It's still in the early stages, but the golf world is witnessing one of the great all-time comeback stories in Don Pooley. And it couldn't happen to a nicer, more respected guy. Pooley returned to the PGA Tour in late 1994 after four years of surgery and recuperation--including neck disc surgery in October 1993--to finish a strong third in the Texas Open. By then, even the other golfers were cheering Pooley's charge. Interestingly enough, despite his many debilitating ailments, the tall, distinguished Pooley has managed to retain his playing privileges throughout most of the 1990s.

And while his numbers in recent years haven't matched the $268,274 he earned in 1986 or the $450,005 he took home in 1987, he's still played some pretty fair golf along the way.

Despite winning the 1980 B.C. Open and the 1987 Memorial Tournament, Don Pooley is probably best known for his dramatic million-dollar hole in one at the 1987 Bay Hill Classic--although many people don't know that Arnold Palmer's Children's Hospital also received $500,000 because of the once-in-a-lifetime shot.

In Don Pooley's own words:

"As a young boy, my parents took me to church, but I didn't like it at all. When I was about to be confirmed in the church, I told them I wasn't going to get up there and recite all of these things I hadn't memorized. I wasn't sure I believed them anyway, but I knew I hadn't memorized them and I sure wasn't going to embarrass myself. The night before they let me off the hook and I didn't have to do it. After that, I didn't go back to church very much. I played sports on Sunday and things like that.

In high school there was a group called Young Life that not only talked about spiritual things, but had fun, too. That had never been my experience before in a church setting! So during my sophomore year I went to a Young Life retreat up in the mountains of southern California because I knew I'd have a good time. On Sunday they had a church service. I said, "I'm not going to that--I didn't come up here for a church service!" The people I came with said, "Well, this is the whole reason for the trip!" I laughed and said, "Yeah, right." But I went anyway and heard the gospel message. I accepted Jesus Christ into my life that morning. That was a long time ago.

My relationship with Christ has progressed over the years. One of the key turning points for me was in 1976. I had graduated from college, had a girlfriend I was about to marry, had just gotten my Tour card, and everything was as good as it could be--or so I thought. But I played badly the entire year of 1976 and ended up losing my card. At the end of that year, I prayed that the Lord's will would be done, be it in golf or whatever else. I had lost my card, and I didn't know what I was going to do at that point.

So my wife, Margaret, and I prayed about it, and we decided that I would go back through Qualifying School one more time. That way we would know if golf was in God's plan for my life or not."