Game of golf has a big place in the Special Olympics

Tyler Whitehurst stared intently as the ball soared through the air and headed toward his target over the water. When the ball landed on the green and rolled within 6 feet of the cup, Whitehurst managed a slight grin while several fans started clapping and screaming their approval.
It was one of many quality shots that Whitehurst struck during last week's 12th annual Special Olympics Golf National Invitational Tournament at PGA Golf Club. Asked about the shot afterward, Whitehurst smiled again.
"It was a 6-iron," he said. "Just like the 6-iron Phil Mickelson hit out of the woods on the 13th hole at the Masters last year."
Tyler's dad, Jim, chuckled when he heard his 20-year-old son recount Lefty's risky play. "He never forgets a shot," Jim said of Tyler. "He remembers them from years ago -- even when they're not his."
When Tyler was 5, he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism that is usually characterized by difficulties interacting socially, physical clumsiness and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior.
Those traits can make it difficult to function at a high level in a real-world setting, but for Tyler they have translated well onto a golf course. He has won several Special Olympics golf titles in Florida the last few years, was an honorary member of the East Lake High School golf team near his hometown of Palm Harbor, Fla., and Sunday won his first national title at PGA Golf Club in Level 5 with scores of 84-91-80-255.
"He likes golf because Taylormade R9 SuperMax Irons there's a starting point and an ending point on every hole," Jim Whitehurst says. "He likes the order of golf."
Whitehurst was among more than 175 golfers from 21 states, as well as Canada and Bermuda, who took part in the tournament for children and adults with intellectual disabilities that was sponsored by the PGA of America, PGA TOUR and the U.S. Golf Association. There are more than 18,000 Special Olympic golfers in the U.S. The golfers compete in five levels, depending upon their abilities, with Whitehurst playing 18 holes by himself in Level 5.