PIERCE TWP., Ohio — Tim Dean didn’t see it. The first or second time.
In the parking lot at Legendary Run Golf Course, Dean ties his shoes before his next round. He smiles, because he’s on something of a hot streak.
“The boys are hoping for a three-peat,” Dean said. “They’re thirsty.”
WATCH: This golfer hit two holes-in-one in one week. This is why it made him cry
After he orders an Arnold Palmer with a shot of Tito’s vodka, Dean collects his money from last week. Written in black marker on the envelope are the words, "closest to the pin."
That’s an understatement.
At his weekly alumni golf league, Dean hit a hole-in-one. The next week, he hit another one. Even though he tells me he's just an average golfer. And he says he often can't see where the ball goes, because he doesn't play with glasses.
“Pure joy,” Dean said. "I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s pure joy.”
But despite all that joy, I lost track of the number of times Dean cried during our interview. It wasn’t when he showed me the medication he takes. The first time was when he showed me a picture of his grandson.
“That’s my reason for living,” Dean said. “This cancer diagnosis, it just puts a focus on what’s important — and that’s my family and my friends.”
In 2021, Dean had a heart attack. And a few months after that, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
He'd already lost his first wife to the disease.
“Cancer doesn’t just touch you," Dean said. "It smacks you in the face."
But once he starts his round, there are no more tears. Even if on the first par 3, Dean hits it into the woods. Spoiler alert: He wouldn't hit another hole-in-one this week.
But he gave me a high five anyway.
