For many followers {of professional} golf, the chances of getting an opportunity to attend the PGA Tour’s most prestigious event are akin to successful the lottery.
But when all goes nicely, one very particular child from Prince Edward Island could also be attending the Masters this time subsequent yr.
Eight-year-old Maverick Bishop is presently residing together with his mother and child sister in Toronto as he awaits a donor coronary heart for a transplant.
Maverick has been by some making an attempt occasions in his younger life, however he hasn’t let that dampen his love of sports activities, golf included.
“From the time he wakes as much as the time he goes to mattress, if he can have a ping-pong paddle in his hand or a tennis racket… he simply loves sports activities,” his father, Woody Bishop, instructed Mainstreet P.E.I. host Steve Bruce.
“Golf is a kind of sports activities that he can do, as a result of he will get drained very simply. You’ll be able to trip in a cart proper to your ball… with out loads of limitations.”
The Masters, held annually at Augusta Nationwide Golf Course in Georgia, is likely one of the PGA Tour’s 4 main championships. It is extensively thought of some of the tough skilled golf tournaments to win.
Maverick’s dad, who’s additionally the final supervisor at Glasgow Hills golf course in New Glasgow, P.E.I., is aware of first-hand how tough it’s to get to look at the event in individual.
Followers should put their names right into a draw for tickets to the occasion annually. The membership does not disclose how many individuals apply or what number of passes are awarded, nevertheless it’s estimated that the chances of getting your title drawn for a single-day ticket are round 0.55 per cent.
Bishop has utilized for years and by no means had any luck — that’s, till he gained an unofficial lottery final week.
‘It is emotional even speaking about it’
Whereas scrolling social media one evening, he noticed a put up by An Byeong-hun, a 33-year-old South Korean golfer higher referred to as Ben An, who’s presently ranked thirty fifth on the PGA Tour and is within the 2025 Masters event this week.
“I’ve two weekly tickets left for the Masters. Like this tweet and remark your favourite golfer. I am going to announce two winners in precisely an hour from now. Good luck,” An posted on X, previously Twitter.
Bishop shortly replied with an image of his favorite golfer, his son Maverick. Then he went to sleep.
“I awoke within the morning [and] my cellphone had 254 notifications on it,” he mentioned.
It turned out that An’s put up had been meant as an April Fools’ joke. However after studying Bishop’s put up, the golfer determined to rearrange two practice-round tickets for Maverick and his dad.
Bishop then communicated with An by non-public message to verify the provide was legit. Seems, it was.
Whereas Bishop was touched by the provide, the one downside was Maverick’s means to journey. He is been on the transplant record since final September, and the decision that there is a new coronary heart for him might come at any time.
So Bishop instructed An that they must decline.
An mentioned he understood, however then prolonged his provide for the daddy and son to attend the Masters in 2026, telling Bishop as an indication of religion that Maverick will want a robust coronary heart to stroll the course.
“It is emotional even speaking about it,” Bishop mentioned of the provide. “There’s nothing simple about what we’re going by, however when you will have one thing that may elevate his spirits like [being named] honourary coach of the Charlottetown Islanders or a visit to Augusta… that is some fairly huge motivational issues we will use throughout the powerful occasions.”
As 8-year-old Maverick Bishop waits in Toronto together with his mother and child sister for a donor coronary heart to turn into out there, the P.E.I. household is asking on the provincial authorities to vary the principles on organ donations. Proper now, you must be 16 or older to enroll to donate organs if one thing ought to occur to you. Maverick’s household needs to see that age drop. CBC’s Laura Meader has the story.
However once you come proper right down to it, extra necessary than getting to look at their favorite golfers on the greens and fairways of Augusta Nationwide proper now could be discovering Maverick the right coronary heart.
Bishop mentioned the household will proceed to hope that occurs quickly.
“We’re keen to attend so long as we have now to to get the fitting coronary heart for Maverick,” he mentioned. “Hopefully that day will come.”
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