Followıng
Throug
Top collegian Lee McCoy’s connections
helped past VSGA champion Glenn Mullian
receive a top-of-the-line prosthetic foot,
breathing new life into Mullian’s golf career
In each of
the last five
years, former
Richmond
resident
Glenn Mullian
has celebrated
what he calls
“Alive Day”
on May 16.
That mid-May milestone is a
reminder to the 2010 Virginia
State Golf Association Senior
G o l f e r o f t h e Ye a r t h a t h e
survived a harrowing 2011 auto
accident and lived to take his next
golf shot.
In that crash five years ago, Mullian was partially ejected
when his vehicle flipped on a rain-slickened highway and
then landed on top of him. Emergency workers at the scene
were able to free Mullian from under the wreckage. He was
transported by helicopter to a hospital, where he received
more than 40 units of blood and underwent multiple surgeries
to both ankles, knees, legs, right wrist and jaw.
Mullian ultimately lost his right leg below the knee. His
right shoulder was severely separated in the crash and he
still struggles to use the right side of his body. He also lost 40
pounds after the accident, so regaining strength and stamina
has been a challenge.
But just as Mullian was motivated to win eight tournaments
in 2010—one year before the accident—he also has been
determined to regain the ability to compete in the game he
loves—only now, as a single-leg amputee golfer.
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V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J U LY /A U G U ST 2 0 1 6
by LISA D. MICKEY
“The accident was life changing,” said Mullian, 61, a
University of Georgia alum who now lives in Athens, Ga. “But
I’m looking to amp it up and do the best I can.”
He has learned to play golf with a prosthetic leg and foot
and holds a golf handicap of 7. He now walks up to 3½ miles
each day. Mullian also works out with resistance bands, and
performs pushups and squats to regain strength and mobility.
“I’ve gotten stronger,” he said. “And if I can get better at golf,
it’s going to make me very happy.”
Interestingly, Mullian had another “life-changing” event
this spring.
He watched the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship on TV in
March with great interest as hometown Tampa (Fla.) amateur
Lee McCoy, a University of Georgia senior, finished fourth
in the PGA tournament held at Innisbrook’s Copperhead
Course. McCoy played alongside Jordan
Spieth on Sunday and beat the thenWorld No. 1 player by four shots during
“I could tell Glenn
had a real passion for
that final round.
the game, and I knew
McCoy would have earned a healthy
I had a connection
six-figure paycheck for his stellar
that he didn’t have,”
weekend had he been a professional, but
Lee McCoy said
instead, the college senior hustled back to
of Mullian.
vsga.org