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Even the most diehard of golf fans may have never heard the name Hayden Springer.
The 27-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee has never had a top-10 on the PGA Tour and has fewer than 10 career starts.
But Springer, a PGA Tour rookie, may quickly become a fan favorite.
That’s because Springer is a fighter. He finally earned full-time PGA Tour status in December after years of trying. But not without a facing curveball that would break most men.
Springer and his wife Emma lost their 3-year-old daughter Sage on November 13 after a life long battle with Trisomy 18 – a severe developmental disorder.
Sage wasn’t expected to make it out of the hospital. Or live longer than a couple weeks. But she beat those odds for several years until November.
One month later, Springer went out and earned his PGA Tour status.
“She was just a very joyful girl, and she really loved her life,” Emma told PGATour.com after the first round of final stage of Q-School “I think she just inspired joy in a lot of people, really made a lot of people feel joy and smile just knowing her … the joy that she brought to the world and others is really her in a nutshell. That’s a big part of her legacy, for sure.”
After qualifying, Spring couldn’t help but think of his daughter.
“It’s kind of one of those things that I think about her, and I just think about her smile,” Springer said. “Like that’s the thing that I can just close my eyes and think about her smiling, and it’s kind of a grounding, kind of gets you back to neutral. Not thinking about golf, not thinking about the last shot, the next shot, just thinking about her and her smile.”
Hayden Springer Shines In First PGA Tour Round After Loss Of Daughter
He made his full-time PGA Tour debut on Thursday at American Express Championship.
And, of course, he did so in remarkable fashion.
Hayden Springer cards an excellent first-round 64 (-8) at the Stadium Course (T-6). 👏
The @PGATOUR rookie is playing for much more than a trophy at @TheAmexGolf. https://t.co/we2zkaaEaB
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) January 18, 2024
Spring shot an 8-under 64 to place him in sixth place on the leaderboard after round one.
Early season golf can often be a tough watch. A number of top stars don’t begin their seasons for another month.
But if you’re looking for someone to root for this weekend, look no further than Hayden Springer.