Many things in life come down to a matter of perspective.
Gunner Wiebe can relate to that much more than he could a couple of months ago.
The Colorado native and Aurora resident shot an 8-under-par 64 on Friday at the CoBank Colorado Open in a round that was all the more amazing considering the backstory.
Wiebe, son of PGA/Champions Tour player Mark Wiebe — who is caddying for Gunner this week at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club — is playing his first tournament in about two months.
The reason for the layoff?
Over Memorial Day weekend just south of Tijuana, Mexico, a “freak accident” that could have been life-threatening turned out to be “only” very serious.
While moving luggage into a vacation home, Wiebe didn’t realize that a sliding glass door had been closed. He walked right through it, and the single-pane, non-tempered glass shattered. In addition to cutting Wiebe’s hand — though not too severely — the underside of his upper right arm was sliced very, very deeply.
“To think, if it’s a little bit deeper cut, it hits my artery and I’m not here …,” Wiebe said Friday.
Instead, the glass cut all through the fat tissue and muscle, and internal and external stitches were required to close the wound.
“You’re in Mexico,” Wiebe noted. “(The person treating him) did the best he could. (But) I felt a little bit like I was a pet at a vet.”
After the stitches were in for 13 days, Wiebe developed a staph infection.
After weeks of rehab and about six weeks without making a full swing with a golf club, Wiebe genuinely missed the game, but is now back playing tournament golf. Friday marked his ninth day of full swings, and after two rounds of the Colorado Open, the former CGA Player of the Year finds himself in contention for the title at 8-under-par 136.
He’s showed pictures of the initial arm wound to doctors and they “remind me of how lucky I am to be alive,” he said. “It’s a good reminder for me. And I think it’s helped me a lot in golf. My game probably isn’t anywhere near where I want it to be, but I scored really well today probably because my perspective has changed.
“You’ve probably seen me out here when I get a little hot. Today I had a couple of times where I could have gotten upset. I just don’t really care about the small stuff anymore, which I think I probably needed.”
As for the golf itself, Wiebe on Friday made eight birdies in a bogey-free round.
“I played pretty good all things considered.,” he said. “I haven’t shot anything that low in a while. It was nice. I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t expect anything.
“My swing still feels weird and my arm is weak. It’s weird to be on the golf course because I haven’t been on the course in two months. It’s fun. I missed it and I’m glad I’m back, but it still feels like I’m trying to find my bearings a little bit.”
But again, it’s all a matter of perspective. Wiebe is just happy to be back on the course and isn’t sweating the small stuff nearly as much.
“It’s been a long couple of months, and I’ve been bored out of my mind,” he said. “My swing is probably worse right now, but I’m alive so I’m OK with everything.”
For scores from the Colorado Open, CLICK HERE.
