How golf changed Casey DeSantis' life, from giving her big break to meeting husband Ron DeSantis

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently shared a heartwarming story about how he met his wife

UPDATED JUL 11, 2023

Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis got married at Walt Disney World in 2009 (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently shared a heartwarming story about how he met his wife, Casey, during a sit-down interview with Piers Morgan. It turns out that golf played a significant role in their love story

In 2006, DeSantis, then fresh into the Navy, met Casey, who was a local TV reporter at the time, on a golf course. According to the governor, he believed that Casey was looking at him, while Casey tells a different version of events. She explains that she was actually eyeing his bucket of practice golf balls. "I used the balls as a way to start talking to her," the Florida governor told Morgan.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis celebrate his victory over Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist during an election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on November 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. DeSantis was the projected winner by a double-digit lead. — Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis celebrate his victory during an election night watch party in November 8, 2022 (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

'So, you have a bunch of golf balls to thank for true love?'

"So, we started talking, we divvied up the balls and we hit 'em. And then we went out after that and the rest is history, but I think, in fact, she was looking at the balls. I do think I was wrong!" Since their fateful meeting, DeSantis and Casey have been married since September 2009. They tied the knot at Walt Disney World, creating an ironic twist considering DeSantis's recent clashes with Disney over the company's opposition to the GOP-approved 'Don't Say Gay' bill.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, left, and his wife, Casey DeSantis, speak to a crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023 in North Charleston, South Carolina. The Governor's appearance marks his first official visit to the — Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis speak to a crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum on April 19, 2023, in South Carolina (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

"So, you have a bunch of golf balls to thank for true love?" Morgan mused. "I do!' the governor answered. 'And who would have thought that we both would have been there at the same time randomly on some random day in 2006. I'm just fresh into the Navy and she's a local TV reporter at the time, and we just happened to hit it off." DeSantis emphasizes that he recognized early on that Casey was the one for him and made sure to court her. "I would say pretty early, I was like 'This is different' and I made sure to court her," DeSantis explained.

The Governor of Florida and his wife when they were married. Today, as he celebrates their wedding anniversary, Ron DeSantis is facing the biggest challenge ever as a potentially devastating hurricane is heading toward millions of Floridians. pic.twitter.com/3VzJB0PN2X
— Joey Bagadonuts (@JoeyBag59089602) September 26, 2022

'She's a great mother, she's a great first lady!'

"Of course, I got mobilized to Iraq, so we stayed together through all that, but I told myself as soon as I get back from Iraq, I'm popping the question and so we ended up doing that." DeSantis said he took Casey to a "nice little resort in Florida. And we were out on the balcony, and I had a nice ring, and I dropped to the knee and asked her," he revealed.

Morgan needled him, "So you took the knee? Guv?" "Yeah, yeah. That's the only time I take a knee is for that," DeSantis answered, alluding to the GOP pushback against athletes who took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial inequality.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (C) enters with his wife Casey (2nd-L) before speaking about his new book ‘The Courage to Be Free’ in the Air Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on March 5, 2023 in Simi Valley, California. Gov. Ron DeSantis is considered to be one of the GOP frontrunners in the 2024 Presidential Election. — Ron DeSantis enters with his wife Casey before speaking about his new book ‘The Courage to Be Free’ in the Air Force One Pavilion in March 2023 (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

DeSantis mentioned that Casey wasn't entirely surprised by the proposal. "She'd let it be known that she was happy and that we were ready to go to the next level, so, I don't think it was a super shock, but it was good to get that one in the win column, and I don't think I could have done any better in life," he said. "Not just to have a friend, we have three wonderful kids, she's a great mother, she's a great first lady."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his wife Casey DeSantis and their children walk on stage to celebrate victory over Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist during an election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on November 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. DeSantis was the projected winner by a double-digit lead. — Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis and their children walk on stage to celebrate victory during an election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

The governor also touched on Casey's strength and resilience, noting that she has become even more beautiful with time. "She's really the whole package and there's a picture that I have from the 2019 inauguration and then in 2023 sitting at the desk, same pose, she's prettier in 2023 than she was in 2019, and she had a kid, she went through four years of this nonsense, and she beat breast cancer. How do you end up being prettier after four years of that?" he asked. "She finds a way to do it." Casey's battle with breast cancer began in October 2021 and was fortunately deemed cancer-free last March. To celebrate this significant milestone the DeSantis couple chose to raise a glass of their favorite beer, Guinness, and shared a big hug, expressing their joy and relief.