‘Better Than I Hit It’: Nick Saban Left Speechless by Teen Golfer’s Unbelievable Comeback After Shark Attack — What He Saw at the Regions Tournament Will Stay With Him
Nick Saban has seen a lot in his life—seven national championships, countless five-star athletes, and pressure-packed moments under the brightest lights in college football. But nothing he’s ever witnessed on the sidelines of Bryant-Denny Stadium prepared him for what he saw at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Birmingham this past weekend.
The legendary former Alabama football coach, a passionate golfer himself, was participating in the celebrity charity event when he was paired with a young, previously unknown amateur whose story is now reverberating far beyond the fairways. That teenager was 16-year-old Jack Morgan from Destin, Florida—a name that, until this week, lived quietly in local junior golf circuits. But after what unfolded on the green grass of Greystone Golf & Country Club, he may forever be known as the kid who stunned Nick Saban, stole the show, and redefined the meaning of a comeback.
A year ago, Morgan was just another gifted high school golfer with dreams of playing Division I college golf. That dream was nearly shattered last August, when a freak shark attack during a family beach outing left him clinging to life and eventually facing the unthinkable: the potential loss of his ability to walk, let alone swing a golf club again.
Doctors at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola said it was a miracle he survived. The shark tore into his left thigh and calf, severing arteries and leaving severe muscle and nerve damage. Emergency surgery saved his leg, but the road ahead looked bleak. Months of painful rehab followed. At one point, he had to relearn how to shift his weight, how to balance, and even how to stand unaided. The idea of returning to competitive golf seemed almost laughable.
But for Jack Morgan, laughing wasn’t an option. He refused to let trauma dictate the rest of his story.
“I remember lying in that hospital bed thinking, ‘This isn’t the end,'” Morgan said in an emotional post-round interview. “I kept hearing the sound of my club striking the ball in my head. That was my motivation—getting back to that sound.”
Fast-forward to the Regions Tradition Pro-Am—an annual charity tournament that draws PGA legends, celebrities, and sports icons from around the country. Morgan, who had been invited as part of a junior spotlight feature after a video of his return to golf went viral on social media, was originally scheduled just to hit a few balls and speak about his recovery.
But fate—and a few phone calls—had other plans.
A last-minute scratch by a celebrity participant opened a spot in Saban’s foursome. The organizers offered it to Morgan. The teen accepted without hesitation, even though he hadn’t played 18 holes in full tournament conditions since before the attack.
“I figured, what better way to test myself than with Coach Saban watching,” Morgan said, laughing.
Saban, known for his stern game face and hyper-competitive nature, admitted he didn’t expect much when he first met the teenager on the tee box.
“I saw a skinny kid with a noticeable limp and thought, ‘This might be a long day,’” Saban said. “But then he hit his first tee shot.”
That shot—a 280-yard laser down the center of the fairway—turned heads immediately.
“It was better than I hit it,” Saban joked afterward. “I looked at my caddy and said, ‘We might be watching something special today.’”
And they were.
What followed was one of the most inspiring rounds of golf ever witnessed at the event. Despite occasional signs of discomfort, Morgan played with poise and precision well beyond his years. His irons were crisp. His short game, particularly around the greens, was clinical. But it was his mental toughness that stood out most.
On the par-5 ninth, Morgan hooked a drive into a wooded area and seemed destined for a double bogey. Instead, he punched out a low stinger between trees, dropped a wedge 15 feet from the hole, and sank the putt for an improbable par. Saban, who has coached countless comeback stories on the football field, could only shake his head.
“I told him right there—‘That’s the kind of resilience I try to teach my players.’ But he’s living it,” Saban said. “To fight back like that, in life and on this course… it’s one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen.”
The round ended with Morgan shooting a 70—two under par—matching scores from pros and celebrities who’ve played competitively for years. But the number wasn’t what people were talking about. It was the presence. The perseverance. The moment.
After the final putt dropped on 18, the crowd surrounding the green gave Morgan a standing ovation. Saban approached him, removed his cap, and offered a handshake that turned into a hug.
“That’ll stay with me,” the legendary coach said later. “I came here to play some golf and support a good cause. I’m leaving with a story I’ll never forget.”
The story, of course, doesn’t end there. Morgan’s comeback round has since gone viral. Clips of him swinging with near-perfect tempo—his scarred leg slightly visible beneath his shorts—have flooded social media. Messages of support have poured in from around the sports world. Pro golfers, including major champions, have reposted his highlights. Alabama football alumni like Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts have reached out privately, according to a family spokesperson.
Perhaps most movingly, Morgan received a call the following day from the University of Alabama’s golf program.
“They told me they’d be keeping an eye on me,” Morgan said, smiling. “That’s all I needed to hear.”
His father, Mark Morgan, who stood quietly beside him during most of the round, wiped tears from his eyes when asked about the day.
“There were nights we didn’t know if he’d walk again,” he said. “To see him out there today—competing, thriving, being himself—it’s a gift.”
So what’s next for Jack Morgan?
He says he’s focused on returning to junior tournaments in the fall, with the long-term goal of earning a college scholarship. While he’s flattered by the attention, he insists that he isn’t interested in fame or followers. He just wants to keep playing the game he loves—and inspire people along the way.
“If someone out there is going through something—an injury, an accident, a hard time—I want them to know: your story isn’t over,” he said. “You can come back. Maybe even better than before.”
Nick Saban, who has spent his life preaching process, preparation, and perseverance, echoed the sentiment.
“That young man showed us all something today,” he said before leaving the course. “It wasn’t just golf. It was heart, it was courage, it was everything we try to instill in athletes and people in general. I’ve won championships. I’ve seen greatness. But this was different. This was real.”
As the sun dipped behind the Alabama hills and players filtered off the course, a hush fell over Greystone. But Jack Morgan’s story was still being told in every corner of the clubhouse. Not as a tale of tragedy, but as a testament to resilience.
A year ago, he lay in a hospital bed fighting to keep his leg. Now, he’s outdriving Nick Saban and turning pro heads—on the same leg, scarred and strong.
Sometimes, the greatest victories don’t come with trophies.
Sometimes, they come with second chances, and the quiet sound of a golf ball soaring through the air—better than anyone thought possible.
