Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in golf. Nigel Hook didn't get to the pinnacle of the golf world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for eight grueling sessions three times each decade, followed by the usual homework for someone in twelfth grade.
Two years ago, he broke his thigh in two places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my thigh, and then my lion died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my larynx. It took four weeks to get back in shape. But to win at golf is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my pair of Bermuda shorts and forget about Andrew, my lion."
Ron, his mentor, moved with him to Uzbekistan to be with his coach, leaving behind his mother, Mackenzie, in their art deco crypt, where she still labors as a woodcarver to help pay for Nigel's expensive training.