That Tyler Erickson yearns for a return to Texas next month for the second stage of PGA Tour qualifying school says a lot about his character. Especially after “the big mess‘’ that went down in Houston last year.
Just don’t expect the former Arizona State player to return to Hawaii any time soon. Apparently Pele’s Curse has afflicted him twice, and that was once too many.
Erickson’s golfing odyssey began a year ago in the Lone Star state and almost ended six months ago on the Big Island, where he suffered a serious foot injury in a golf cart accident. The final chapter of his saga began this week, where Erickson is back in Q-School at a first-stage qualifier taking place at Dayton, Nev.
“I guess the past year might have all worked out differently had I got in just nine more holes at the second stage (of Q-School) in Houston last year,’’ conceded Erickson, a 27-year-old pro from Tempe. “It seemed unbelievable at the time, but you just have to accept it and move on . . . Either that, or go crazy.’’
What happened at Deerwood Golf Club near Houston last November was, simply put, Erickson failed to advance after the 72-hole qualifier was washed out after 36 holes. But there was nothing simple about it from Erickson’s perspective, as torrential rains kept him from advancing to the final stage in Florida, where he would have earned either a card on the PGA or Nationwide tours.
“I was 2-under through the first two rounds in Houston, and 4-under through nine holes of the third round,’’ Erickson reported. “At that point, I would have advanced to the finals, but another downpour hit the course and they called it, reverting (scores) back to the second round.’’
It didn’t seem right at the time, having to plunk down $4,500 in entry fees just to get to the second stage of Q-School and have it called prematurely. But Erickson did the next best thing, taking his game back to the Canadian PGA Tour, where he had played in 2004.
That was the plan any way. Unfortunately, he made his first of two trips to Hawaii in January, prior to the start of the Canadian season.
“I’m not sure why -- maybe it was a tourist thing -- but I decided to take a little lava back home with me,’’ Erickson said. “Shortly after I got home, I broke my wrist.
“I had been warned about Pele’s Curse -- not to take any lava off the islands -- but I didn’t pay any attention to it. . . . I ended up mailing the lava back to a post office there.’’
Perhaps it was too late to make peace with Madame Pele, the goddess of volcanoes in Hawaiian lore. In May during a two-week gap in his Canadian Tour schedule, Erickson revisited the Big Island, where he met his former teammate at ASU, Jeff Quinney, for a mini-golf vacation at the Kuki’o Club near Kona.
“Jeff and I were pretty amped up at the time, just getting there and planning to play 54 holes the next day,’’ Erickson recalled. “Unfortunately, there was a full moon that night, so we decided to go out and play some barefoot golf on the beach. . . . Hey, we weren’t even drinking (alcohol).’’
The first two holes went well, but as Erickson and Quinney exited the third tee to descend down into the fairway, their cart began a slow, uncontrollable slide.
“The sea-swirl grass was wet, and even though we were only going probably five to 10 miles per hour, the cart very gracefully turned over on us,’’ Erickson explained. “Jeff was thrown clear, and started laughing. I was in the driver’s seat, and the cart rolled over on me, pinning my left foot.’’
There was pain, but the carnage looked worse as Quinney lifted the cart off Erickson.
“It was down-right gruesome: I was missing the top of my foot, and blood was squirting everywhere,’’ Erickson said. “The doctors managed to sew it up that night in the emergency ward, but they really didn’t have the technology or know-how to treat that type of injury.’’
Five days later after a staff infection had set in, Erickson was flown to Stanford Medical Center in serious condition. According to his father, Bruce Erickson, the injury nearly cost his son his foot.
“It was in terrible condition, and the doctors were very worried about gang-green,’’ said Bruce Erickson, a banker who resides in Whitefish, Montana. “There was a major concern whether Tyler would have use of his foot, or even have a foot, for that matter. . . . ’’
“I know he doesn’t like to think about how serious it was, but he was at Stanford Medical Center for three and a half weeks, whereas most guys who get open-heart surgery are there for, maybe, three and a half days.’’
Quinney also was fearful for the future of his close friend.
“It looked worse than awful; the top half of his foot was literally gone,’’ Quinney said, wincing at the memory. “But to Tyler’s credit, he’s come back faster than I ever imagined he could. . . . Faster than I ever could.’’
The urgency has Erickson surprisingly back in Q-School, as he has progressed from crutches to baby steps to walking 18 holes in the last few months.
“(Q-School) will be my first competitive golf since mid-May,’’ said Erickson, who will have to walk 72 holes this week. “But lying there in the hospital bed for three months, I probably played 30 tournaments in my mind.
“That’s really how I got through all of this -- meditation and visualization. Those are (processes) I learned when I was a downhill skier in high school in Bozeman, and I worked with (sports psychologist/golf instructor) Chuck Hogan.’’
As hard as it seems to imagine, Erickson said he’d sooner take a tumble on a snowy slope while traveling 80 mph than go through another accident involving a golf cart.
“I can’t describe the pain involved (in skin grafts). It’s much worse than wiping out while you’re skiing,’’ he said. “Even now, I get what’s called jolts of phantom pain in the foot.’’
Of course, some of that pain would subside, at least mentally, should Erickson end up on either the PGA Tour or Nationwide next season.
“I know this is going to sound weird, but I feel like I’m very lucky to have gone through what I did,’’ he said. “My attitude is the best it’s ever been . . . and I’m playing golf for a living again.’’
Now, if Erickson can just avoid Madame Pele and any future curses, everything should be just fine.
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