A two-time PGA Tour winner is getting ready to embark on a difficult path in his life.
John Senden, who won the 2007 Australian Open, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease but he will not let it stop him from playing the game that he loves.
“I’ve got to stay in the gym, stay fit and stay open, because Parkinson’s wants to close you down, wants to make you feel a bit more depressed,” Senden said.
“I’ve got to stay playing, stay light-hearted about everything. It doesn’t actually undermine my strength, it just sort of makes me feel a bit weird sometimes.”
The 52-year-old golfer had been experiencing symptoms for as long as 18 months before getting an official diagnosis.
“I can be on the range warming up and feeling really good, but as soon as the anticipation of hitting the first shot or a difficult shot or even the name called on the first tee, all of a sudden my right arm starts shaking and I can’t control that sometimes,” Senden added. “I sort of stretch it or trigger it or get some bigger movements to get through this. It’s not going to go away, but I’m still able to play and still enjoying golf.”
Fans prayed for him online:
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This is not the first serious health issue in Senden’s immediate family. In 2017, his then-13-year-old son was diagnosed with brain cancer. He played the next two years on a Major Medical Extension under the tour’s family crisis provision, but he eventually had to use Past Champions and 300 PGA Tour cuts made status to continue to compete.
The now 19-year-old is doing well and even caddied for his dad last week in the DP World Tour’s Australian PGA Championship, where John Senden missed the cut by one stroke.
Senden’s PGA Tour wins came in the 2006 John Deere and 2014 Valspar Championship, and he also captured the 2007 Australian Open.
Senden has made 51 starts on PGA Tour Champions and notched one top-10 finish. He played 19 times this past season, posting one top-25 while finishing 83rd in the season-long standings.
