Deaf golfer Kevin Hall, 34, not an easy man to discourage, still pushing to play on PGA Tour

Kevin Hall, a Cincinnati native, was at the Genesis Open last week. He was the recipient of the Charlie Sifford exemption, which is given to a minority player who represents the advancement of diversity in golf. Hall’s case was special in that he qualified twice – he is African-American and he is deaf. Hall has been deaf since the age of two due to the aftereffects of meningitis, but he has not let his deafness interfere with his love of golf and his goal to make it to the PGA Tour.

Growing up in Cincinnati, Hall attended St. Rita’s School for the Deaf, but he was able to play on the Winton Woods High School golf team. In high school, he was named the top junior golfer in Cincinnati and in college, at The Ohio State University, Hall won the 2004 Big Ten championship by 11 strokes. Hall has recently been participating in mini-tours and has been working towards competing in bigger tournaments – the Genesis Open is a huge step in the right direction.

During each tournament, Hall has someone communicating with him in sign language. At this particular tournament, he couldn’t keep a smile off his face due to the fact that he has been given such a great opportunity to participate in the Genesis Open and compete with top talent, such as Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. Having been golfing since age 11, this is almost like a dream come true for Hall and has motivated him to keep working towards his goal of participating in the PGA Tour.

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