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Chris Smith (Golf All-American-1991 Big Ten Conference champion)

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wife killed, kids hurt in car crash
GOLFWEEK STAFF

The wife of Nationwide Tour player Chris Smith was killed in an auto accident Sunday near Angola, Ind., and their two children were severely injured, according to a report in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, which cited rescue officials.

Chris Smith, who had missed the cut Friday in the Fort Smith Classic, was in Chicago for a Monday outing when he was told about the accident. His father picked up Smith, and they were en route to Indiana.

According to the News-Sentinel, Beth Smith was killed when the sport utility vehicle in which she was traveling collided head-on shortly before noon with a Greyhound passenger bus that was transporting a semi-pro football team on Interstate 69.

Beth Smith was returning home to Peru, Ind., from a Father?s Day visit with her family in Toledo, Ohio, and was a passenger in the vehicle. The newspaper report did not indicate who was driving.

The Angola Fire Department issued a release stating that the SUV, which was traveling southbound, lost control in the passing lane and overcorrected. The vehicle crossed the median and entered the northbound lane, colliding with the bus.

The first rescue units found the SUV fully engulfed in flames.

The Smiths? daughter, Abigail, 16, who also was in the vehicle, was transported by helicopter to Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, as was her brother, Cameron Smith, 12. Both were listed in critical condition late Sunday, according to a nursing supervisor at the hospital, the News-Sentinel reported.

Approximately 12 occupants of the bus were taken to Cameron Hospital in Angola, and others were taken to St. Anthony?s Catholic Church, according to the news report.

Chris Smith, 40, is a five-time winner on the Nationwide Tour, dating to a two-victory season in his rookie pro year, 1995. He also won the 2002 Buick Classic on the PGA Tour, where he had playing privileges through 2006. Smith was an All-American at Ohio State and the 1991 Big Ten Conference champion. He won the 1990 Indiana Amateur title.

Golf | Golfer’s wife killed, kids hurt in car crash
 
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I couldn't even imagine what Chris is going through right now. The thought of losing my wife and having my kids severely hurt is what I fear most in life. My thoughts and prayers are with Chris and his family.
 
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After family tragedy, touring pros have rallied to Chris Smith's cause
Thursday, May 20, 2010
By BRAD TOWNSEND / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

IRVING ? Chris Smith awoke in his Peru, Ind., home at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. He drove to Indianapolis, flew to Atlanta, then to Dallas.

Also Online Full coverage: Byron Nelson Golf Tournament
But his plan to play a late-morning practice round for the HP Byron Nelson Championship was foiled by news that his golf clubs had been diverted to Detroit.

"To be honest," Smith mused, "if I'd have had that day six months ago, I would have been really unhappy."

Eleven months ago, his wife, Beth, was killed and their two children were critically injured in an auto wreck, on Father's Day, casting a pall over the PGA and Nationwide Tours, where 40-year-old Chris Smith splits his pro career.

At 1:16 p.m. today at the TPC Four Seasons at Las Colinas, Smith makes his fourth PGA Tour start since the accident. He's here because the Salesmanship Club gave him a sponsor's exemption. He's here because his children begged him to return to golf.

"They've inspired me," Smith said Wednesday of Abigail, 17, and Cameron, 13. "Beth would want happiness. It's what we all have strived for, forever. Just because something tragic happens, you've got to look forward and be happy and enjoy life."
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After family tragedy, touring pros have rallied to Chris Smith's cause | Golf News | Sports News | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News

Chris Smith rediscovers golf after tragedy
by GEORGE RIBA/WFAA TV
wfaa.com
Posted on May 19, 2010

IRVING, TX - It's not uncommon for pro golfers to struggle from time to time, but for Chris Smith, nothing compares to his struggles this past year.

Last June, Smith lost his wife Beth in an accident when the SUV she was a passenger in, struck a Greyhound bus carrying members of a Canadian football team. His two daughters, who were also in the car, both survived.

"It's just a horrible situation, a horrible event, a tragic terrible thing but it happened for a reason," Smith says.

Smith didn't play professional golf for nearly eight months after that tragic day in Indiana. It's been a long road back. Getting a sponsor’s exemption to play in this tournament certainly helps him get his feet back on the ground.

"I think you obviously draw on your faith and I have lived my whole life knowing that everything happens for a reason," Smith says. "I don’t' think you’re always supposed to know what that reason is."
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http://www.wfaa.com/sports/Chris-Smith-rediscovers-golf-after-tragedy-94337429.html
 
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