When they were students golfing and living together at the University of Washington, Joel Dahmen and Nick Taylor would sit in their house and play Nintendos Mario Kart. Pretty often.Too often would be the best remark, Taylor said. When we first got it, we started playing NFL Blitz, then we went to Mario Kart. Essentially, we got addicted and there were three or four of us in the house playing all the time. We played too much but got pretty good. We kept playing and playing. It was in the winter, so there was more Mario Kart than golf.Now, they will be playing together again, but it wont be Mario Kart (or at least not on the course). It will be on the PGA Tour. Taylor has been on the tour since 2014, while Dahmen just earned his card at the end of August. He did so after years of considerable struggle.Dahmen, 28, got started in golf about the time he could walk, joining his father, Ed, who coached him throughout his junior career and helped him become very good. Unfortunately, Joels mother, Jolyn, died from pancreatic cancer when he was in high school. After receiving his scholarship to play at Washington, Dahmen wound up dropping out due to poor academics. While he partied a bit, he said he simply didnt go to classes enough during a difficult period.It was a tough time in my life, Dahmen said. My mom passed away. I was just a young kid without a lot of direction or drive to do anything at the time. Being a young kid from a small town [Clarkston, Washington] and all of a sudden at a large university with the world at my hands, I didnt handle it that well.Things got worse as there was more to handle. His brother was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2009 and successfully treated. Then in 2011, Dahmen got the same diagnosis. He had surgery to remove a testicle and then underwent chemotherapy treatment that would go on roughly eight hours a day, every day, for several weeks in which Dahmen would be weak and prone to throwing up.At the beginning, its really tough, Dahmen said. Youre not really sure where to go or what to do or how healthy youre going to be or what your long-term goal can be. Its sitting down for a few weeks and pouting and saying, Why me? and Why is this happening to us? Then you have to make short-term goals and decide if youre going to fight it or not and how hard you will fight to get back on your feet.Dahmen fought hard enough to not only get back on his feet but resume playing golf within a month of his treatment. And he also played well enough to get on the Canadian tour in 2013.It renewed my respect and outlook on the game and changed my goals, he said of his return. My practice habits and some of the other things werent on track with the PGA professionals. I just kind of dedicated myself back to the game and practicing more. And got instruction. I realized thats what I wanted to do, and I really started working toward that goal.Reaching that goal wasnt easy, especially with financial obstacles that are far more numerous and challenging than sand traps on a golf course.While top golfers on the PGA Tour earn a lot of money -- more than 100 won at least $1 million in the recently completed season -- players on the lower levels do not. They must cover their own travel and lodging expenses, which easily can surpass earnings on the Canadian or Web.com tours.Its hard to explain to people sometimes, Taylor said. The majority of athletes in every other sport, they might be paid less than what golfers make but all their expenses are taken care of, so they dont have to worry about that. If a golfer makes 50 grand in a year, hes at least spending that amount for traveling and caddies.Dahmen said his father was always supportive, Making sacrifices to give me all the opportunities he could to make my dream a reality. He also had another loyal supporter backing him in Bob Yosaitis. The former owner of Bradley Pacific Aviation, Yosaitis played a crucial role with financial and other support.The two met and became friends while Yosaitis was caddying for his son at the 2010 Washington state amateur tournament. In the years since, Yosaitis has provided considerable financial help, including paying for Dahmens cancer treatment. He has even caddied for him.I was looking at Joel like another one of my kids, Yosaitis said. He called me one day on the phone and was crying. I thought he had some golf problems. I asked, Whats wrong? and he said, I have cancer. I told him, Dont worry. Ill pay for the treatment. Youre getting the surgery.Dahmen said Yosaitis has been like a second father to him.Hes just a super generous guy who can help and was willing to help, Dahmen said. And weve had a great incredible relationship ever since.Still, it took several years on the Canadian and the Web.com tours before Dahmen finally earned his PGA card in late August. Even that barely happened. Just prior to qualifying, he missed the cut at three consecutive tournaments and nearly missed out. He cried when he missed the cut in the last tournament, and then cried again when he earned the card after finishing among the top 25 on the Web.com tour.Dahmen said if he hadnt qualified he would have felt like he let down all the people who helped him, including his father and Yosaitis.Im just way more appreciative of the experiences and things I get to do, he said. I enjoy everything Im doing a lot more. Im trying to really enjoy the moment that Im in and the people Im with and not take anything for granted. I used to take everything for granted because I pretty much had everything I needed. It just humbled me quite a bit and brought me back to earth.The challenges and difficulties never end, of course. Eight days