Phill Arrington

I am 175 yards from the green with my ball resting in the infamous Torrey Pines (South) rough on the 18th hole. A few deep breaths after I line up my 5 iron shot with a few practice swings, I go for it. Crack! The ball soars straight to the green and lands about 10 feet above the hole. Already happy about the shot, I become increasingly excited as the ball tracks back down the slope to about 2 feet from the hole. It was an easy tap-in par.

Just a year ago not hitting triple bogey on every hole at Torrey seemed like a win. Now I reached my goal of staying under 100 on one of the hardest courses in golf. What was more amazing is that I reached this goal after having a stroke only a month earlier.

So here I am 2 months later, basically back to normal. There are only a few small things that remind me I had a traumatic brain injury.

Without Anders suggesting I get back in the gym as soon as I was released from the hospital, I would have probably been sitting on the couch for the past couple of months. Instead, I’m more motivated than ever to be the most athletic and in shape I possibly can be. I’m incredibly grateful for everything Anders and the rest of the San Diego Athletics family has done for me during this unique time in my life.