It's easy to root for Erik Compton

If you didn’t catch Jimmy Robert’s report on Erik Compton during the final round of the Honda Classic at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., this week, you missed one of the best three or four minutes of NBC’s tournament coverage and one of the most inspirational in recent memory.

Compton, 29, received a sponsor’s exemption this week and will receive another in a couple of weeks at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, March 26-29 at Orlando’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

After a pair of 69s to open the tourney, Compton went 5-over on this par 70 for the weekend to finish 3-over. Making the cut is an accomplishment to be sure, but the obstacles Compton has overcome in his life make it a miracle.

Compton has undergone two heart transplants, one at age 12 and one last year after he suffered a heart attack in 2007. There aren’t enough adjectives to convey this guy’s courage. Growing up bloated from steroid treatments, etc., he was virtually disfigured, but had a will to press on. He said the pictures of his whole life look like “six different people.”

Incredibly, this former top-ranked junior player, is not only playing in tour events, but he did it without a cart this week, although that option was available to him.

A couple of weeks ago, he and his wife Barbara welcomed their first child, daughter Petra Ella, into the world. Petra Ella is the product of four hearts – Barbara’s and Erik’s three, as Roberts reported.

Here’s hoping Compton’s last heart takes him to the Champions Tour and beyond.