after earning his card, Dahmen slipped on a cart route and injured his hand with a break at the base of his thumb. Hes targeting the Sanderson Farms Championship at the end October for his debut as a PGA Tour member. Perhaps he and his old housemate Taylor will then reunite, playing Mario Kart in between tournaments and setting an example for aspiring young golfers for how to succeed in the sport.Theres more than one lesson to learn, Taylor, 28, said. Not giving up is the most evident one. I think a lot of people in that scenario could have hung up the clubs and done something else, because being pro wasnt the likely reality, but people who know Joel know how good he can be. Cheap College Basketball Jerseys .Y. - Free agent outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, fresh off winning the World Series with Boston, reached agreement with the rival New York Yankees on a seven-year contract worth about $153 million, a person familiar with the negotiations said Tuesday night. College Jerseys China . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. http://www.cheapcollegejerseys.us.org/ . Duchene scored two goals and had an assist, helping the Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 on Friday night to match the best 10-game start in team history. Cheap College Jerseys From China . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Stitched College Jerseys . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. HOUSTON -- Down two starting infielders, the Astros did one thing they have struggled to do this season -- finish off the Rangers.Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman both left with injuries, but George Springer and Teoscar Hernandez homered and the Houston Astros helped their fading playoff hopes with an 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.I really like the way we fought back, even after they scored the run in the first, Houston manager A.J. Hinch said. We keep fighting, and we finished tonights game a lot better, obviously.Altuve exited after the fourth with right oblique discomfort, and Bregman was pulled in the sixth with right hamstring discomfort.Neither player was available to speak after the game.Theyre getting looked at, getting all the tests, Hinch said. Theyre going to have a full evaluation before we know anything. Im not optimistic about Friday for either one of them.Houston snapped a three-game losing streak and closed within 3 1/2 games of Toronto for the second American League wild card.Hernandez gave the Astros a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer off the facade in left-center in the second. Springer led off the first with his 27th home run to tie it at 1.The Astros got just their fourth win in 19 games against the Rangers this season.It feels good to beat these guys, Houston starter Joe Musgrove said. We have put up tough battles and given everything we had, and they have found ways to sneak out wins in the later innings. To have an offensive burst in the later innings like that is nice.After the Rangers closed within 5-4, Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run single and Jake Marisnick had an RBI single in the eighth to extend the lead to four.I was just trying to put the ball in play with a fly ball or whatever, Gonzalez said.Musgrove (3-4) allowed three runs and five hits with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. The rookie right-hander retired 14 of 15 batters at one point.Its always easy to pitch when you have some runs on the board, Musgrove said. It gives you the freedom to challenge guys a little more and attack guys in the zone.Derek Holland (7-8) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.dddddddddddd Holland lost his second straight and has given up at least four runs in each start.It looked like he seemed to fight himself in the delivery a little bit, Texas manager Jeff Banister said. Once he settled in I thought he threw some quality pitches, got some quality outs. Really, I think the toughest part is three of the four inherited runners of our bullpen, we allowed those to score. We cant have that.The left-handed Holland was announced as the starter after Tuesday nights game, with original starter Yu Darvish moved to start Saturday.Injured infieldersAltuve entered leading the AL in hitting with a .340 average to go with 24 home runs and 94 RBIs. The second baseman also leads the AL in hits with 196. He was 1-for-2 with a double before being lifted.Bregman, a rookie third baseman batting .260 with eight homers, limped into third in the sixth inning after stopping and starting on Tyler Whites groundout. Bregman tried to walk it off, but he was lifted for pinch-runner Tony Kemp and limped off the field.Super utility man GonzalezGonzalez played three positions while the banged-up Astros shuffled their infield. He started out at first base, moved to second base following Altuves exit and then went to third base following Bregmans departure. After the seventh, Gonzalez moved back to second. Gonzalez also has played shortstop and in the outfield this season.Springer ties BiggioSpringer got his eighth leadoff homer of the season, tying Craig Biggio for the club record, which the Hall of Famer set in 2001.Up nextRangers: LHP Cole Hamels (14-5) makes his 30th start of the season Friday night against Oakland. The left-hander allowed two runs in six innings in his most recent start Saturday against the Angels.Astros: RHP Collin McHugh (10-10) makes his 30th start of the season Friday in Seattle looking for his fourth straight win. McHugh is 8-3 with a 4.39 ERA in his career against the Mariners, including a 3-0 record this season with a 1.50 ERA. ' ' '