disability benefit the game?

As someone who played professional baseball despite having full use of only one hand, I am particularly interested in the argument that changing the rules for a disabled player would allow that player an unfair advantage. Who can say, for example, that it is easier for Casey Martin to ride in his cart, get out, walk to his ball and play than it is for other players simply to walk the course?

Some people might wonder why I support Casey Martin's case when Major League Baseball never changed the rules for me. My answer is that if changing the rules compromises the essence of the game, then no exceptions should be made. But the fundamentals of golf are striking and putting the ball well. If a player can excel at these two things, does it matter how he gets around the course?

I understand traditionalists disagree. However, if it comes to excluding a player from competing because of a permanent birth defect, tradition comes at a very steep price. The game of golf has evolved tremendously over the last decade. With new technology and training methods, players are doing things unheard of before. Even advances in lawnmowers have moved the game forward. Will a player's using a cart change the dynamics of the game any more?

I was born without any fingers on my right hand. Doesn't seem like much, but it brings some extra challenges. Sports were my way of feeling I was just like everyone else. I was blessed with a good left arm that gave me the opportunity to keep progressing up the baseball ladder, all the way to the major leagues. It was an incredible feeling to be able to compete against the very best baseball players in the world.

I guess that's why I hate to see doors closed to someone who has the skills to make it. Whatever happens, there should be a great deal of admiration for Casey Martin. This ordeal is probably the last thing he ever hoped for when he dreamed of life as a professional golfer (even a few of his childhood heroes have argued against him in court). Imagine working your whole life toward a dream only to find such resistance when you are finally so close to achieving it.

Jim Abbott was a pitcher for the New York Yankees, the California Angels, the Chicago White Sox and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company