HOBBS, N.M. — It's almost been a year since the University of the Southwest accident that killed seven athletes and left two seriously injured.
In honor of the one-year anniversary on March 15th, the community of Hobbs came together on Saturday to get back out on the USW home course and do what the victims loved in the second annual Swing Fore Nine charity golf tournament.
From the outside, it may have looked like your average day on the green with family and friends, but a closer look would show a community that is still healing from the scars of a tragedy that struck almost a year ago.
"I can't imagine my child going through a trauma like they have gone through, even though we lost Jackson. My mom heart still aches for all those kids," said Jen Zinn, the mother of Jackson Zinn, who was killed in the crash.
The Zinn Family is still recovering from losing their son, but the sport of golf is one thing that has helped them remember the late golfer.
"People asked us, 'Are you going to stop playing golf? It's the sport that took your son.' I said, 'No.' Greg said vehemently no. It's the sport that helped create our son. You have to be polite. You have to win with integrity and lose with integrity," Zinn said.
Those are the qualities that defined Jackson's life and now there are survivors ready to carry on the legacy of Zinn and six others, like Dayton Price, a victim lucky to still be here with us.
"I know a lot of people that take it for granted and it's something that can be taken away from you. I think sitting in the hospital, I realized that it's a privilege and not everyone gets to play it," Price said.
Golf is what brings both the Zinn and Price families together, supporting each other through every swing and every hard moment because for those affected by this devastating event, golf just means more.