On mini-tour stops in river towns and faded country clubs, Robert Garrigus would prepare for golf tournaments by smoking marijuana. When his rounds were over, Garrigus said he would light up again, sometimes adding alcohol to the equation and spending his nights and mornings in a haze.
"I was getting high all the time," said Garrigus, 29, a PGA Tour professional who stood at four-under-par 136 and trailed the co-leaders K.J. Choi and Stuart Appleby by three strokes going into Saturday's third round of the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club. "I always hid it. I was very good at hiding my emotions, everything."
Four years after he entered a drug rehabilitation center, Garrigus is able to reflect on past drug and alcohol abuse that once accompanied his life as a touring professional. In his second year on the PGA Tour, Garrigus freely talks of the lifestyle that nearly derailed his rise in a game where he is slowly gaining traction and appearing on leader boards.
It was not until 2003, after several years of using drugs, that Garrigus said he began turning a corner in his life and in golf. In 2004, he qualified for the US Open and, the following year, earned his PGA Tour card.
But had he not gone sober, Garrigus said Friday. "I wouldn't be standing here right now, I tell you that much," he said. "I'd be either dead in a gutter somewhere, or I'd be in jail for any number of things."
Garrigus, whose father, Tom, won a silver medal in trap shooting at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, said he began using drugs while attending Scottsdale Community College in Arizona.
His use increased to the point that he was almost never without drugs, he said. "We were out all the time," said Garrigus. "I was hanging with the wrong crowd, and it didn't do anything good for me. I just kept going down the same path and kept getting worse and worse."
After turning professional in 1997, he was soon bringing his off-the-course habits to tournament golf. One morning in April 2003, after a late night out, Garrigus said he was sitting on a couch in Scottsdale watching television at 3am.
"I was wasted," he said. "I was so disappointed in myself. It wasn't about golf, it was about my life."
‘AWFUL PERFORMANCE’: Golden State were always chasing the game after failing to threaten from long range, making just eight of 33 three-point attempts Aaron Gordon on Monday scored 38 points as the Denver Nuggets shrugged off the absence of Nikola Jokic to halt the Golden State Warriors’ seven-game winning streak with a 114-105 victory over their Western Conference rivals. A dazzling display from Gordon inspired what was ultimately a comfortable win for Denver, who were missing regular starters Jokic and Jamal Murray from their lineup. The absentees were barely felt by Denver, who startled the Warriors early at San Francisco’s Chase Center and led for most of the game. The Warriors threatened to stage a late rally after slashing the Nuggets’ fourth-quarter lead from 15 points
The US’ bid for a fourth consecutive CONCACAF Nations League title came to a stunning end as they fell 1-0 to Panama after a stoppage-time goal from Cecilio Waterman on Thursday in Inglewood, California. Despite dominating possession, the US struggled to break down a resilient Panama side for long periods. Panama spent the bulk of the match defending, but pounced on a giveaway by the US before substitute forward Waterman sent a shot from the right side of the area to the bottom left corner late in stoppage time. Up next for Panama in tomorrow’s final is to be Mexico, who beat
DOMINATION: McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took the first two spots as Mercedes’ George Russell and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen followed them Australian Oscar Piastri yesterday roared back from season-opening disappointment in his home race by winning the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix from pole position in a McLaren one-two with championship-leading teammate Lando Norris. George Russell finished third for Mercedes, ahead of Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Saturday’s sprint winner Lewis Hamilton fifth and sixth respectively. Piastri’s win denied Norris a third victory in a row, including last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender, but left champions McLaren unbeaten in two races so far this year. “Mega job guys. The car was very, very lovely,” Piastri said
Armand Duplantis will be among the reigning Olympic champions adding star power to the world indoor championships this weekend when the Chinese city of Nanjing hosts the first major global athletics meet since the Paris Games last year. The three-day event was originally slated for 2020 and faced multiple postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Nanjing’s Sports Training Center would finally welcome more than 570 athletes for the start of the showpiece today. One of the main attractions would be pole vaulter “Mondo” Duplantis, who soared 6.27m to break the world record for a staggering 11th time in Clermont-Ferrand last
RSS