PGA Tour player James Driscoll grew up in the Boston suburb of Brookline, Mass., and lives in downtown Boston – about two blocks from where the twin bombs went off during the Boston Marathon.
Driscoll wasn't home on Monday; he was practicing down in Florida. He had thought about going home for the Patrriots’ Day festivities, but decided not to.
And now he's raising money for those affected by the bombing. Driscoll has pledged $1,000 for each birdie he makes this week in the RBC Heritage and at the Zurich Classic next week.
He got off to a nice start on Thursday, carding four birdies in an opening round of 3-over 74.
"I'll be happy to write a big check for this," he said on Thursday at Hilton Head.
"It was pretty traumatic a day or two after," Driscoll said. "A lot of my friends are still shaken up by it. It really hits home when it's that close to where you live."
The money he raises will go to the Boston One Fund, an organization set up by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino.
Driscoll says he appreciates the support that people everywhere are showing for Boston and its citizens, and he has no doubt the city will recover.
"Boston people are strong and they're for sure going to bounce back," he said.
He hasn't asked his fellow PGA Tour players for donations, just to help get the message out about raising funds.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
