BRADENTON, Fla. — Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and shoulder and elbow specialist Dr. R. Stephen Otte with Coastal Orthopedics recently served as the on-site physician for the 2021 PGA Tour’s World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession Golf Club.
Collin Morikawa took this year’s trophy during the major PGA Tour golf tournament, which took place Feb. 25-28. Other top-ranked competitors included Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Patrick Reed, Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, among others. Golfing greats like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have been past winners of the annual championships.
During the week of Feb. 22-28, Dr. Otte juggled the tournament events while also seeing the practice’s patients and performing surgeries. During the week, he attended to any acute injuries or illnesses for the tournament’s players, staff, caddies or spectators. He also supported the medical and training teams as an additional resource for any orthopedic medical matters. Dr. Otte consulted on a few cases and shared some conversations with players, but the athletes largely practiced and competed without much interference.
“It is a huge honor for me and Coastal Orthopedics to be involved,” said Dr. Otte, who carries a 4 handicap himself. “It has been really exciting for me to assist at this prestigious event, serve the golfing and Sarasota-Bradenton community and see some of the best professional athletes from around the world prepare and play at a course I’m very familiar with. One of the many thrills from the past week was witnessing the preparation and precision displayed by these amazing athletes. The 24-year-old Collin Morikawa is a great champion and showed such poise over the 4-day tournament.”
For more than 45 years, the team at Coastal Orthopedics have served the Sarasota-Bradenton community. The physicians have worked with sports teams, athletic organizations and high school teams throughout the area, including Bayshore High School, Braden River High School, Bradenton Christian High School, Cardinal Mooney High School, Manatee High School and Palmetto High School and Southeast High School.
“Ultimately, one of the main reasons I chose this specialty was to help people and patients perform at their highest level – whether a weekend warrior or a professional athlete,” said Dr. Otte. “I have worked with several professional sports teams during my training, and for me, it is a thrill to get to work with and help athletes reach that level.”
The PGA Tour’s World Golf Championships-Workday Championship was moved from Mexico to Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About Coastal Orthopedics
Founded in 1973 and based in Bradenton, Fla., Coastal Orthopedics is home to 20 orthopedic surgeons and pain management physicians who maintain hospital affiliations with Blake Medical Center, Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, Manatee Memorial Hospital and Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. Servicing Florida’s West Coast, Coastal Orthopedics’ board-certified and fellowship-trained physicians and surgeons provide patients with cutting-edge pain and orthopedic treatment technology. The company strives to repair and heal injuries relating to the entire musculoskeletal system. For more than 45 years, its highly skilled staff of physicians and surgeons has treated patients in specialty care, including sports medicine, joint replacement, spine surgery, pain management and rehabilitation. Patients can experience restoration of function both surgically and non-surgically through the use of physician-guided strengthening, therapy, medications, injections and stretching. For more information, visit CoastalOrthopedics.com or call 941-792-1404.
About R. Stephen Dr. Otte
With a focus on shoulder and elbow pathology, Dr. Otte sees patients of all ages and treats a variety of conditions, such as rotator cuff injuries, arthritis of the shoulder and elbow, rotator cuff tear arthropathy, shoulder instability, labral tears, biceps tendonitis, medial and lateral epicondylitis and fractures of the shoulder and elbow.
He has written several book chapters covering topics including rotator cuff tears, reverse shoulder replacement and shoulder reconstruction. Dr. Otte has also published papers in several peer-reviewed journals, including the prestigious Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, and his research has been presented at numerous national and international meetings.
He completed his bachelor’s degree and received his doctorate degree at the University of Nebraska before completing his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Spectrum Health through Michigan State University. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the prestigious Midwest Orthopaedics at RUSH in Chicago, Ill., where he also helped take care of several professional Chicago sports teams, such as the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Fire.