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Adulting on the Spectrum: Billy Mayfair on the PGA Tour and being diagnosed later in life

 

Billy Mayfair is one of the top professional golfers in the United States and has been a regular on the PGA Tour since 1989. He boasts five PGA Tour victories and is the only player to ever beat Tigers Woods in a PGA Tour playoff.

He is currently playing on the PGA Tour Champions. Mayfair’s five PGA Tour victories include the Nissan Open (1998), Buick Open (1998), Motorola Western Open (1995), Tour Championship (1995), and Greater Milwaukee Open (1993). His two amateur victories include the U.S. Amateur (1987) and U.S. Public Links (1986). In the PGA Tour Champions, Mayfair ranks 49 in the Charles Schwab Cup Points, five in the PGA Tour Points List, and 34 in the All-Time Money List with more than $22 million in career earnings.

Mayfair has been in the Official World Golf Rankings top 50 list, reaching as high as 26. He was the medalist at the 2010 PGA Tour’s Qualifying School and at the age of 15 was on the cover of Boys’ Life magazine as "golf’s junior hotshot."

After dealing with Asperger-related symptoms for most of his life Mayfair was diagnosed in 2019 with autism spectrum disorder, a developmental condition that causes challenges with a person’s communication, social interactions, sleep habits, moods, and attention span, among other things.

Previously, during the 2006 season, Mayfair was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent surgery, returning to the tour two weeks later. Along with his family, Mayfair began a nonprofit foundation tasked with providing support to both amateur and professional athletes and their families who struggle with spectrum-related disorders.

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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of Autism Speaks.

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