TROON, Scotland (AP) — Michael Hendry’s par putt at the ninth hole at Royal Troon wasn’t particularly special. The hug from his 9-year-old daughter afterward was, though.
The 44-year-old New Zealander played at the British Open on Thursday a little over a year after being diagnosed with leukemia. It was the most rewarding 3-over 74 he’s ever shot.
“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,” Hendry said. “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.”
Hendry thought he had the flu and went to the doctor last April. A few tests later, he was in an Auckland hospital and didn’t get out for 6 1/2 weeks. There were several rounds of chemotherapy and he lost more than 30 pounds (13 kilos).
All the while, though, he was motivated by the R&A’s offer to hold a spot for Royal Troon. If he was healthy enough to play, he’d get a medical exemption.
“That gave him something to look forward to when he was sick,” Tara Hendry said after her husband tapped in for par at the 18th hole.
The whole family made the trip. The Hendrys have two young daughters, Maddie and Harper. Maddie, aged 9, yelled “Go Dad!” after Hendry sank a short putt for par on the 10th.
Hendry, who missed the cut in his prior Open appearances in 2017 and 2018, said it was “very special” to have his family here this week.
“I really hoped I was going to be healthy enough to play so I could bring them over. I’m no spring chicken anymore, and playing on the Japan Tour, we don’t get that many opportunities to get into major events,” he said.
“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, it gives them a really cool perspective as to what Dad does.”
Hendry was 3 over after three holes, acknowledging he was nervous and thinking too much about his journey from a hospital bed to the British Open.
“It was a mixture of too much reminiscing, too many thoughts about, ‘Jeez, I’m actually here, I’m actually doing this.’ Once I got through that, I managed to sort of just get myself back into tournament mode and played pretty well.”
Hendry, who is in remission, earned his second win on the Japan Tour in May.
“At no point did I think I wouldn’t play golf again. I’d made my mind up that, even if I was sick, if I was healthy enough to play, I was going to try and play,” he said.
“I decided early on in the piece that I was going to try to dictate my life rather than this dictating my life.”
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