A question of time.
One moment, a team is leaving a golf tournament, driving with friends in a van, coach at the wheel, nothing to worry about except the challenges of the game and the hope for tomorrow. The next moment, lives are destroyed, families are grieving, and everyone is searching for answers.
Nine people dead, killed when a pickup truck with a bum tire driven by a 13-year-old crossed a highway center line and slammed head-on into a van containing the University of the Southwest’s men’s and women’s golf teams. Only two people survived, both Canadians playing for the small school based in Hobbs, New Mexico.
... it seems impossible that anyone could have survived the devastation. But somehow two did, both freshmen from Ontario province ...
“This is golf’s version of the Humboldt Broncos,” said Derek Ingram, referring to the 2018 accident involving a hockey team that killed 16 when a semi-truck ran into a team bus in Saskatchewan.
Ingram has thought about this before. He coached university golf, and knows first-hand about heading home immediately after a tournament to save the school some money – cash that can be used to play another event later in the year. And two of Ingram’s sons play university sports – one golf, one hockey – so he’s cognizant of the challenges that athletes face when traveling. Playing college sports seems glamorous, but the truth is, unless you’re part of the biggest programs at the largest schools, athletics at the college level involve long trips driving to and from events in cramped vans. In the case of the University of the Southwest men’s and women’s golf teams, they were in Midland, Texas, for the TankLogix Collegiate tournament, before driving home to Hobbs, about 100 miles away. The accident occurred in Andrews, less than an hour from the small Christian school’s campus.
Seeing the devastating pictures of the burned hulks of the van and pickup truck, it seems impossible that anyone could have survived the devastation. But somehow two did, both freshmen from Ontario province: Dayton Price, a 19-year-old former competitive hockey player from Mississauga, and Hayden Underhill, 20, from Amherstview, who played at Cataraqui Golf and Country Club in nearby Kingston. Both were listed in critical condition after having been airlifted to a hospital in Lubbock, Texas.
USW lost seven members of its program: coach Tyler James, 26, and players Mauricio Sanchez, 19, of Mexico; Travis Garcia, 19, of Pleasanton, Texas; Jackson Zinn, 22, of Westminster, Colorado; Karisa Raines, 21, of Fort Stockton, Texas; Laci Stone, 18, of Nocona, Texas; and Tiago Sousa, 18, of Portugal. Henrich Siemens, 38, of Seminole, Texas, and the underage driver, who was not identified, also were pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation was ongoing.
“The reason Dayton chose a school in New Mexico is he has a passion for golf and wanted to play it year-round,” said Terry O’Brien, who coached the golfer for five years. Almost as an aside, he adds: “By the way, Dayton is also my cousin.”
The families of both golfers are seeking privacy, and O’Brien didn’t want to violate that wish. He didn’t falter when talking about his cousin, who played high-level hockey in the Toronto area before deciding to focus on golf. But O’Brien did catch himself a couple of times talking about Dayton’s golf career in past tense, before saying he’s confident the teen can recover.
“I know him as an individual, and he’s very determined,” O’Brien said. “He texted me after the tournament to say he’d shot 73-71 and was getting better. All he was doing was going to school and playing golf, and he was doing great.”
For Hayden and Dayton, there’s only hope – hope they’ll recover. Hope that even if they can’t return to high-level competitive golf, they can at least find a way forward after experiencing such a life-altering event.
Scott MacLeod, a golf pro and journalist in Kingston, worked as a coach with Underhill for the past four years. There’s a long road to any recovery for the golfer, MacLeod said, adding the golfer has amazing support from his family.
“I’ll tell you this: Everyone who has met Hayden knows how engaging he is,” MacLeod said. “He’s kind to everyone, respectful, and is passionate about his pursuit of golf. He worked tremendously hard to succeed in golf and earn his opportunity to play collegiately. He has a lot of people in his corner, and I know he would appreciate that.”
Though many in Canada may not have been familiar with the two young golfers, the support received is both incredible, and not surprising. Campaigns to raise funds to support the challenges facing both families of the two players demonstrated how willing Canadians are to offer their support when horrible circumstances arise. Canada is a vast country, known for its affection for hockey. But Canadians love golf as well, which is witnessed in the outpouring of support for the two survivors of the Southwest crash.
“Golf is a tight-knit community in Canada, bonded by passion for the game and the people who play it,” said Rick Young, president of the Golf Journalists Association of Canada. “In the face of a tragedy like the one involving Dayton, Hayden, and the Southwest University golf team, our instinct as golfers is to want to help, to assist those involved and rally around them.”
There’s no question we live in challenging times, a period in history when people are divided by so much. It is unfortunate it often takes tragedy to unite people, but Canadians have rallied around two college golfers, and there’s goodness and inspiration in that.
For Hayden and Dayton, there’s only hope – hope they’ll recover. Hope that even if they can’t return to high-level competitive golf, they can at least find a way forward after experiencing such a life-altering event. It is early days, and hope is all there is.
But O’Brien says his cousin isn’t worried about himself. Instead, he’s concerned for the families of his teammates who lost sons and daughters far too early.
“Dayton really wants to support the families of his teammates,” O’Brien said. “He really feels for those families.”
As do we all.
To read how the golf world has come together to support USW in the wake of the tragedy, read Sean Fairholm's story on Global Golf Post+.
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