When Casey Martin sank a 25-foot putt to win a dramatic playoff in
Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 8, 1998, and qualify for the U.S. Open, the
first person to congratulate him was his caddy. The second was 11-
year-old Will Ard, a Cincinnati resident whose mother had brought
him to watch the tournament. Why? Because the youngster and the
professional each lived with the same congenital circulatory problem,
Klippel-Trénaunay-Weber syndrome. "Will likes to play baseball,"
Will's mother told New York Times reporter Clifton Brown. "We feel
there's been a little prejudice in the Little League toward him. It's
pretty upsetting. I wanted him to see Casey, to see what he can accom-
plish" ( 8 June 1998, C-1).

Martin had quickly become nationally visible when he filed a lawsuit
under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
"Disabled Pro Golfer Fights No-cart Rule," the Washington Post an-
nounced to its readers on page one (Steve Harrison, 10 December
1997). A month later, USA Today ran a long background piece on the
front of its sports section called "Pro Golfer Rides Out Storm" ( Harry
Blauvelt, 7 January 1998). Articles followed in dozens of local newspa-
pers across the country in both sports and news pages.

It was fitting that an 11-year-old with special needs was present to
cheer for Martin on the occasion of his triumph in Cincinnati. For in
their prominent reportage of the story of golfer Casey Martin, newspa-

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