Scott Pitoniak
Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, NY

(August 14, 2003) ? Tom Watson was making his way to the first tee at Oak Hill Country Club the other day when a man in the gallery handed the golfing legend a check for $1,000.

??Tom, ?? said the anonymous fan, ??I?d like to give this for Bruce.??

It has been this way just about every place Watson goes these days.

People, touched by the heroic story of Bruce Edwards, his longtime friend and caddie, have poured out their hearts and their money in search of a miracle.

Edwards, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is on many people?s minds, thanks to Watson, a classy, big-hearted guy who is using his golfing celebrity to help his buddy and all others who suffer from this insidious disease.

There is no cure for ALS, a progressive illness that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Average life expectancy for patients after diagnosis is two to five years.

But Edwards is determined to fight the good fight.

??I feel like I?m going to beat this, and until it?s proven I can?t, then I believe I am,?? he told reporters several weeks ago. ??I don?t dwell in the negative. If I didn?t have a positive outlook on these cards I?ve been dealt, then everything I?ve done for 30 years has been a farce.

??I live the way I caddie. My thoughts are simply to carry on. If you have a bad hole, forget it, go to the next tee and try to do better.??

While Watson was entertaining questions, his thoughts kept drifting to his friend, who spent Wednesday in the Bahamas undergoing a new therapy that might slow down his disease.

Edwards is too weak to lug Watson?s bag this week (Bill Leahey will fill in for him). But Edwards will be at Oak Hill in spirit, just as he was two weeks ago when Watson won the Senior British Open.

??He has hope that the things he is doing are going to make him well,?? said Watson, who is picking up his friend?s medical expenses, which could exceed $200,000 a year. ??The history of this disease says you can?t believe in that, but just to see him believe in that gives me hope.??

And also puts things in perspective.

??When I?m out on the golf course, yeah, I get upset when I don?t play well, but not as upset as before,?? he said. ??And that?s how it?s affected me.??

Watson doesn?t claim to be a deeply religious man, but he is beginning to think he and Edwards may have been chosen to bear this cross together. The 53-year-old golfer is experiencing one of his better years, and the recognition he has received has enabled him to call attention to ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig?s disease.

??There are some spiritual things that I know can occur, and I think this is one of them,?? he said. ??This could be something involving a greater power, what?s happening here.??

After shooting a 65 at the U.S. Open near Chicago two months ago, Watson devoted his news conference to talking about his courageous caddie.

??I think that first day of the U.S. Open gave Bruce a lot of peace,?? Edwards? wife, Marsha, told The Hartford Courant recently. ??I think it gave him some closure.??

It also touched folks worldwide, even those who don?t follow golf.

??I think we?ve been successful to a great extent in helping make the disease more aware to the general public of the United States and the world,?? Watson said. ??It?s been tremendously rewarding to this point to see and feel people?s responses to this disease, ALS.??

Perhaps no response has been more heartfelt than Watson?s.

For nearly 30 years, Edwards did the carrying.

Now Watson is returning the favor.