Nelford overcame major mishap on way to Canadian Hall of Fame
Recalls nearly losing arm water-skiing
OAKVILLE,. Hours before the ceremony to officially welcome him into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame, Jim Nelford was discussing the accident that nearly cost him his arm and the dreams that helped him come back.
Nelford, then a heralded amateur from Vancouver in the midst of his professional career, was badly injured in a water-skiing accident near Phoenix, Ariz., in 1985. A propeller cut into his right arm, damaging tendons, nerves and ligaments. It was broken in nine places.
“The doctors told me I would never play the game again and I would have half a right arm,” Nelford said Friday. “When I was recovering, part of my recovery was trying to think positively, trying to think as positively as I could. I had many dreams about coming back to play at the Abbey.”
Glen Abbey Golf Club, in Oakville, had long been the home of the Canadian Open. Nelford dreamed of being in contention one more time and used that as part of his motivation during his rehabilitation process.
In 1987, with his arm improved — it would never be near what it once was — he was back on the course. And he was within striking distance heading into the final day (he finished in a tie for 18th).
“And walking up 18, the dream that I’d had so many times became a reality,” he said.
“Everybody stood up around that whole amphitheatre and was clapping. And that was a real, heartwarming moment.”
Mike Weir, one of the Canadian bright spots Friday, said he has been using a new putter at Glen Abbey. “It has a little softer insert,” he said. “I just felt like I needed a change and it was a good change.”
Weir was 7-under for the day after 14 holes and threatening to post one of the day’s low scores before he stumbled at the end of his round. He still finished with a 5-under 67, putting him at 4-under at the midway point.
Brad Fritsch of Ottawa, the low Canadian on Thursday, followed his opening-round 69 with a 1-over 73 Friday to put him at 2-under. The cut line finished at 1-under. Roger Sloan of Calgary and David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., were the only others among the 19 Canadians to make the cut.
Stephen Ames was among the Canadians who missed the cut. The 49-year-old from Calgary had four birdies in his morning round on Friday, but balanced that off with two bogeys and a triple bogey on the sixth hole. He finished 3-over after rounds of 74 and 73.
Celebrity gossip corner: Paulina Gretzky, daughter of NHL legend Wayne Gretzky, fan of self-portraits and friend of Dustin Johnson, posted a photo of herself with the golfer at her father’s selfnamed restaurant on Thursday night.
“Amazing Night At My Dads Restaurant,” she wrote on Twitter (Johnson had a less-than-stellar first round, with a 3-over 75, and needed to birdie four of his last five holes to make the cut by a shot at 2-under).