“Pro” File – Touring Professional Erik Compton

An old cliche in sports is that a player has a lot of heart, but in the case of professional golfer Erik Compton, that is literally true. Compton, who recently finished as a runner-up in this year’s US Open, has undergone two heart transplant operations…and he’s still only 34 years old. He underwent his first transplant at the age of 12, and his most recent one came in 2009 at the age of 29. He has always played golf at a high level from the time he was a junior golfer, eventually landing at the University of Georgia. After graduation, he turned professional in 2001 and played on various mini-tours, the Canadian Tour, on what is now the Web.com Tour, and finally made the PGA Tour as a full-time member in 2012. He has won several awards for perseverance and courage, including the 2009 Ben Hogan Award and the 2013 PGA Tour Courage Award. He currently lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife Barbara and daughter Petra.