MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — There were fair winds Friday for golfers in Milledgeville.
Friday is the first day of the 27th Annual Georgia Amputee Golf Tournament held at The Club at Lake Sinclair.
The weekend will feature nearly 90 disabled golfers from ages 11 to 80 who have come from across the southeast to play.
"Golf is a sport that you can start playing when you're very young and you can play it until you're very, very old. I mean, it's still a physical sport, but it's something that everybody can participate in through a longer year," Tournament Director Bill Eason said.
The tournament is held in honor of Ray Rice, who was an amputee and owner of Atlanta Prosthetics. He began the tournament in the 1950s, but the event fell off after his death until his family reinvigorated the tournament 28 years ago.
There will be prizes, awards, and one player or players family will be awarded a $1,500 college scholarship.
Eason said that much like many other events the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for the tournament.
"Thank goodness we still had a good following and everybody still loves to play golf and here we are," he said.
20-year-old golfer Adam Kiel has been playing in the tournament since he was 4 years old.
"There's always new faces, but everyone that's been here has been here for many years before that and it's just that I like seeing everyone, and it's a great group to be around," Kiel said.
This year's was Wallace Hawkins first time being in the Georgia Amputee Tournament.
Hawkins says that playing golf is fun, but it also keeps him balanced -- because of his prosthetic leg, he can't gain or lose more than five pounds.
"I just enjoy it so much. I can't play football, I can't play baseball, I can't run, my wife says I can't dance -- not to her satisfaction, anyway. Most things I can't do, but this sport, I'm 75, and it's still a sport I can go out and play every day if I want to," he said.
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