Max Greyserman giving back while recovering from injury

There's something to be said about the perspective gained by an athlete while recovering from a significant injury. It can mark the beginning of the end or the start of a comeback story that sports fans have grown to love. Whether it's Tiger Woods returning from a life-threatening car accident or Klay Thompson rising to the NBA Finals after taking multiple seasons to recover from knee and foot injuries, an athlete's return to glory often becomes a legacy.

RELATED: Family support runs deep for Max Greyserman

In 2020-21, Max Greyserman had finished his second season on the Korn Ferry Tour. He finished 46th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List, 34 spots higher than his rookie year in 2019. Although he lost steam toward the end of 2021 when he thought he would earn his PGA TOUR card, there were plenty of positives to take away from a Korn Ferry Tour season where he notched six top-10 finishes.

Greyserman's career had seen steady improvement up to that point. After a solid four-year career at Duke University, he qualified for PGA TOUR Canada. He notched two top-20 finishes north of the border before earning full status on the Korn Ferry Tour through 2019 Q-School. But his growing success was accompanied by a nagging wrist injury that would not go away.

"I've been dealing with this off-and-on for three years," said Greyserman, a five-year pro. "I've had four cortisone shots over the past couple of years. I've seen a bunch of different doctors. This past offseason, it started to hurt quite a bit."

In October 2021, a month after finishing T33 at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance, Greyserman was forced to wear a wrist brace after the initial diagnosis was a bone bruise. He would keep the brace on for all of November and December, anticipating that he would be ready for the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season opener in the Bahamas. However, his wrist did not recover the way doctors had hoped, primarily due to a misdiagnosis, and Greyserman was forced to play the first five events of 2022 in a world of pain.

Miraculously with the help of additional cortisone shots, he made four of five cuts to begin 2022, including a T15 finish at The Panama Championship. Two weeks later, at the LECOM Suncoast Classic, he was near the top of the leaderboard after opening rounds of 65-66 before finishing T22. But after that event in late February, his wrist not responding to therapy, he was not able to compete.

After three years of incorrect diagnoses, an MRI revealed Greyserman, 27, had a fractured lunate, one of the eight carpal bones forming the wrist joint. The typical therapy for the injury is to wear a brace and rest, but since that process already had proven unsuccessful, doctors believed it was time for an invasive surgery. On April 20, Greyserman underwent successful surgery on his lunate bone, and a drudging, three-month recovery was underway.

"It's boring. You play golf your whole life, and suddenly you can't play. It's different, but it's a blessing in disguise," said Greyserman.

The unexpected blessing was a newfound perspective. Greyserman was able to spend more time with his family. He is getting married in December.

Last June, before his injury worsened, Max's sister, Jacquie, asked him to help at a Youth Renewal Fund event. Jacquie is on the board at Youth Renewal, and Max was looking for ways to grow his brand outside of the game.

The Youth Renewal Fund is the philanthropic and strategic funding partner for Darca Schools in Israel, promoting innovative education throughout the Jewish state’s most underserved communities. Darca, Israel's No. 1 ranked network of schools, operates 43 high schools and learning centers and serves more than 24,000 students. Only 50 percent of Israeli students passed the Bagrut matriculation exam in the 2020-21 school year, making them eligible to apply to university. Ninety-three percent of Darca students passed this exam, according to 32auctions.com.

After attending a few events with his sister, Max decided to get more involved by raising money for Youth Renewal Fund by auctioning off rounds of golf at some of the most prestigious courses in America. Most of these clubs are private, but due to the robust relationships Greyserman has formed over the years with members, he had an overwhelming amount of participation.

Rounds with members at high-profile golf clubs like Grove 23, Oak Hill Country Club, Winged Foot Golf Club, Riviera, Friar's Head, Baker's Bay, and Medalist all have been donated to benefit the Youth Renewal Fund thanks to Greyserman.

"The auction ends June 28, and 100 percent of the money is directed to the Youth Renewal Fund. Thankfully, it was easy to get people to offer themselves or their course. It's the best auction I've seen," Greyserman said.

Greyserman says his motivation to give back to the education system is inspired by the way his father, Alex, used education as a tool to move from the Soviet Union (now Cherniv, Ukraine) to America. After landing in New Jersey, Alex Greyserman graduated from Rutgers University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics before earning his master's in electrical engineering from Columbia University.

"It's coming back full circle. It's cool to be able to give back through education. Hopefully, someone in a poor community that we are helping becomes the next founder of a big tech company, and then they can give back, too," Greyserman said.

Greyserman hopes to be back inside the ropes on the Korn Ferry Tour by mid- to late July.

Link to 32 auctions YRF Golf Tournament Auction: https://www.32auctions.com/YRFGolfTournament