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American Morning

Supreme Court Rules Casey Martin Can Use Golf Cart in PGA Tour

Aired May 30, 2001 - 09:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: Daryn, a change of pace now -- a big change of pace to golf.

Professional golfer Casey Martin is expressing hope today that his Supreme Court victory will help others in the game. Casey has a circulatory disease, you'll recall, that makes it very difficult for him to walk on a golf course. He got the Supreme Court's blessing, yesterday, to use a cart during PGA tournaments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CASEY MARTIN, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: You know the goal behind it was just, you know, obviously for me. I just wanted to play golf and needed some help to do that. And so that was, you know, that was the motivation behind it. But if greater good comes out of that, if this can open doors for people in sport, in golf or just in life in general, then that -- I think that's great and would welcome that and hopefully that will happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRAZIER: Well, other golfers are reacting today to the Supreme Court's decision.

For more on that, we go now to Jeff Flock, live, in Dublin, Ohio.

Jeff, are you there? Good morning.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Stephen.

Indeed, this is the next stop on the PGA Tour. And as you might expect, a lot of people with it on their minds this morning.

We're perched out here at Muirfield off the first fairway, perhaps you see it out here, and some of the spectators coming by. Players already off hitting this morning. This is the last day of practice before the start of the Memorial Tournament tomorrow.

Talked to several players this morning, a lot of them with it on their minds. And while, to a man, they are supportive of Casey Martin, a lot of people unhappy that the Supreme Court had to get involved in this and what some see as making rules for the PGA Tour.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) J.P. HAYES, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: It's too bad that it had to come to that, I guess, but I do feel comfortable with how they ruled with Casey Martin, in particular.

FLOCK (voice-over): Should everybody have the opportunity to ride in a cart now?

HAYES: No. I think it would - it would change the look of the tour for the worse. It -- right now it has a very professional look and it needs to maintain that. And I think with carts all over the place and - and it's just raising the argument again: Is golf even a sport?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOCK: Some of the players have also raised the issue of how big a factor Casey Martin will be on the tour? He's playing on a different tour right now, which allows him to use a cart or had been allowing him to use a cart, and has not been doing tremendously well. But, as we said, to a man, everyone very supportive of Casey Martin, including the man who hosts this tournament, perhaps the most famous man in golf. He is Jack Nicklaus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK NICKLAUS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: I think the tour certainly will honor and welcome Casey as the Supreme Court decision and we all as -- we all as players, it had never been an issue at Casey. It's been an issue with principle. And Casey has won his point and I think the tour will embrace that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOCK: And again, to a man, everyone saying that they don't see this as some big revolution. They don't see a lot of other people who will - this will apply to. This is a peculiar case that applies only, they think, to Casey Martin. I guess we'll see.

For now, that is the latest from outside Columbus, Ohio, where we are here at the Memorial.

Back to you folks.

FRAZIER: Jeff, since you cover so many hurricanes and floods, it's nice to see you enjoying pretty settings today.

Jeff Flock in Dublin, Ohio.

More on the Supreme Court ruling now and what it may mean for professional golf with Joe Bargmann who is Executive Editor of "Maximum Golf Magazine." He joins us, live, from New York City.

"Maximum Golf," Joe, great name.

JOE BARGMANN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "MAXIMUM GOLF MAGAZINE": Thank you. FRAZIER: Thank you.

BARGMANN: Better than "Minimum Golf," I suppose.

FRAZIER: Yes that's right. Well, that would be what some of us play, I guess. Thanks for joining us this morning.

Of course the issue here came down to the question of whether this use of a cart changes the fundamental nature of the game...

BARGMANN: Yes.

FRAZIER: ... or whether walking actually does induce any kind of fatigue for the golfers who are on foot.

BARGMANN: Right. Well, I don't believe that it changes the fundamental nature of the game in as much as it is a very narrow ruling, as I understand it. And the majority opinion has stated that what the PGA Tour has to do is respond to individual cases like Casey Martin's. That's as far as I'm seeing the reading going.

FRAZIER: The way you understand the circuit -- the golfers on the circuit, they're a pretty conservative bunch, you were telling us.

BARGMANN: Yes, they are. They are a conservative bunch. And golf, you know -- as you know, is traditionally -- it's a very traditional game. It's a very conservative game.

What I -- what I'm a little disappointed in is the -- in the reaction to the ruling is that there is an opportunity here for at least, symbolically, an opening up of the game which is what "Maximum Golf" is all about -- getting more people involved, making it available to as many people as possible. And I think it would have been appropriate, in this case, for Commissioner Finchem and, you know, whoever else is involved, to say, you know, look, this is a great ruling. This is good for the game. We are going to rule on individual cases, and anybody can play this game. That's the beauty of golf.

FRAZIER: You know I was kind of surprised when you talk about the beauty of golf, it seems so leisurely, to have the players involved be as tightly wound as you described them to us.

BARGMANN: Well, you know they're playing out there for big bucks, and we're talking about, you know, the best players in the -- in the world. The top, you know, hundred or so players in the world. So they do play a different game than all of us play. I'm not -- I'm not really talking specifically about their, you know, desires and their concerns. I'm talking about for the greater good of the game. And I don't hear a whole lot of broader statements being made about, hey, this is great, this opens up the game. This is a great ruling for golf itself. And I really think it is.

FRAZIER: What gets overlooked is that Casey Martin is a true champion - a champion on the Stanford College team. NCAA let him use a cart there. BARGMANN: Yes.

FRAZIER: And now he's one of the longest drivers in the sport.

BARGMANN: He's a spectacular player. His average driving distance is something like 288 yards. And I think the fact that he's not performing so well this year, although he himself has denied this, I think he might be a little distracted by the Supreme Court proceeding going on in his name. He's a great player, and you know, we'll see. We'll see how he comes back and plays.

FRAZIER: Let's see if this turns the corner for him and lets him get focus back on his game.

BARGMANN: It would be - it would be great.

FRAZIER: Joe Bargmann, thank you very much for joining us. Enjoy your own "Maximum Golf."

BARGMANN: Thank you.

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