Bohn blessed to be alive, much less playing the game he loves
Jason Bohn turned pro in order to collect a $1 million prize he earned for making a hole in one.
He feels even luckier today than he was when he holed the lucrative ace.
Bohn returns to tournament play on the PGA Tour on Thursday for the first time since suffering a heart attack following the second round of the Honda Classic in late February. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance from the player’s locker room.
“I really just feel really blessed just to even have the opportunity to play again,” Bohn said. “And then to play so fast is surprising to me. I think I needed to come back for me emotionally, mentally I needed this to just come back and try to get a normal life back on track, and to know that I can continue to do it.”
Bohn, who turns 43 on April 24, has won twice on the PGA Tour in 2005 and 2010 and was having a stellar 2015-16 season with runner-up finishes in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and OHL Classic at Mayakoba and tie for third in the Frys.com Open.
Bohn said that occasionally during the first two rounds of the Honda Classic he’d experienced some tightness in his chest, like someone was giving him a bear hug. It was sometimes hard to catch his breath as he walked to his ball, too.
Bohn had just gotten over a case of the flu that had morphed into bronchitis, though, so the fatigue and physical struggles were somewhat expected. But not the heart attack that fully hit him after the round.
My overall experience since I got here, I’ve been completely overwhelmed how many people came up to me and just all wished me well, great to see me, all that kind of stuff. Emotionally that's been the most difficult thing I've had to deal with, because it's really touching. I'm amazed at how close we are, how much we want to beat each other every week, but how really close we are as friends and how much people really care about each other. And that's been slightly overwhelming for me.
Jason Bohn on his return to the PGA Tour this week
Test results received last Monday indicated Bohn’s heart strength was back to 100 percent, so he chose Harbour Town as his return. He loves the layout, but he also targeted the course as a return because it’s a relatively easy walk being flat and somewhat short.
“I'm feeling rusty, for sure, but I feel unbelievable,” Bohn said Wednesday at Harbour Town. “My health and my attitude and my mind is really clear. I feel great, actually just to have the opportunity to be here, for sure. Obviously the game is right now for me is a little bit secondary.”
Bohn intends to take next week off before playing three consecutive weeks in New Orleans, Charlotte and TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
“I feel like right now I have more energy, maybe it's because I'm really excited and the adrenaline is kind of carrying me through right now,” said the Pennsylvania native and Alabama graduate, who has done a lot of cardiovascular exercises for rehab.
He said he missed the competition of the game the most during his six-week break. “I know it sounds odd but I missed grinding over that 4-foot putt. I really did miss that,” Bohn said. “I didn't know that I would ever miss that, but I missed it.”
Alan Blondin: 843-626-0284, @alanblondin
This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 11:09 PM with the headline "Bohn blessed to be alive, much less playing the game he loves."