Deaf Golfer Plays Through on the PGA Tour

By Michael Walton

Deaf golfer Kevin Hall played in his first PGA Tour event in 2005.

When Tiger Woods and other golfers are ready to tee off in the PGA Tour, a marshal yells "Quiet!" The marshal yells because noise distracts the golfers, who have until recently all been hearing.

Kevin Hall, who played in his first PGA Tour event last summer, doesn't have to worry about someone yelling, "Quiet." That's because Kevin became deaf when he was two years old. He communicates with his parents by using sign language. He communicates with his caddie and playing partners by reading lips and typing text messages into his cell phone.

Hall grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended St. Rita School for the Deaf. St. Rita did not have a high school golf team. Hall, who took some classes at nearby Wyoming High School, played on the Wyoming golf team.

After graduating from high school, Hall received an athletic scholarship to Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus. Hall won several tournaments at OSU, and helped OSU win the Big Ten championship in 2004.

Last summer, Hall’s family received a phone call from the PGA, the Professional Golfers Association. The PGA is the "major leagues" of golf and is famous. Only the best golfers can play in the PGA. The PGA invited Hall to play in one of its tournaments, the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Hall was thrilled. He felt that his dream had finally come true.

When Hall played in the Milwaukee tournament, he was amazed at how many fans were cheering for him. A lot of the fans followed Hall from hole to hole and gave him thumbs-up and high-fives. "I felt like I arrived at the big time," he said.

The PGA Tour searched to see if any other deaf golfer had played in the PGA. Their records begin in 1916, and showed that no other deaf golfer had played in the PGA. Hall became the first deaf golfer to ever play on the PGA Tour and Hall's dream came true. "I had dreamed since I teed it up that I was going to play with the big boys," he said. "I continued to dream about it and I wanted it to happen...and it did happen!"

Now Hall hopes to become a regular on the PGA Tour. "It's only a matter of time before I get better and consistent enough to play out there on the PGA Tour," he said.

- Information from the Milwaukee Sentinel