A golf enthusiast and cerebral palsy patient describes his year of traveling with the PGA tour at the sides of many of his professional heroes, a journey marked by his walks through each of the courses on which the golfers played, his witness to tournament events, and an array of unique physical challenges.
D.J. Gregory fell in love with golf at the age of twelve, when he first began watching the game on television and attending local tournaments with his dad. But unlike many other golf fans, D.J. never dreamed of playing professionally. He never thought of becoming a ranked amateur, or even a caddie.
When D.J. was an infant, doctors told his parents that he would probably spend his life in a wheelchair because of his cerebral palsy. But that didn't keep D.J. from trying to beat the odds, enduring five surgeries, learning to walk with a cane, and eventually earning college degrees in sports management. Golf had always remained D.J.'s passion, and in 2008, he decided to make a dream come true -- to travel the country and walk with a different player at each event on the PGA Tour.
From the first event on the island of Maui, through the season-ending tournament at Disney World, D.J. lived out a sports fantasy unlike any other. Every week of the tour, he traveled to a tournament where he walked every round with the greatest golfers in the world: Boo Weekley, an affable country boy who went on to be the hero of the Ryder Cup...Davis Love III, whose twentieth career win earned him a lifetime card in the PGA...and Kenny Perry, the forty-eight-year-old veteran who, like the last days of a bright nova, made his final professional moments in 2008 the hottest and most brilliant of his career.
For D.J., it was the most exciting year of his life, a physically challenging but emotionally rewarding adventure filled with wonderful people, unforgettable moments, and cherished memories. "Walking with Friends" is a book for all the fans who live for the love of the game, for the dreamers and doers who make things happen, and for the friends who help us walk through the journey of life.
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