AUGUSTA, GA – On Saturday afternoon, McLean Rajan has just finished her morning shift in the hospital lab, but there are no signs of fatigue in her voice, and her fatigue from the kidnapping of the past two days at Augusta National has disappeared. No, Michael Rajan is not in Georgia to watch family friend Scottie Scheffler try to win her master’s, as she has kept her general surgery residency in Columbus, Ohio. But she watches every hole in the Final 36.
And he wished James—Micklin’s brother and a friend of Scotty’s—had seen it, too.
“Man, he’s definitely looking down and smiling at this,” says Micklin. “And I might wonder what took so long.”
In 2006 James Ragan was a tennis prodigy, at the age of 13, a native of Corpus Christi, he made his first international debut at a tournament in Spain when he struggled with knee pain. Within a few weeks, a series of medical visits revealed that there was no stretching or injury, but osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. James began chemotherapy immediately and underwent surgery to save his leg. The surgery replaced 40 percent of the femur and 20 percent of the shin bone with metal. Tennis was played for James.
However, doctors can tell that not exercising was not an option for James. He was told he could still play golf or swim. “I remember him looking at me and going, ‘Well, I definitely don’t swim,'” says McLean.
James took golf. Despite having a fanny pack strapped to his waist that carried chemical drugs that actively feed into the body, James managed to become a golfer in no time. As McLean comments, James never “assessed” anything, even before the appearance of cancer in his life, and that included his newfound passion. “He was never the most coordinated. He did a lot to improve his hand-eye coordination, which is like tennis. He worked really hard at it,” says Micklin. “He spent most of his time on the local golf course.”
James also became fascinated by the history of sports and especially the masters. He loved the effort the club put in to keep the course convenient and challenging and was intrigued by what it looked like. Micklin was James’ best friend, so his love became her love, and Masters Week soon became a holiday.
“We’d do brunch on the weekends for it and never leave the couch. In college, we’d turn on our computers and turn them on in the back of the class,” says McLean. “We just liked it.”
James began playing on the Legends Junior Tour in Texas, where he met Scotty Scheffler. Scotty was a little younger than James, but the two struck up a bond, as did the players’ parents, who would walk the courses and watch their boys as boys.
“There was a respect between the two of them,” says Micklin. “I think Scotty respected the way James was trying to live his life, to have fun and get good at a sport he was enjoying while trying to deal with cancer and trying to help others with cancer. James was touched by the way Scotty went about his business. He can say he appreciated For him to be a great person. They influenced each other.”
The chemotherapy seemed to be working, and on his 14th birthday, James, in lieu of gifts, asked for donations to be made to the local hospital or osteosarcoma research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. James’ wish generated more than 40 thousand dollars.
But months later, the cancer had spread to his lungs. When osteosarcoma reaches this part of the body, the cancer is considered terminal.
“At 14, he knew he was going to die,” says Micklin. “But he never felt sorry for himself. I think it came from my mom, who also told him, ‘There’s always someone in the hospital who has it worse than you.’” She began to see very quickly how easy it was to waste time and talent on young men, and James wanted to make sure the maximum was achieved. Take advantage of the remaining time.”
James and Michlin (over 18 months old) co-founded the Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation in 2010 to raise awareness and research for more than 175,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year. It may have been too late for James, but he wanted to make sure that the same fate did not befall the others.
He also continued being a child, playing golf and increasing his relationship with Scheffler. The two became so close that James invited Scotty to guest Corpus Christi Country Club, where 16-year-old James and 14-year-old Scotty took out a group of seniors to win the title.
“I’ve never seen them so happy,” says Micklin. “I don’t know if they were happier with the win or if a lot of older people were angry at a group of teenagers who beat them up.” To declare their victory, James and Scottie poured Dr. Pepper into a glass that was apparently made for the consumption of an adult beverage with little more than soda.
Schaeffler eventually chose the University of Texas to continue his career. James went to his hometown of Rice University, and his treatment brought him close to Corpus Christi, and he even managed to go on to the Rice golf team. Through his education, golf, and treatments, James continued to spread the word on his mission, setting up a yearly golf scramble that doubled as a toga party to raise money to fight disease, an event Scotty never missed.
In December 2013, the foundation made more than $1.5 million in donations, a benchmark that James set as a goal. Shortly after he was told the end was near. James Ragan passed away on February 17, 2014.
“It’s something I think about every day,” says McLean. “I’m biased. He’s my best friend. I like to think as James was touched by support, people liked being around him because he was a constant inspiration. What he did was provide people with perspective.”
James’ death did not end his relationship with Scotty, who took James’ place as an honorary starter at the toga hustling party. He did so despite the tournament that took place in May, right during the middle of the NCAA Tournament. “Scotty knew it mattered,” says Micklin. “He would come Friday and be right back to Austin the next day, but he wanted to do what he could to keep James’ memory going.”
Soon after turning pro in 2019, Schaeffler won the RSM Birdies Fore Love, a bird tourism competition made for fall events that awards the winner $300,000 to the charities of his choice. He has donated $50,000 to the Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation. His donations haven’t stopped, and he’s partnered with McLean to create a program that brings kids battling cancer to golf.
“There are some limitations that come with the disease,” says Micklin. “You often can’t do contact sports or run. But they can play golf. These kids need more than just surgeries and healthcare. They need something fun to do, to keep them distracted and give them hope.”
Schaeffler’s donations cover everything from bags and equipment to installing greens in hospitals. He often makes these donations himself, with his wife Meredith, via various tour stops.
Now 30, Mechelen — who was inspired by James to dedicate her life to childcare — is amazed that Schaeffler remains faithful to who he is despite the new heights he’s reached. “I told his mum earlier this week that it’s so rare that no matter what you do in life as a doctor, lawyer, sales or writer, it’s rare to find someone who succeeds at a high level and remains humble,” says McLean. “To not let it get to their heads. He is the best golfer at the moment but his job is still to help others.”
Schaeffler entered world number 1 Augusta but is 27 holes away from the eternal fame that comes with a green jacket, and has a five-shot lead over the back of nine on Saturday. Micklin takes great pride in what Scotty does and has become, the person he always has been.
And now Schaeffler’s rise coincides with Masters’ Week, the holy week celebrated by Mechelen and James. It’s easy to think this week could be bittersweet for Micklin, seeing Scotty doing what he’s doing and James not here to witness it. But McLean is religious and stresses that James does not miss an opportunity.
“Believe me, he’s watching,” says Micklin. And come Sunday evening, hoping to turn Dr. Pepper in Scheffler’s direction.
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