SAN FRANCISCO – The putt on the last hole hurt, and so did Casey Martin’s leg. He limped off the final green uncertain of his chances of playing on the weekend, though that didn’t seem to matter to the crowd gathered on the hillside above.

They rose to applaud the effort, if not the score. Then they watched as Martin left his golf cart behind and bounded up the 40-some stairs to the clubhouse, forgetting for a moment the price his right leg might pay for it later.

He shot two respectable rounds on a brutally tough golf course, not bad for a guy who hadn’t competed seriously for six years.