By REX HOGGARD
Senior writerNationwide Tour player Erik Compton underwent heart-transplant surgery May 20, the second transplant for the Miami resident who was diagnosed with congestive cardiomyopathy when he was 9 and underwent heart transplant surgery three years later.
Compton, 28, was recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami late Tuesday after an eight-hour procedure.
“They were hoping he would come out of the anesthesia sometime last night,’’ said Michael Perrett, Compton’s manager with ProFiles Sports. “He was already in the hospital. He was in the hospital for about a week.”
In March, doctors found numerous blockages in Compton’s arteries, and a defibrillator was implanted into his chest as a “safety mechanism” in case his heart were to stop.
Compton played in 19 events on the Nationwide Tour last year, making seven cuts and earning $20,104. His best finish was a runner-up in the 2004 Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open, where he lost in a playoff.
The recovery from the second transplant, which began about 3 a.m. May 20, could take a year, but during the WGC-CA Championship at Doral in March, Compton had not given up on his dream of playing on the PGA Tour.
“All the stars have to be aligned,” Compton said at Doral. “I worked hard to make a comeback before, and it was good. That’s what life is about. It’s not always about winning. It’s about the fight to try to win.”
Posted: 5/21/2008
print
email
discuss
