Calgary’s Kyle Miller will make history as first golfer with cerebral palsy to compete in PGA Tour-sanctioned event – National Post

Quiet on the tee.

That is what Calgarys Kyle Miller will achieve when he cracks his opening drive next Thursdayat the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canadas ATB Financial Classic at Country Hills.

Quiet from the doubters.

Quiet from anybody who ever wondered if he was dreaming a little too lofty for a golf-crazed kid with a physical disability.

Now 26, Miller will make history next week in his hometown tournament as the first athlete with cerebral palsy a disorder that affects movement, motor skills and posture to compete in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

Its all Ive ever thought about, Miller said. People would look at me with sympathy that I had big dreams and big aspirations. They thought it was just a big pipe-dream. I thank the haters just as much as the supporters because those are the ones that kept me going to prove them wrong. They just bred history being made thats essentially how Ill look at it.

And I hope theyll think twice before they tell somebody want they will or wont do again, because they were wrong with me.

A PGA of Canada-certified instructor at GolfTEC Calgary Midnapore, Miller is on the list of sponsor exemptions for the 2017 ATB Financial Classic, which runs next Thursday-Sundayon the Talons Course at Country Hills.

The Mackenzie Tour is a minor league for the PGA Tour, just two rungs below the biggest stage. (Austin Connelly, Canadas surprise story at the British Open at Royal Birkdale, was a runner-up at the weather-shortened showdown at Country Hills last summer, while 10 current Mackenzie Tour regulars teed it up this past week at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont.)

Miller has been hooked on golf since the day he struck his first shots as an elementary-aged youngster.

In high school, he would skip classes to hang out at the driving range.

As a business major in university, he would sneak into physics lectures to gain a better understanding of ball-flight loss.

He watched his longtime instructor, Marty Desmarais, teach for hours and hours on end. Later, he headed south for several winters to shadow Canadian coach-to-the-stars Sean Foley.

One thing hes always been is a really good teacher, and he turned into a darn good player, too. Hes capable of getting it into the 60s, Desmarais said. He has enough game to play with anybody. And kids need a mentor like that, to say, If he can do it, I can too.

Theres a lot of kids that have a lot of talent if theyre given the opportunity.

Miller certainly wont be the biggest bopper in the field at the ATB Financial Classic, but he never seems to miss a fairway and is equally handy with his hybrids, which will be key to his success on the 7,209-yard Talons layout.

When he is off-target on the approach,his scrambling abilities are impressive. During a round with a reporter on a blustery day, Miller racked up a remarkable 10 up-and-downs thanks to delicate chips, a confident putting stroke and the type of scrappy mentality that youd expect from a guy who has been through 14 separate surgeries.

Asked about the challenges of playing golf with cerebral palsy, Miller prefers to look at the bright side.

I understand my body better than any of the other 155 guys in the tournament, so I think thats how it helps me, he replied. Ive been forced to understand what the body could do, how the body got better and how Im going to be good. So I think its an advantage, not a disadvantage.

With that mindset, its a no-brainer that Miller has a bright future as both a coach and a motivational speaker.

With his first swing next Thursday, he will send an important message.

His goal is to make the cut at the four-day professional tour stop, but his impact cant be measured in birdies, pars or total score.

There could be a kid that comes to this property with a disability or something going on in their life and sees me play golf, and you never know in 20 years what they might do, Miller said. If one kid shows up with that, then Ive done my job. I really dont care what I shoot. I was the kid that showed up one time, hobbling and all this. Im the hope and faith for that one person to think, Well if hes writing history, then what can I do? It doesnt have to be golf. It could be art, school

It just goes to show if you dont quit, anything is possible. If you stick with something, you dream about it fierce enough and you build resilience to your advantage, you can do anything you want in life. Golf is a vehicle of mine, to get me to help people realize that.

wgilbertson@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/WesGilbertson

See the rest here:
Calgary's Kyle Miller will make history as first golfer with cerebral palsy to compete in PGA Tour-sanctioned event - National Post