Veteran PGA Tour golfer Brian Harman revealed Tuesday that the comatose Georgia woman who nearly drowned in front of the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club last month was trying to save his 6-year-old son at the time of the incident.
Retired teacher Cathy Dowdy jumped into the surf on Oct. 13 after Harman’s son was pulled in by a rip current.
She couldn’t reach him, but another man, Crane Cantrell, managed to reach the youngster and safely pull him to shore.
But Dowdy — a close family friend of the Harmans — struggled in the surf and was later rushed to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. She remains in a coma, and has since been transferred to a facility in Savannah.
“I wanted to use whatever platform I have to bring awareness to what Cathy did, what Crane did,” Harman said, according to ESPN. “They disregarded themselves, went into the water, saved my son, and how do you thank people like that? I don’t know other than to just say what you think.”
The St. Simons, Georgia resident and 2023 British Open winner said he was at a tournament in China at the time of the incident, and that his wife and kids were vacationing in Ponte Vedra Beach with the Dowdys.
“I think that bravery and doing something like that for people who aren’t your blood is just the most beautiful thing you can do in this life,” he said.
A lifeguard pulled Dowdy out of the water and administered CPR until emergency crews arrived at the scene.
“Cathy’s still hurt real bad,” Harman said. “She’s up in Savannah and we’re thinking about her. The outpouring of support we’ve gotten from Glynn County and Saint Simons community is another one of the most touching things I’ve ever experienced.”
A Gofundme campaign to aid the Dowdy family has raised nearly $80,000.
