Some memories are unforgettable, but is there a guarantee that every unforgettable remembrance is good? There isn’t, and Nate Lashley’s life exemplifies this. Even after spending time on the PGA Tour, he carries the heavy burden of a tragic memory. Surprisingly, the incident in focus dates back to 2004, making it 20 years old now!

Lashley is a prominent name in professional Golf, with one PGA Tour win under his belt, securing his first title at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic. As he returns to the same tournament in 2024 at the Detroit Golf Club, the spotlight is once again on the 41-year-old. Let’s delve deeper into his story and the struggles he’s faced.

What happened to Nate Lashley in 2004?

In 2004, Lashley, a 21-year-old junior at the University of Arizona, was in Oregon for the 2004 NCAA West Regional. His father, mother, and girlfriend, Leslie Hofmeister, had traveled from Nebraska to Oregon to watch him play. Tragically, after the final round, they lost their lives in a plane crash in a remote area of Wyoming while his father was piloting the plane back home. It remains in the mind of the golfer till now.

In 2019 after claiming his first PGA Tour title, the golfer said on Golf Channel, “At some points it’s not easy, but it goes through your mind and it’s something that’s always going to be there for me.” The tragic memory affected him again in 2012, causing Lashley to temporarily leave the game. However, he returned in 2015, starting over on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica.

The golfer is honest with his feelings and said during the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic “I’ve been through a lot, it took a lot of years for me to get over my parents’ death, for sure. It was mentally holding me back for a long time.”

While it’s true that Nate Lashley hasn’t forgotten this even after 20 years, he has now chosen not to let it hold him back. Although the community knows him through golf, it isn’t the only thing that shaped Lashley’s life so far.

Lashley’s life has seen more than golf

Nate Lashley is an American PGA Tour golfer born on December 12, 1982, and is a native of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, United States. Interestingly like many pros, his life wasn’t all about golf in his early days. His father, Rod Lashley, was a state basketball player. Meanwhile, his mother, Char, was a Kearney State volleyball player.

Although Nate Lashley first picked up a golf club at the age of eight, he is best remembered for his high school achievements as a three-time all-state basketball player at Mitchell High School, where he averaged 23.5 points per game as a senior. When it comes to golf, there wasn’t any course in their small town. So to play golf Lashley with his father used to travel to Morrill, Nebraska, to play a few rounds.

Having both basketball and golf in his life, he chose golf to turn professional after graduating from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Despite playing golf professionally since 2005, his passion for basketball is evident as he occasionally attends NBA tournaments. While you might think everything changed for him in 2005 when he turned pro, it was actually 2004 when a tragic incident turned his life upside down. What do you think about Nate Lashley’s struggle? Share your thoughts in the comments below!