Jake Olson continues to defy the odds

Does it make sense to have a dream if you don't dream big — if you don't imagine something that defies reason, that feels impossible to anyone else but makes sense to you? 

You should ask Jake Olson. He knows all about overcoming adversity and exceeding expectations. He knows how to dream big. 

Olson flashed across our television screens three years ago as a young USC football fan who lost his vision to cancerous tumors in both eyes. His willingness to confront his illness and his passion for football were nothing short of inspiring. 

Now 15, Olson is preparing to enter his sophomore year in high school and working to improve his golf game so that he can one day join the PGA Tour. 

Impossible? This isn't something he conjured in his mind in a hopeful, starry-eyed moment. It's a real-life plan. 

"I want to make a career out of it," he said. "I want to be on the PGA, have my (tour) card and hopefully win some tournaments." 

Olson has proved nothing is impossible. He's undergone countless surgeries on his eyes, including one last week, and come back smiling. He has refused to lament his lack of sight and instead has focused on doing well the things he can do. 

Last season, he played on the Orange Lutheran High School freshman team and scored in 13 of the 15 matches in which he played. At his home course at SeaCliff Country Club in Huntington Beach, he has shot 91 on the par-72 course from the 6,500-yard blue tees. 

Shooting a 91 with two good eyes is impressive. Doing it blind — with no special equipment and only a person to line you up — rates as phenomenal. 

"His competitiveness and desire to strive to do his best are unmatched," said Ignacio Brache, his coach at Orange Lutheran. "That's not the most impressive part. His relentless pursuit of his faith makes him who he is. He is already a leader at a young age. His potential has not limit whether in golf or life." 

Olson began playing golf with plastic clubs and a wiffle ball at age six. At 10, he decided to get serious about it. But by 12 he was totally sightless — unsure how he could play the game but determined to try. 

"When I found out I was going to lose my sight, I remember going out and closing my eyes and trying to hit a ball without sight," he said. "I couldn't even make contact. It was tough. I knew it was going to be interesting and I was going to have to put up a fight, but eventually I knew I was going to get it. I'm still getting it even today." 

As any duffer knows, golf is a frustrating, often infuriating game — so many things to think about, so many ways to improve. 

"I feel like I'm hitting the ball better than before, but trust me, there's still a lot of things I have to learn," Olson said. "Well, everyone can, even the pros, but every time I go out I learn new stuff that helps me on the course." 

In the summer months, he tries to get on the course every afternoon, just to feel the club in his hands and take a few swings. His father, Bruce Olson, meets him most days after work so they can play nine before the sun goes down. 

On the course, his father helps Jake with distance and the types of shots he needs to reach the hole. Jake prefers not know about water hazards and bunkers unless he needs to clear them to reach the green.  

"My dad can leave that stuff out," he said. "That way, I'm just focused on hitting my shot. But in cases of chips and things like that, he'll say, 'Hey Jake, there's a bunker you have to go over here, so we're looking for a 20-yarder that needs to be lofted. On those shots, he definitely describes to me everything that's around and what kind of shot I need to make." 

Other than having a partner ensure that he's lined up properly, Olson has no other help. His clubs and ball are standard equipment. The only US Golf Association rule he breaks is grounding his club when he's in a bunker or hazard. 

It's a violation, but there's no other way to know where his ball is other than touching his club to the ground, he said. 

"Anyone can see it's understandable," he said. "I'm not trying to take advantage of grounding my club in a hazard, but obviously I kind of need to know where the ground is."  

Olson hasn't lost his love for USC football. He stays in touch with head coach Lane Kiffin and quarterback Matt Barkley and said he hopes to attend practice this season. At the same time, he still texts regularly with former Trojans coach Pete Carroll, the Seattle Seahawks coach who initially invited him to practice. 

Olson attended a Seahawks game last year and plans a return trip this season to see the Trojans play at Washington on Oct. 13 and the Seahawks play the New England Patriots the next day. 

"He's a great guy," Olson said of Carroll. "He's so quality. He'll give me inspirational quotes, like if I text him and tell him I'm going out to the course, he'll say, 'Hey Jake, believe in yourself.' He's a mentor to me, and I really appreciate him still keeping in contact with me even though he's up in Seattle."