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Major comeback on the golf course
DETERMINATION: Brian Kortan overcame heart attack to compete in the U.S. Open.
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FarkBrian Kortan went from a massive heart attack to playing in what is widely considered the toughest test in golf — the U.S. Open — in a little less than two years. While he missed the cut at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., this year the Yankton native and one-time Spearfish resident realizes just what a huge accomplishment it was to just get inside the ropes at the prestigious event.
“It’s nice to be able to say that you’ve played in a major,” Kortan said. “There are a lot of guys, a lot of really good players, that can’t say that. Hopefully there’s more in my future, but if there isn’t it was something that I’m happy to say I could do. There’s a lot of guys that can’t say they can do that.”
For Kortan, the opportunity almost never came about. He was in Yankton two years ago this August for a tournament when he suffered a heart attack that very easily could have ended his life. Coming back from those health problems made the appearance in the Open an even more rewarding experience in a way.
“It was a big experience,” Kortan said of a tournament that set a new attendance record for a Friday — 53,000-plus people on the course. “The people, the course, the attention, it was just all big. It was just crazy.”
Part of that attention came from ESPN, which did a special on its preview show and wrote an article on its Web site on Kortan’s comeback.
“I was surprised,” Kortan said of the attention from the national media. “On a personal level it was pretty gratifying. I’ve been playing pretty good golf lately, but going through what I’ve gone through, more on a personal level, I felt a greater sense of accomplishment.”
And that’s before he even gets to talking about the course. Kortan shot a 78-84 to miss the cut, but he felt he played pretty well on the first day. For fans that watched Kortan win the Arrowhead Pro-Am in Rapid City in 2003 the scores may have come as something of a surprise, but it really just shows how hard golf is at the highest level.
“I’m a pretty good player,” Kortan, who plans to be back in the Arrowhead Pro-Am field this August, said. “I hit a couple of bad shots that first day, but overall I played pretty well and I still shot a 78. The second day I didn’t play well, at all, but the first day I did. Every shot can cost you. If you hit a bad shot it’s going to cost you two. That 78 wasn’t that bad a round of golf, but it’s just a hard course. Just really, really hard.”
Kortan, the 1987 South Dakota state high school stroke play champion at Yankton, had a cell-phone sized defibrillator inserted in his chest and takes a variety of medications to keep himself healthy and safe. Unfortunately, those medications can also mess with his golf game a bit.
“If you looked at me you wouldn’t be able to tell anything had ever happened,” the 37-year-old said. “But there are days with the medication where my body and mind don’t work so well together. It can be a little tough some days, my blood pressure and heart rate can go way down, but it’s something that I’m going to have to deal with because I’ll probably be on them (medications) for the rest of my life.”
One might expect that nearly dying would drastically change Kortan’s outlook on life and everything in it. In a way it changed very little for a man who long ago came to grips with the fact that his fortunes are going to rise and fall due to the capricious nature of a little white ball finding a 4-1/4 inch hole.
“I’ve always felt like I’ve had pretty good perspective,” Kortan said. “I’ve had other events in my life give me some perspective and I feel like I keep sports and family in their proper place. I probably smile a little more now and I appreciate my ability to play golf. It’s my occupation and a way of life. I make a little money playing and if I play well I make more. I am what I am — a golfer.
“I’ve been happy with my success in this game and I hope to have a little more.”
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