PGA Hope program helps gives just that to military veterans at Valhalla

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Valhalla Golf Club will host another PGA Championship three years from now, but Monday, it played host for another special event tied in with PGA Championship week.

The PGA Hope program has been around for about four years, using golf to help military veterans living with physical of cognitive challenges.

"Some guys, they like coming, because we get to talk," said PGA pro and army veteran Matt O'Keefe. "And it helps them to talk about some of their issues or some of their problems with other guys who understand what it's like to be there. It's good therapy. It's good therapy for all of us."

"I think it's even more special for our PGA professionals to be able to return a little bit of the favor to them for providing the freedoms that we have," said Jeff Adkerson, CEO and executive director of Golf House Kentucky. "They served our country, and now, it's our turn to serve them."

The Secretary's Cup is part of the PGA Hope program, typically played in the area where the PGA Championship is taking place, which this week is being held at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island in South Carolina. But because of COVID-19 restrictions, many of the 12 teams played at courses in their home state. For Team Kentucky, that was Valhalla Golf Club.

They played a nine-hole scramble with five players. That included O'Keefe and four other service veterans who have participated in the local Hope Program.

And they felt a little of the competition pressure during the round.

"More nerves than anything," former Marine Gregory Mack said. "In practice (last Tuesday), we were very lighthearted. And now here, everybody's intense. And that's why we're trying to poke fun at each other and say, 'Hey guys, we gotta go back to who we are.'"

Team Kentucky finished 1-under for the nine holes, 12th out of the 12 teams. But ultimately, this day and this program are about a lot more than just today's competition.

"Not able to be active, it really, really just pulls at you," Mack said. "And so you try to find something that will motivate you to get back in the game, and PGA Hope allowed me to get back in the game."