PGA Tour golfer Erik Compton, who survived a heart attack and two heart transplants, is arrested on domestic violence charges after he “threw his wife against a wall” during an argument
- PGA Tour pro Erik Compton tied for second place at the 2014 US Open
- He was arrested for felonies and misdemeanors of domestic violence
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PGA Tour golfer Erik Compton has been arrested after allegedly throwing his wife into a wall during an argument at their Florida home.
Compton, world No. 1065 who placed second at the 2014 US Open, has been held on felony and misdemeanor charges in Miami-Dade County.
According to police, Compton and his wife were having an argument about “relationship issues” when matters escalated after she pulled out her cellphone and started recording.
Compton, 43, is accused of grabbing the phone from her hand and throwing it in the pool.
PGA Tour golfer Erik Compton has been arrested after allegedly throwing his wife into a wall
Compton is ranked 1065 in the world and tied for second place at the 2014 US Open
Compton’s mug shot after his arrest by police following Saturday’s incident
The golfer then allegedly grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her against a wall. Compton’s wife reportedly suffered minor bruises on her left arm.
She then left the house and drove to a friend’s house before calling the police. Compton was arrested for armed robbery – a second-degree felony – and assault.
He reportedly declined to speak to police about the incident.
The 43-year-old turned professional in 2001 and, at 71st place, has the best place of his career in the world rankings. He has never won a PGA Tour event but has earned nearly $5 million in prize money.
This year he competed in two tournaments and won $43,057 in prize money.
Compton is perhaps best known for surviving viral cardiomyopathy, a condition in which the heart becomes inflamed and has trouble pumping blood effectively.
Compton had to undergo two heart transplants, the first at age 12, after a routine doctor’s visit resulted in a diagnosis of viral cardiomyopathy.
The 43-year-old turned professional in 2001 and, at 71st place, is the highest career world ranking
Compton is interviewed after the first round of a tournament in Omaha, Nebraska last year
Six years later he was the top junior golfer in the US, but in 2008 he suffered a heart attack after being rushed to the hospital.
“I parked the car, walked down the stairs, and then passed out,” he recalled years later. That led to a second transplant. Following his US Open success in 2014, Compton was said to be the only heart transplant recipient to ever play professional golf.
“Do Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have more stamina?” Probably… But golf is a different kind of power. “It’s more about mental toughness and mental exhaustion,” he said.
“I don’t care about the results that much, I just go out and play… obviously I want to play as well as I can, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.”
He added: “There are days I feel different and there are days I feel great – it’s just the nature of the beast… it’s more of an emotional thing because you worry, having a different problem, but I’m very in tune with my body. And I don’t know what it’s like to feel normal because I’ve lived unusually for most of my life.”