After making bogey on his 18th hole of the opening round at the Web.com Tour season-opening Panama Claro Championship, Joseph Bramlett was all smiles — practically beaming — as he walked toward the scoring tent.
That’s because the score didn’t matter. Bramlett had completed his first competitive round since June 2013, making some good swings en route to a 2-under 68. And after suffering through a debilitating back injury for two years, his body was feeling good. Those were the important things.
“Today was my Christmas morning,” Bramlett said. “That 4:30 a.m. wake-up call couldn’t come fast enough. I was checking my phone in the middle of the night for when it was time to get up.
“I didn’t finish well, but honestly in the big scheme of things, I’m just so happy to be out here. I finally feel like I’ve got my life back, so I’m just trucking on through.”
After two and a half years, Bramlett, 27, felt like a professional golfer again. It was a day that he wasn’t sure would ever come. But with the help of a determined therapist, and unwavering self-belief, it did.
It happened on July 8, 2013. After finishing T14 at the prior week’s United Leasing Championship Presented by PTI, Bramlett was on the range at Willow Creek Country Club in Sandy, Utah, prepping for that week’s Web.com Tour event.
At the time, his focus was on having a strong week of competition. His focus would soon change.
“I got over a ball on the range, and I felt it,” Bramlett said. “My back went out. I tried to go back the next day and play, and it fired back up.”
The pain was so bad that it relegated Bramlett to lying on his back for days at a time. Suddenly, playing golf was not an option – it took all of his energy simply to get around.
Worst of all, he couldn’t figure out what the problem was. He estimates that he went to 15 different surgeons, and every one said that he wasn’t a candidate for surgery. He tried getting injections, tried resting, but nothing seemed to work.
“If I would rest, I would start to get better,” Bramlett said. “If I started trying to swing, it would just instantly get worse, and not go away.”
Read more by By Kevin Prise at PGATour.com
