Cadillac Championship kicks off at Trump National Doral

Wounded veteran hits first tee

DORAL, Fla. – Under blue Miami skies at the Trump National Doral is where the best golfers in the world are this weekend.

The Cadillac Championship didn't start with any of the pros though. It was an American hero with the first tee.

"I'm lucky to be alive, " wounded veteran and first Lt. Denis Oliverio said. "I'm lucky to have an arm, so being able to golf and come out here and hit a tee shot is just icing on the cake. It's just phenomenal."

Oliverio, a Purple Heart recipient, kicked off the annual PGA tournament Thursday with his service dog Winchester looking on.

Since being shot in Iraq, he's had 14 surgeries on his left arm.

"They put Humpty Dumpty back together again so I'm able now to hit a golf shot," he said.

Fans from every state and internationally are in Miami to watch the tournament, with some lucky few even getting autographs.

"I saw him (Jordan Spieth) at the rope (and) told him what I needed and he brought me right in. Probably one of the greatest experiences I've had," Joe Daley, who is in town from New York, said.

But some golf fans were keeping an eye out for someone else. After all, the Cadillac Championship is at the Trump National Doral.

"Are you sure you're not here just looking for Donald Trump?" Local 10 News reporter Erica Rakow asked one fan from Georgia.

"That would be another plus," Philip Kersey said. "This is especially a great year to come to this tournament."