American golfer Brian Harman is opening up about a near-drowning incident that nearly took the life of his six-year-old son and left a family friend in a coma.
Harman, 37, revealed that family friend Cathy Dowdy was ‘injured really badly’ after she attempted to rescue his son from ‘an abnormally bad’ riptide as Dowdy and his family vacationed in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Oct. 13. Harman was competing at a golf tournament in China at the time of the incident.
“My son was involved, he was out boogie boarding with one of his really good friends, got ripped out to sea by just a rip current,” Harman said Tuesday ahead of The RSM Classic in St. Simons Island, Georgia, where he’s currently tied for 80th place after shooting par in the first round on Thursday.
He continued: ‘(Cathy Dowdy) went in the water after my son. He’s 6. Couldn’t get to him… She’s been in a coma for going on six weeks now and so obviously our world down here was kind of turned on its head.”
Harman said his son was ultimately rescued by a man named Crane Cantrell, who was walking down to the beach at the time. A lifeguard was able to reach Dowdy, pull her to shore and perform CPR on her until emergency crews rushed her to a hospital, according to St. Johns Citizen.
Dowdy remains on a ventilator, as of Monday, according to the latest update shared on a GoFundMe fundraiser set up for Dowdy’s medical expenses.
The 2023 Open Championship winner applauded the bravery of Dowdy and Cantrell for selflessly jumping in the water to save his son, one of three children he shares with wife Kelly Van Slyke.
“I wanted to use whatever platform I have to bring awareness to what Cathy did, what Crane did,” Harman said. “They disregarded their selves, went into the water, saved my son and how do you thank people like that? I don’t know other than to just say what you think. I think that bravery and doing something like that for people who aren’t your blood is just the most beautiful thing you can do in this life.
Harman continued: ‘We call ’em family friends but they’re family… We’re with ’em till the end, and I appreciate everybody that’s helped us out through all this. You know, prayers for Cathy.”
The GoFundMe for Dowdy has raised more than $84K as of Thursday afternoon.
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