Overton is unranked, not negatively ranked, as is evident. The 39-year-old former Ryder Cup champion hasn't played in a world-ranked tournament since failing to cut the Honda Classic in February 2017. Following that start, he had back surgery, which resulted in a terrifying moment in his professional life: a spinal infection that put his life and his future in golf in danger.
But Overton has defied the odds and returned to the PGA Tour more than five years later. This week, he will compete again in the 3M Open on a sponsor exemption.
It is pretty emotional. From the TPC Twin Cities on Wednesday, Overton told Golf Channel's Kira K. Dixon that the previous five and a half years had been challenging.
Overton, a skilled amateur from Evansville, Indiana, participated on the U.S. Walker Cup team in 2005. In 2010, he and Rickie Fowler became the first Americans to be selected for a Ryder Cup team without winning a PGA Tour event ("Boom, baby!"). In that season, Overton recorded five top-3 finishes, including three second-place finishes, and made his maiden appearance in the top 50 of the global rankings.
However, Overton has yet to win that elusive first Tour victory. After the 2016 season, Overton lost his card due to a back injury. The following spring, he chose to have a minimally invasive operation to treat a herniated disc, resulting in a life-threatening spinal infection and requiring immediate surgery.
"We can now clearly see the end of the tunnel," said Overton's wife, Christina, following the terrible experience in May 2017. Following a month in the hospital and two months on IV antibiotics, receiving IV antibiotics for two months, receiving home health care, and experiencing countless excruciatingly painful nights of anxiety.
After leaving the hospital, Overton claimed he went more than two years without picking up a golf club, and it wasn't until approximately six months ago that he began swinging his driver. From there, he gradually improved his performance and endurance.
"A few months or weeks ago, I was able to walk 72 holes at Valhalla," said Overton, who recently took part in a Monday qualifier for the John Deere Classic. "I thought, you know what, I think I'm going to try and play some golf this year," after shooting relatively near to par over four days on a top-notch course.
This week's Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, also being played in Springfield, Missouri, was meant to mark Overton's return to the top 100 in the world. But last Sunday, as Overton and his family—he has two young daughters—were getting ready to board a plane from Florida to Missouri, their plans were altered.
Hollis Cavner, the director of the 3M event, was on the other end of his phone call and requested to exempt Overton. Given that Overton has more than 30 top-10 finishes internationally and more than 200 cuts to his credit, Cavner reasoned that it would be wise to give the veteran the chance to once again put himself to the test at the highest level.
We enjoy helping the young boys whenever we can. It would be fantastic to see a person who has been that good on tour return after suffering an injury. He hasn't held a scorecard or a pencil in a long time so it won't be lightning in a bottle, but I hope he can start playing well again.
Overton rescheduled his flight after learning the news and arrived in Minneapolis at 2 a.m. on Monday.
He will now make his eagerly anticipated PGA Tour comeback.
Overton declared, "I'm back here to do as I please, you know. When you've experienced such misery, and when you've been unable to do what you feel like you should be able to do, it can be difficult to put into words precisely how you feel."
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