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Dream come true: 12-year-old meets
Tiger Woods
Make-A-Wish Foundation made meeting possible
By: Jason Deegan
" Alex Hardy loves sports.
The 12-year-old from Brighton Township is a big fan of Detroit's pro teams - the
Pistons, Wings, Lions and Tigers. But golf might be his favorite.
"He loves everything about it,'' said his mom, Kristin Hardy.
Hardy, 12, who will be a seventh-grader at Brighton's Scranton Middle School,
can't play the game he loves. He has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.
Still, Hardy had one of his biggest golf dreams come true last week - he met the
No. 1 player in the world, Tiger Woods, at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc through
the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
"As soon as he (Woods) made eye contact, he gave Alex a huge smile,'' Kristin
Hardy said. "He came over and said, 'Hey big guy, I'll get with you in a
minute.' He gave Alex the best attention in the room. He signed a book for Alex,
'Your friend always, Tiger.' It was just thrilling for my son.''
South Lyon's Robert Littlemeyer, 15, also met Woods at the event. Both families
were given the red carpet treatment by Buick Golf, Hardy said, receiving
clubhouse passes for the Buick Open at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club last
weekend and shirts, golf balls and hats.
Hardy said her son took a liking to golf about five years ago.
"A match was on TV one day,'' she recalled. "He was hooting and howling and
laughing, showing his excitement. Alex is somewhat verbal. He can't say much,
but he can say 'I want to see Tiger Woods.' He loves a lot of different
golfers.''
Hardy said her husband, Brian, took Alex for a ride in a golf cart while he was
playing a recent round.
"We want to get him a golf cart really bad,'' she said. "The carts are nice.
There is a lot of leg room.''
Last November, Alex had his big wish granted by the foundation. He went deep-sea
fishing off the Florida Keys. He caught a large mahi-mahi and later, reeled in
28 colorful tropical fish on a single day.
"It's nice to have extra opportunities (through Make-A-Wish),'' Kristin Hardy
said. "To get someone like Alex, who can't do what other children can do,
something special. He spends half his time at the doctor's (office). Things like
this make him feel special.''
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