Presidents Cup golfer Xander Schauffele inspired by teen who relearned golf swing after shark attack
Golf pros competing at the Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club from 26 to 29 September have been inspired by an amateur teen golfer who returned to the fairway three months after losing a leg and a hand in a shark attack.
Golf
At the Presidents Cup golf tournament taking place in Canada from 26 to 29 September, there will no doubt be a fair amount of effing and blinding over various shots taken on The Royal Montreal Golf Club as the 12-man US team take on a rest-of the-world side made up of any nationality bar Europeans.
The competitors in the Ryder-Cup style event will be tweaking every drive, chip and putt to try to improve each shot in this most frustrating of games.
These ongoing incremental adjustments are the same for amateurs and professionals alike, including the likes of Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and two-time major winner in 2024, Xander Schauffele, and world number one, Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist, and also two-time major winner, Scottie Scheffler who will be competing for Team USA in Canada.
But what if you've got to relearn the game you love, even as an amateur, after a change in the most fundamental way you play – your body shape?
This is what 16-year-old Lulu Gribbin did after losing her left hand and part of her right leg to a shark attack while swimming off northwest Florida's Gulf Coast in June.
The teenager was on a trip to Rosemary Beach with twin sister Ellie, and mother, Ann Blair Gribbin and friends, when the then 15-year-old was attacked while standing in waist-deep water.
Thankfully, bystanders including Delanie Quinnelly Richardson jumped in to help Lulu and her friend McCray Faust, who had been bitten on the foot, with holidaying medical professionals Ryan Forbess and Mohammad Ali applying tourniquets, likely saving Lulu's life after the Alabama native lost two-thirds of her blood.
The medical staff at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola then took over, performing emergency surgery to amputate Lulu's right leg halfway up from her knee to her hip.
On being taken off the ventilator, Lulu's first words were, "I made it". The spirited mantra was then used as a slogan by friends and family as fundraising efforts began to aid the teen's return to normal life - one which has always had sport at its heart.
Togetherness aids Lulu Gribbin's recovery from shark attack
The teammates of the keen volleyball player for Mountainbrook High School, are a valued addition to an already strong support network of family and local community members.
The side won the national school title just over two weeks after Lulu sustained her life-changing injuries but didn't forget their stricken teammate. All wore purple sweatbands on their wrists, the colour used in the local community to represent their friend's struggle.
A party thrown by a family friend after Lulu returned home following 77 days in the hospital, was a boon to all when Lulu was the first to get up and dance to 'Don't Stop Believing'. Likely one of the first moments Lulu felt like a regular teenager again, but also a precious moment in which friends and family could see for themselves her amazing progress in her recovery.
Yet there were also many members of the sporting community not personally known to Lulu who offered their well-wishes.
US women's basketball phenom Caitlin Clark posted a message to Lulu stating, "I know you're a fighter and you're strong so know that I'm thinking of you", while 11-time NBA All-Star Charles Barkley, encouraged, "I know you've got a lot going on with your body but more with your mind you gotta be strong".
Olympic swimmer Ryan Murphy sent "positive energy", from his Paris 2024 training camp before going on to win three medals, one of each colour, in France's capital.
Additional support was also offered from two women who very much understood what Lulu was going through.
Bethany Hamilton, who became a pro surfer after becoming an amputee following a shark attack in 2003, told Lulu: "After I lost my arm, I woke up in the hospital and I knew that I could have died, like you, and I was so grateful to be alive, and I want you to try to find something every day to feel grateful for, even when you don't feel like it..."
After offering to connect with Lulu when she felt ready, Hamilton offered a comforting, "you're going to be okay".
Meanwhile, Paris 2024 Paralympic Games silver medallist Ali Truwit, also had some valuable advice for Lulu.
"Just over a year ago I lost my foot and part of my leg in a shark attack, too," said the swimmer. "So, I know first-hand how scary, how painful, and how hard this time is. I also know how much strength it takes to survive... Having lived this first year post attack myself, I know that you are going to go on and show yourself, and so many others, that you are stronger than you might even think.
"You have a beautiful smile and while I know that not every moment will be filled with that gorgeous smile, I do know that the power of a smile and the ability to smile in trying times like these is a tell-tale sign to me that you are going to get through this and going to go on and live a full and happy life."
Other sports stars Lulu heard from included that man Shauffele, who takes to the course for the 2024 Presidents Cup on 26 September, and who was also part of the team that won the previous edition in 2022.
"Hi Lulu, this is Xander Schauffele. Just wanted to reach out and show my support. I heard you've taken a liking to golf. I'm very sorry to hear what happened and I hope your recovery is going smooth, all the rehab's going smooth and just wanted to wish you the best of luck in all your endeavours."
Bubba Watson and Justin Thomas, both two-time major winners, also took to social media to offer their support, with the latter saying: "I'm very excited for you to get back and playing some golf and hopefully come to some tournaments soon, where we can meet and get together... all the best and we'll see you down the road."
We can imagine Thomas didn't think it would be quite so soon that Lulu would be back on the golf course, but, ever the competitor, Lulu was on the driving range, coached by Chris Biggins, one of the top adaptive golfers in the world and golf pro at the Country Club of Birmingham, two-and-a-half months after Thomas sent the message.
A comment from Watson on the social media post showing Lulu's wicked swing, in which she launched the ball skyward before smiling to herself as she lined up the next shot, said it all: "Woweee."
Back to life, back to reality for Lulu Gribbin
The process for reaching this point started with being able to stand up on her new prosthetic leg, which she achieved on 19 June, just 12 days after the attack.
Less than a month later, Lulu was walking, and days after that it was back to the familiarity of bouncing a volleyball, while seated, to familiarise herself with a prosthetic arm.
Sport continued to play its part in Lulu's recovery with footballs being hoofed down hospital corridors, basketball with a new bionic arm, and taking to the court to try wheelchair basketball.
By 26 August Lulu was walking on her prosthetic leg, good-humour intact, wearing shorts, and a T-shirt emblazoned with 'Before you ask, it was a shark'.
Building confidence in her abilities by trying different sports provided the base for trying to get back into golf and Lulu soon had no qualms in thwacking the golf ball with confidence after adjusting to the balance of her new stance.
Physiotherapy techniques such as balancing on a medicine ball to get used to the different weight shifts of her body and hitting targets while balancing on a Bosu ball all aided in her quest.
Lulu's hard work and the emotional support of those closest to her, plus many from the world of sport, and beyond, have helped on the road to recovery.
One commenter had looked up the origins of the name Lulu and discovered it can mean "famous warrior".
There is that, but as of 21 September, Lulu is back to school, and there's one noun she'd like to be known above all others, one that will help her fit in with her peers: teenager.