Mike Hendry – making hay while the sun shines
Mike Hendry – overcoming the odds – image Australian Golf Media
With the Australian PGA Championship signaling the homecoming of many local players after a year of competing elsewhere, there are many storylines and often feelgood stories to be told as the Australian golfing public is reacquainted with not only their golfing stars but some at a lesser level also.
While not an Australian, it is hard, however, to go past the significant performance of New Zealander Mike Hendry this week, the 44-year-old not only making the cut but after a round of 64 on day three, moving into contention early in the day after having only just made the cut on the number.
In May of this year, Hendry had been diagnosed with leukemia, forcing him to take an indefinite break from the game while he underwent the treatment he needed.
In March and just a few weeks after finishing 6th in his own national open in Queenstown, Hendry had finished runner-up in an event on the Asian Tour, securing a start at the Open Championship but with the news of his illness, to miss a start at the Open was yet another blow to the Aucklander.
Hendry underwent the treatment he required to overcome the life-threatening illness and returned to tournament golf in September at the Tauranga Open, one of the Charles Tour events in New Zealand and just two weeks later was back in the winner’s circle when successful at the Clearwater Open in Christchurch.
It wasn’t a big event, admittedly, but given the circumstances and the story behind the win, it was an emotional victory and made Hendry aware that he was headed in the right direction as far as his golfing career was concerned.
“Obviously, the trials and tribulations that I’ve been through this year I’ve been pushing hard to get back to the game, and to do this in my second major tournament back is pretty surreal to be honest. I’m blown away,” said Hendry at the time.
Hendry has won the New Zealand Open, twice the New Zealand PGA Championship, the Vic Open in Australia and the Token Homemate Cup in Japan but the win in Christchurch must surely been one of his most satisfying because of what it meant to his playing future.
Hendry is not out of the woods completely in regards to his cancer prognosis and is still undergoing stem cell treatment but given the future he faced in May, that he is back playing and competing as well as he now is, suggests things are very much headed in the right direction and the outlook a lot less gloomier than earlier in the year.
Returning to the PGA Tour of Australasia at the Queensland PGA Championship in November, Hendry would make the cut and would finish 14th the following week at the Gippsland event in Victoria.
Opening rounds of 69 and 73 at this week’s Australian PGA Championship had him sweating on even being around for the weekend in fact he had to wait most of the afternoon for his inclusion in the weekend field to be confirmed.
“I was back at the hotel before we knew,” said Hendry when asked if he knew his fate before he left the course on Friday. “I had left my clubs here. I knew I was going to come and do some practice if I didn’t play. It is what it is.
“My caddie, Ryan (Chisnall) said that we needed a birdie on the last, and he was right to make sure that we make it. Managed to make a scrappy par and walking off thought that was that for the week. Obviously got fortunate with a couple of late bogeys from a couple of the other boys and I suppose a bit of luck led to a positive outlook today and all of sudden you have a good round.
Then came his bogey-free third round of 64 to move him to the edge of contention almost before the leaders had hit off.
He enters today’s final round tied for 14th after a day of low scoring by those teeing off later on Saturday but the statement he made with his fine play on Saturday was a tonic not only for Hendry but for his many fans in New Zealand and elsewhere.
Hendry remains upbeat about his future determined to get the best out of whatever the future holds.
“Yeah, I feel good. The good thing is now it seems that they’ve managed to get the medication right when they give me the bone marrow biopsy now.
“It’s painful even though I’m medicated, but the day after there’s no pain, so that’s a real bonus because the first few really hurt for a few days afterwards, almost like you’ve got a really bad lower back. But thankfully the last few have been pretty painless after the fact. I was a little bit nervous as to whether it was going to hurt, but it’s been absolutely fine, which is good.
“There’ll be another one in 11 weeks’ time, blood tests every six weeks. Bone marrows every 12 weeks at the moment just to monitor what’s going on. At the moment it seems to be doing what it’s told, but who knows what the future holds, but we’ll just try and make hay while the sun shines.”
