Pga Tour Rests Case In Hearing For Martin

The PGA Tour rested its case Tuesday in Eugene, Ore., after its top executive testified that allowing Casey Martin to ride a cart in pro golf tournaments would give him an edge in a game where little things mean a lot.

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem noted that, on average, the top 100 players on the tour all play within two strokes of each other for every 18 holes, yet Tiger Woods at the top won $2 million last year, and the 100th finisher won only $250,000.

“Often times, one stroke in the course of a year can make a difference,” Finchem said. “If you provide access to one player or some subset of players, you are changing the level playing field.”

Finchem and Judy Bell, immediate past president of the U.S. Golf Association, were the final witnesses called to refute Martin’s argument that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires the tour accommodate his physical limitations and let him ride a cart.

Martin suffers from a rare circulatory disorder in his right leg that makes it painful and dangerous for him to walk.

Lawyers will make their final arguments this morning.

Seattle appears to have secured a regular Professional Golf Association Tour stop beginning next year, taking over a late-August date vacated by the Greater Vancouver Open and declined by the sponsor of the CVS Charity Classic in Sutton, Mass.