Out of the hospital, still atop leaderboard
Charlie Beljan was in a hospital bed in the middle of the night, still wearing his golf shoes, thinking his season was over.
He was about six hours from his tee time Saturday at Disney. Just 12 hours earlier, he was having a panic attack on the golf course so severe that he could barely breathe, his blood pressure spiked and his arms felt numb. After signing his card, he was strapped into a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital.
“I thought I literally had a chance to die,” Beljan said.
In a turnaround that even by Disney’s standards seems like a fairy tale, the 28-year-old rookie now has a chance to win his first PGA Tour title.
Beljan was released from the hospital, overcame two early bogeys and was solid over the final hour at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for a 1-under 71 that gave him a two-shot lead going into the final round.
“I honestly didn’t know if I was going to play one hole, any holes or was I going to get through the day,” Beljan said. “I felt good, better as the day went on, and I just hung tough, hung in there. I knew what the rewards were at the end of the week if I could pull something off, and that’s kind of what kept me going.”
This is the final PGA Tour event of the year, and Beljan is No. 139 on the money list. Only the top 125 get full cards for next year. Doctors told him early Saturday that he was in good enough health to be released, but perhaps not to play golf. He ignored their recommendations.
“The position I’m in, it’s kind of hard not to show up,” he said before teeing off.
Beljan had two threeputt bogeys that cost him his three-shot lead after three holes, and felt some tightening in his chest as he approached the turn, the same symptoms that caused much fear Friday.
He steadied himself and began the back nine with back-to-back birdies.
He was at 13-under 203, two shots ahead of Brian Gay (67), Josh Teater (67) and Charlie Wi, who was tied for the lead until closing with two bogeys for a 70. Elsewhere: Inbee Park moved into position for her third victory of the year, shooting a 6-under 66 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara, Mexico. … Matteo Manassero shot a 7-under 64 to take a twostroke lead into the final round of the rain-delayed Singapore Open. South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen was second after a 65.