When Tommy Morrison was born, his parents were informed of the unimaginable. Their baby had a serious issue in his heart.

Pulmonary Valve Stenosis, or PVS, causes the pulmonary valve to divide the pulmonary artery from the right ventricle, one of the heart’s chambers, where blood is transported to the lungs. When this valve cannot sufficiently open, the condition takes place and can cause a variety of adverse effects, including heart failure and enlargement of the heart.

Morrison was born with Pulmonary Valve Stenosis, or PVS, and was admitted to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City for treatment at two weeks old.

Morrison does not remember it, but he knows it was a very hard time for his family, specifically his mom and dad.

“Anytime you have that young of an infant or baby, and you have to go in and do something with the heart, it’s scary,” Morrison said. “And I know my mom was really nervous.”

After leaving the hospital, Morrison grew to have a normal life without complications from the condition.

Always tall as a child, Morrison had the build of a basketball player, making his way up to the Amateur Athletic Union as a 6-foot-tall 12-year-old. While he enjoyed his time on the plywood, Tommy always had a love affair with the golf course.

With basketball practice at night, Tommy would work on his swing in the afternoon. Determined to improve his game, it was hard for his mom, Alison Morrison, to pull him off the range. She knew what was best for her young child.

“I think there were a couple afternoons where I had to go from the golf course to basketball practice,” Morrison said. “I didn’t want to leave the golf course, and my mom just kind of knew that I wanted to play golf, so she let me do that.”

By middle school, Morrison had committed to play golf at Duke. However, with his family moving to Dallas, the plans changed. Morrison decommitted from Duke and decided to play for men’s golf coach John Fields at Texas.

Now a junior, Morrison has grown since arriving on campus. Last summer, he burst into golf stardom with his win of the European Amateur Championship. That title gave him entry into one of golf’s biggest events: the Open Championship. Morrison went on to make the cut and tied for second among 12 amateurs, winning the bronze medal.

On the collegiate side, Morrison had his breakthrough winning the individual portion of the Amer Ari Invitational in early February.

Yet for Morrison, it’s more than just wins and the stats. It’s about gratitude.

“He’s one of those guys that just really enjoys people,” Fields said. “He enjoys his life. He’s appreciative of his life and he just treats people really good.”

Morrison has come a long way since his surgery at Mount Sinai. Without the early support, he wouldn’t be the athlete he is today. Morrison raised $15,000 for the hospital in 2017.

“If I can go back and do a little fundraising … that’s the smallest gift I can give them,” Morrison said. “I owe them a lot more than that.”