What is your hometown, and how did you come to the Northwest?
My hometown is currently Corvallis, Oregon, though I lived in Portland for the past 11 years. I was born in a small town called Hot Springs, South Dakota, but I was raised in Oregon from the age of 3.
I live with my two teenage sons, Jaxon and Justice, and my amazing and beautiful fiancée, Megan.
What is your military background?
I spent 5.5 years in the Army on active duty, where I served as a 92F Fuel Supply/Transportation Specialist for the 58th and 108th Quartermaster Units out of Fort Lee, Virginia, which was recently renamed Fort Gregg-Adams in 2023.
I deployed for 9 months with the 108th Quartermaster Unit, landing at COB Adder, Iraq, on December 24, 2009.
How did you learn about PGA HOPE, and what does this program mean to you personally?
Golf has been in my family forever, but it really started for me after 12 weeks of chemotherapy due to stage 3 testicular cancer. My fiancée, a month after I completed chemo, knew I needed to build strength again and get outside in the sunlight, so she bought a round of golf for me and my brother for my birthday that July. My major surgery was happening in September of that year, and the doctors said I had to get strong for the surgery, and golf was the answer.
I didn’t know about the PGA HOPE program until after going through chemo and the operation. My brother Jake was in the waiting room with my family and said he opened up YouTube and was watching golf videos when an advertisement popped up with Jack Nicklaus talking about a golf program for veterans called PGA HOPE. So, he signed me up.
Anything else you’d like to share with PNW PGA pros?
It’s an honor to be named the newest PNW HOPE Ambassador. This program means so very much to me. Golf means so very much to me. The fact that I can even talk about my mental health and my cancer treatments is proof that this program is helping. I just hope my story helps the next person.