Andreas Hartø

Yesterday Sebastian Cappelen teed off in his first KFT event in his comeback at the @BahamasKFTour But his story is worth your time. (a long one upcoming) Cappelen, who is from Denmark, was a 4x All-American at Arkansas. In 2014 he turned pro and attempted a Mon Q for a KFT event. And got through a 7 for 2 playoff to earn his first ever KFT start. All he did in his first start was shoot 66-65-65-66 and won. He played 12 events that year and nearly got his PGA Tour card. He got an exemption into Sanderson that year, led after the first round and finished T35. It seemed he was destined to be a pga tour member in no time. But things don't always go as planned and Cappelen grinded on the KFT for years, before winning again in 2019 and finally earning his PGA Tour card for 2020. He struggled there, while battling injuries, playing 44 career events making 16 cuts. His battles with injuries caused Cappelen to walk away from the game in 2021. He got into private equity. He and his wife Audrey had two children. But something wasn't right. One Saturday morning last may Cappelen felt lost and unable to deal with everyday things . He thought "I have to get out of here." He went to bathroom and cried for nearly an hour. Audrey came in to comfort him, neither knowing what was wrong. "I just couldn't deal with day to day stuff". Cappelen called his Dad who got him in touch with a therapist. The next six weeks or so Cappelen hardly left the house. Getting out of bed was a victory. He dove into therapy headfirst. And was diagnosed with ADHD. Always a deep thinker the diagnosis was freeing for Cappelen, while thinking about some struggles he blocked out for most of his life. A few months ago he considered a comeback in golf and talked with Audrey about it. He called friends and found sponsors. He was open with them about his struggles, "you find out who your true friends are". Countless people committed to help him. The comeback became a reality. Audrey and he continue to see therapists, continue to be open with each other about the journey. Cappelen has status for the full season this year on KFT from his medical exemption and plans to play the entire season. Yesterday Sebastian Cappelen teed it up in his first event, promising himself he wouldn't be results oriented. He wants to enjoy the time, something he thinks he didn't his first run at pro golf. I talked with him after the round, he shot Even and sits outside the cut line. I asked him how it went and he said "look around, how could you not love it" He focused our conversations with the ones he had with his wife. Process, process, process. Talked about his therapy. Golf is not the most important thing this time around.