Wounded veterans united by golf visit Masters

On the peaceful grounds of Au­gus­ta National Golf Club, two war veterans from Great Britain and an Amer­ican veteran received a healthy dose of medicine to continue healing their wounds and building a friendship that began with golf.

Tommy Brazelton, of Grove­town, Ga.; Keith Davies, of Llanelli, Wales; and Adam Cocks, of London, met during special golf tournaments for wounded service members in the U.S. and Britain. Thurs­day’s visit to the Mas­ters Tournament was an extension of the ties shared by the three friends.

In 2012, the Wounded Warrior Project founded the Courage Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event to aid rehabilitation for veterans wounded mainly in Iraq and Afghan­i­stan. Its British counterpart is called Battle Back. The purpose remains the same no matter which side of the Atlantic Ocean plays host to the tournament.

“It’s a competition between both countries, but it makes lifelong friendships,” said Brazelton, who was injured by an improvised explosive device in 2009 in Iraq. He received treatment at Fort Gordon’s Warrior Transition Unit.

Davies, a veteran of the Royal Air Force, met Brazelton at the 2013 tournament in Florida, where 10 British service members competed against 10 Americans. The two men played together on the final day.

“It gets us together with guys that have been through similar situations,” said Davies, who has a benign brain tumor that was not related to combat. A member of the U.S. team also had a brain tumor, he said.

The next year, Brazelton traveled to Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England. He reunited with Davies and met Cocks, who mentioned his dream of attending the Masters.

“I said, ‘Get yourself here and I’ll find a way to get you to the tournament,’ ” Brazelton said.

Davies and Cocks arrived in Au­gus­ta on Tuesday for a weeklong visit at Brazelton’s home. They will play a round at Jones Creek Golf Club today, and they hope to find badges to attend the tournament again.

“It’s just like Disney World for golfers,” said Cocks, a Bri­tish Army veteran who was injured by two land mines in 2008 in Afghanistan. He sustained severe injuries to his hip, knee, elbow and face.