Longtime Wyndham Championship volunteer Marty Sheets passed away at his home in Greensboro this morning; he was 62.
Marty was a decorated Special Olympics athlete with Down Syndrome. During his Special Olympics career, he competed in golf, power lifting, alpine skiing, tennis and aquatics. Sheets represented North Carolina at the first International Special Olympics Games at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1968. He won more than 250 Special Olympics medals at local, state and international competitions.
At the Wyndham Championship, he served as the standard bearer in tournament’s last group for many years; he became interested in being a standard bearer shortly after PGA TOUR professional Kenny Perry visited him at his home during a tournament in the early 1990s. Later that week, he was following Perry’s group and made the comment that he wished he could carry the “score sign.” The gentleman who was serving as the standard bearer in that group heard the comment and invited Sheets inside the ropes to carry the “score sign” for a couple of holes. Marty was hooked and began volunteering as a standard bearer the next year.
Marty was named the PGA TOUR Volunteer of the Year in 2006 – the PGA TOUR’s highest honor for individual benevolence and its highest recognition given to a tournament volunteer – Sheets is the only tournament volunteer that has ever received this honor. The Wyndham Championship named its volunteer center in Marty’s honor during the 75th anniversary tournament last year. The Marty Sheets Volunteer Pavilion will honor Marty’s memory forever.
Funeral arrangements are pending. Please keep the Sheets family in your thoughts during this difficult time.
