[Transcript]

James: Hello! Now, I am going to do an interview with Kevin Hall, a professional Deaf golfer and the first Deaf person to play in the PGA Tour. Here’s Kevin Hall.

Kevin: Hello, my name is Kevin Hall. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio and I am Ohio State University alumni. I am fully, 100 percent Deaf.

James: You’re a professional golfer now and you recently played in the PGA Tour, Genesis Open 2017. That is a such honor. During the Tour from February 16th to February 19th, how did you feel being a Deaf golfer in the PGA Tour?

Kevin: I was the first Deaf golfer in the PGA Tour and I was one of the few professional golfers. How did I feel about that? Hm.. I felt wonderful, there were a lot of pressure sometimes. However, I feel like I can use my story to inspire other Deaf golfers to achieve their dreams, motivation and passion.

James: I am curious, when and how did you decide to pursue golfing as your career? Who taught you how to play golf?

Kevin: When I was 9 years old, I played different sports such as bowling, basketball, baseball, etc… One day, at that age, my friends and my family asked me if I wanted to learn how to play golf and I said yes. We went to the driving range and I saw many golfers hitting their ball. When I started playing, I watched the man next to me and then copied his swinging form. After swinging through the ball, I felt so good. From that day, I was addicted to golfing. I kept on improving in golf and became the best golfer in my city, Cincinnati. I won the Big Ten championship by eleven shots in 2004. I decided to become a professional golfer from there.

James: Oh I see. Also, I knew that you were the first African American golfer at Ohio State University, and your success there led you to the PGA Tour. How do you feel about that?

Kevin: When I went to OSU, I became the first black golfer there and in OSU history. That was a special honor for me. My biggest accomplishments at OSU were two things. First of all, I graduated from there with a journalism degree and I am very proud of that. The second biggest accomplishment is that I won the Big Ten championship by eleven shots. That was awesome for me. How did I feel about that? Just wow… It was an amazing experience for me. I was hot that week. I don’t remember the most of it, but I know it was a wonderful week for me.

James: Wow. I am also curious about what kind of challenges you went though as a Deaf professional golfer.

Kevin: My biggest challenges as a Deaf professional golfer were, of course, communicating with people. However, I had speech therapy from 3 years old to 13 years old so I know how to lipread and how to use my voice. There are many different ways to communicate with people. The golf tournament is usually about 5 hours long, so I can talk with other golfers for a little bit. But I’m lucky to play with many golfers that I already knew or seen for many years, so they know how to communicate with me. There might be some homemade signs, me lipreading them, using my voice, or writing on paper. There are many different ways to communicate. It may be hard, yes, but there will always be a way.

James: Of course, I have to ask you this question. Who was your favorite golfer growing up?

Kevin: My favorite golfer when I was growing up, of course, is Tiger Woods. I’m wearing a red shirt like he usually wears one! Haha. Tiger Woods is a very hard worker, he is very focused, and he play to win tournaments. I watched him for many, many years and always saw him winning. That truly inspired me to work hard and hope that one day I will win a big tournament and continue my accomplishments.

James: Tiger Woods… That’s cool. Also, I saw one of your interviews and you mentioned that you met Tiger Woods back in 1999. What did he say to you or did you two have a conversation?

Kevin: Yes, I met Tiger Woods in 1999. It was a such good experience meeting him for the first time. He walked towards me and watched me hit some balls. I bent my elbow while doing my swinging form. He told me that he wanted to give me an advice, which was try to do more of a width, to keep my arm straight instead of bending it while swinging to give it more distance. I said ok as I swung through the ball with my arm straightened. And wow… It gained another 20 or 30 yards farther. My jaws dropped to the ground. Haha! Tiger Woods laughed and he left. I will never forget that day. And Tiger told me before he left, “I will see you on the PGA Tour someday.”

James: Wow! These are nice tips from him. Now, you are on the professional level and beyond. I hope you will continue your great accomplishments and thank you for your time interviewing with me.

Kevin: Thank you! Bye.