Thanks to Els and others, Autism gets its due
By Win McMurry, PGA TOUR Today host
What will you remember about the '08 season? That was the simple question we asked PGATOUR.COM staffers and freelance contributors, who responded with a series of short essays that we will post during November (click here for the archive link).
For 20 years, my experience with autism was limited to Dustin Hoffman's Academy Award winning portrayal of Raymond Babbitt in the 1988 film Rain Man.
But in the two decades since Tom Cruise took his brother Raymond on a cross-country ride in that 1949 Buick Roadmaster convertible, the diagnosis of autism has moved into the fast lane. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, autism now affects one out of every 150 children in the United States.
In the early spring of 2008 it reached the PGA TOUR family during its own cross-country trek.
Ernie Els, a three-time major champion and 16-time TOUR winner, came forward with the news that his 5-year-old son, Ben, is autistic. Fellow TOUR player Cliff Kresge also stepped up, sharing that his 8-year-old son, Mason, suffers from the disease.
Partnering with Autism Speaks, an organization whose goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders, Els and Kresge had cards placed in the lockers at the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. Players wore Autism Speaks pins on their lapels and hats during the tournament to show their support and the Associated Press, GOLF CHANNEL and CBS followed, raising awareness through their coverage.
"The warning is that it could happen to anybody on this range," Els said. "Where I'm standing hitting balls yesterday, I'm looking around, and all these guys are much younger than me, and some of those don't have families yet, and it could happen to anybody out there."
I didn't have to look very far to find autism striking elsewhere on the TOUR. Anthony Renda, a video editor for the TOUR's New Media team, learned the same week Els went public that his own son Spencer, then 3 years old, had autism.
"I really wanted to tell everyone that week, but couldn't," said Renda. "And then, Ernie Els was out there telling his story and I felt like autism was getting the attention it deserved. Ernie's story was very similar to ours."
Els received similar reactions from fathers throughout the world.
"It seems like the men in the relationships have been very quiet and kind of withdrawn from it because you don't want anyone to know about your situation, which is normal because we're all proud people and you don't want your problems out in the public," said Els.
Sam Snead knew that feeling. In the month before he died, Snead told Golf Digest that his son Terry was "handicapped mentally."
"But having a handicapped child has taught me to look at what they might be capable of, instead of dwelling on their limitations," Snead said in the April 2002 issue.
Renda agreed. "It's hard as a father because you feel your son may miss out on things," he said. "He may or may not, but it's hard because you think he may not have the same experiences as I did or other kids do as he grows up. He's getting better and we just hope he continues to get better. Ernie and Cliff have done a great service by speaking up telling their stories, as PGA TOUR players and as fathers. "
Els, Kresge and thousands of other fathers like Renda continue on the highway to raise awareness for the disease and find the best care for their autistic children. Thanks to these TOUR professionals, autism is no longer defined by a Hollywood character, but by real-life stars.
Win McMurry, associate producer and on-air talent for PGATOUR.com, decided to trade in her microphone for a keyboard for a good cause.
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