Whether he’s on or off the golf course, Liam Lodding always tries to maintain a positive attitude regardless of the situation he’s in. Even when he was airlifted to UI Health in Chicago after experiencing chest pain and difficulty breathing, Lodding still managed to find a positive.

“I was in a helicopter all the way to Chicago,” Lodding said. “I was trying to be as positive as I could the entire time. The helicopter ride was pretty cool, even though it wasn’t for the right reason. The funny part was, during the helicopter ride, I was so excited to see the Chicago skyline from above, but I accidentally fell asleep.”

It was 2023 when Lodding traveled south to compete at a junior amateur golf tournament in Robinson, a city nearly four hours away from Chicago and close to 300 miles from his hometown of Huntley. Lodding fired a 2-under-par practice round, but he did so while dealing with severe stomach pain that lasted throughout the day.

“I felt so terrible,” Lodding said. “It was the worst stomach pain I could imagine. I wanted to play so bad because I love playing, but I couldn’t stand the pain. I went on with the rest of my day and the night before the tournament, I told myself that I would go out there, try to play and see what happens. When I woke up the day of the tournament, I was dealing with chest pain and I couldn’t breathe.”

Lodding informed his mother, Stephanie, of his chest pain, leading her to take him to a nearby hospital early in the morning. At the hospital, Lodding underwent blood tests and learned that his level of troponin, a protein released into the blood when a heart muscle is damaged, was exceedingly high. Lodding was immediately airlifted to UI Health, where he stayed for two days and underwent more tests.

“It was a crazy experience,” Lodding said. “I took a lot of blood tests at the hospital because they were trying to find out what was wrong.”

Lodding’s stomach pain was ultimately attributed to salmonella, but after his stay at UI Health, Lodding also was diagnosed with acute myocarditis, a condition where the heart muscle becomes inflamed. An extremely competitive student-athlete, Lodding said his mind immediately shifted to golf when he first learned of his diagnosis.

“My first reaction was I wanted to know whether or not I was going to be able to play golf,” Lodding said. “At that time, golf was and still is a very important part of my life. It was something I was doing for 8 to 10 hours a day and I was traveling all over to play golf. When they told me I couldn’t play for two, three or four months, that really hurt me more than anything. I wasn’t able to play and do what I love most.”

Sidelined from his favorite sport, Lodding sought out ways in which he could make a positive impact through the game of golf. During his stay at UI Health, which lasted about a week, Lodding observed the struggles of other patients fighting serious illnesses and ailments.

“I remember walking around and seeing kids with Stage 4 cancer and all of these other terminal diseases,” Lodding said. “They have no clue what will happen to them. In a way, I was blessed because I knew I was going to be fine and it was a temporary setback. But I learned there are kids fighting for their lives. I was only there for a short amount of time, but there are kids who may be there permanently.”

Inspired, Lodding geared his passion for golf toward fundraising. When he returned home from the hospital, Lodding and his family learned about the AJGA’s Leadership Links, a volunteer program that allows young athletes to acquire service hours and raise money for charity and the Liberty National ACE Grant program, which provides financial assistance to athletes aspiring to earn collegiate golf scholarships.

“I started reaching out to people,” Lodding said. “I started texting, emailing and calling people to see if I could get the funds. From the start, my goal was to raise $4,000, but after four months, I got to $40,000. Since then, I’ve kept going at it and it’s been amazing.”

Since 2023, Lodding has raised over $115,000 for charity. Through the Leadership Links program, Lodding has raised money for the Jack Nicklaus Children’s Healthcare Foundation, even meeting the PGA Hall of Famer himself. On Sunday, Lodding held his first charity golf outing at Elgin Country Club. The event helped raise over $40,000.

“My parents and I came up with the fundraising event, which was unbelievable,” Lodding said. “It was surreal to raise that much money in one day. I definitely want to do another one because I really enjoyed it and I really loved seeing everyone come together on the golf course and donate to such a great cause.”

Lodding’s golf outing was attended by notable celebrities including former NFL player Jake Kumerow, Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy. Additionally, Callaway donated golf clubs to the event and intends to make a cash donation in the future. Lodding is within range of hitting his fundraising goal of $77,777 for this year.

“It was amazing,” Lodding said. “I love talking to people and I love getting to know people. I’m a very extroverted guy who loves to do things and seeing everyone come together and interact with each other for a great cause. It opened my eyes because I want to keep doing this in the future, but I could also do this for a career.”

Lodding was forced to miss part of his sophomore golf season due to his recovery, but he received clearance to play toward the end of the fall. Lodding, who won a Class 1A regional championship and finished 11th at state as a freshman, returned to the IHSA state meet as a sophomore and placed second despite missing a chunk of the season.

“For the first month, I couldn’t touch a golf club,” Lodding said. “After my one-month checkup, my doctor opened me up to putting and chipping. I did as much as I could and I pushed the limits of what I could do because I don’t like to do nothing.”

Lodding, who aims to channel the competitive spirit of Tiger Woods and the calm demeanor of Scottie Scheffler, won his second career regional title as a junior and ended his junior season as a state qualifier for the third time. Lodding’s golf coach, Jeff Boldog, has been a role model for him, both on the course and in his faith.

“When faced with adversity, we can either give up or fight through it,” Boldog said. “[Liam] decided to face this adversity head on, rather than complain about not being able to play the sport he loves. Liam used this time to help others.”

Now a senior with the Harvest-Westminster (formerly Harvest Christian) boys golf team, Lodding is over two years removed from his acute myocarditis diagnosis, but his passion for golf has evolved beyond his play on the course. A talented player in his own right, Lodding said he aspires to play Division I golf and study entrepreneurship in college.

“I learned so many lessons from having this heart incident,” Lodding said. “I used to be so focused on the result. I want to be the best I can be, but I’ve learned that I need to be more grateful on the course and in life. There are so many other problems out there than hitting a bad golf shot, and I’ve realized that I need to be more grateful. That has pushed me to finish better in state and make my game better.”

Lodding was recently recognized with the USGA-AJGA Presidents’ Leadership Award for his leadership, character and community service. For more information about Lodding’s story or how to donate, visit https://www.leadershiplinks.org/LiamForeKids.