MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – This past weekend, coach Sean Covich and the West Virginia University men’s golf team welcomed special guest D.J. Gregory to Morgantown.

 

Gregory, an avid golf fan, was born with cerebral palsy. Told at a young age he would probably spend his life confined to a wheelchair, the Savannah, Georgia, native has been defying the odds ever since. In 2008, he set out to achieve his dream of walking with a different player at each event on the PGA Tour – a dream that has taken him through 988 miles of greens and fairways and more than 3,000 holes.  Pros Aaron Baddeley, Kenny Perry and Book Weekley are just some of the names Gregory has joined in his travels.

 

Additionally, Gregory started the Walking for Kids Foundation in 2008 to connect professional golfers and fans with children’s charities across the country. Gregory has brought awareness to his cause throughout various media outlets, as both the Golf Channel and ESPN have done features on him.

 

Covich welcomed Gregory into his home in Morgantown for dinner with his family and his team last weekend. He also took in the WVU-Oklahoma football game on Saturday evening.

 

“D.J. had a great visit. He met with our team and shared his inspirational story,” said Covich. “Also He’s been on the PGA Tour for the past seven seasons and some of his best friends are Tour professionals, so he knows these guys off the golf course and gave us insight to what these Tour players are really like, how they prepare for events and how they keep life on perspective. I think that was great for our guys to hear.”

 

Senior golfer Mason Short was inspired by Gregory’s visit.

 

“Meeting D.J. was an honor for myself and the team,” said Short. “D.J. is an awesome man whom I have an incredible amount of respect for. His story is amazing, and listening to him tell it helped us see that even if we have down times in our season, we need to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our struggles will ultimately lead to our success.”