Michael Hendry bows out at Royal Troon in emotional return following cancer scare

Michael Hendry accepted a place in the field from the R&A after recovering from leukemia

New Zealand golfer Michael Hendry battled valiantly at Troon, eventually ending his campaign on 10-over-par, one year after withdrawing from Royal Liverpool due to cancer diagnosis.

A shock leukemia diagnosis on the eve of last year’s Open Championship after noticing a lump on his chin forced four-time PGA Tour of Australasia winner Michael Hendry into withdrawing to focus on his chemotherapy treatment.

Only weeks beforehand, Hendry had qualified for Royal Liverpool via the Asian Tour and was targeting his first cut after two failed previous attempts in 2017 and 2018. The next 12 months played out very differently for Hendry however, with the 44-year-old losing 14 kg in weight and struggling to walk up the stairs.

But despite the suffering, his treatment was effective, and just one year on, Hendry was teeing it up at Royal Troon after accepting an invitation from the R&A to participate in the 152^nd edition.

After an opening round of 74 (+3) on Thursday, Hendy said: “It was incredible. Words can’t really describe how grateful I am, not only to the R&A but to all of the doctors and nurses who have helped me over the last 12 months. It was extremely special. This is one thing that really got me through my recovery. To finally be here and teeing it up was extremely special.”

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Despite the inevitable nerves standing on the first tee, Hendry admitted to feeling emotional after his rollercoaster of a journey this past year and how he hopes the week will help to provide some closure on a difficult period for him and his loved ones.

“I feel like this week hopefully will draw a line through that part of my life, and I can move on,” added Hendry.

“This could very well be my last British Open. So having a young family, and my girls are now just at the age where they can kind of understand what Dad does, and to have them here and experiencing The Open, which is the biggest, the oldest, the best golf tournament of the lot, I think it gives them a really cool perspective as to what Dad does. So it’s really cool.”

It’s been a long road back, but one that Hendry always believed would end with him back on the course, even if it wasn’t to the same level. However, it wasn’t long before Hendry was back in the winner’s circle after securing a win on the Japan Golf Tour in May.

“I won in Japan not long ago, just over a month ago. So I was pretty surprised how quickly my game came back to me, he said.

“I’m super grateful for my support team and getting me back to at least some kind of physical capabilities to play at a decent level.”

Despite struggling on Friday to a seven-over-par 78 and missing the cut, Hendry was undoubtedly one of this year’s feel-good stories, and the whole golfing fraternity will wish him well as he continues to fight back to full fitness and more success on the course.

About the author

Ross Tugwood

Senior Digital Writer

Ross Tugwood is a Senior Digital Writer for todays-golfer.com, specializing in data, analytics, science, and innovation.

Ross is passionate about optimizing sports performance and has a decade of experience working with professional athletes and coaches for British Athletics, the UK Sports Institute, and Team GB.

He is an NCTJ-accredited journalist with post-graduate degrees in Performance Analysis and Sports Journalism, enabling him to critically analyze and review the latest golf equipment and technology to help you make better-informed buying decisions.