June 15, 2003
By Dave Shedloski
PGATOUR.COM Senior Correspondent

OLYMPIA FIELDS, Ill. -- Jeff Julian and Bruce Edwards have decided that they can and must do more in their fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease -- not only for themselves but for all of the 30,000 people stricken with the illness.

Julian, a former PGA TOUR player, and Edwards, who caddies for Tom Watson, are hoping to launch a website as early as Monday to help raise money and awareness of the debilitating and fatal ailment for which there is no cure.

The address of the website is www.driving4life.org.

Marsha Edwards, Bruce's wife, said Sunday at the U.S. Open at Olympia Fields Country Club that she and Kimberly Julian and Watson have been working together to get the website off the ground.

They had hoped to launch it this past weekend, but when Watson opened with a 5-under-par 65 to lead the 103rd Open, they pushed back the launch.

"It was all ready for this weekend, and then Tom had this remarkable day on Thursday and we just decided to wait and get it up and running right," said Marsha Edwards, who flew in Saturday to walk the final round with her husband.

Watson, 53, closed with a 72 to finish at 4 over 284, tied for 28th.

Funds generated by the website -- the number 4, incidentally, was that worn by Lou Gehrig -- will go towards research conducted by ALS Therapy Development Foundation, a lab based in Boston. ALS-TDF was founded four years ago on the hopes of finding a cure for ALS.

"Traditional medicine is not going to cure Bruce or Jeffrey," Edwards said.

"There are so many drugs on the shelves right now that should be tested, but we need money to pay for these tests and pay for these drugs. There's truly hope that we can find a drug to not only slow this thing, but (also) actually repair the damages of the disease and find a cure."

Edwards said she is grateful for the publicity her husband has received the past few months, but she said that she and her husband, the Julians, and Watson and his wife, Hillary, are only starting to mobilize their efforts to raise awareness and funding.

"I'm really sorry that Bruce and Jeff have this disease, but ALS doesn't have a voice or a face," Edwards said. "The only way we're going to make a difference is if we speak up.

"The Lord is serving his purpose through them," she added. "People really don't know what ALS is, but we have this platform and we have to take advantage of it and get the word out. We're going to hit a hole-in-one with this.

It's going to happen. I really, truly believe it."