Michael Hendry had just qualified for this third Open Championship last April after a second-place finish at the World City Championship in Hong Kong. But he started to feel fatigued – getting out of bed was a struggle, and he slept for nearly 12 hours a day.
Hendry, 44, went to the doctors thinking he had the flu. After a few tests, he was diagnosed with leukemia.
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The golf pro from New Zealand wrote to the R&A to withdraw from the tournament while he underwent treatment, but they told him they would hold him a spot as a medical exemption if he were healthy enough to play.
Just over a year later, Hendry took the first tee box at Royal Troon.
"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."
After being admitted to the hospital, Hendry lost about 30 pounds due to the chemotherapy treatment he received over the course of six and half weeks.
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The opportunity to play in the Open was a shining light at the end of the tunnel.
"That gave him something to look forward to when he was sick," Tara Hendry said after her husband finished his round on Thursday.
Hendry started off slowly, going 3-over in his first five holes.
"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 would settle down and end the day with a 3-over 74. Hendry’s two daughters were in attendance to watch their dad play.
"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 qualified for the Open in 2017 and 2018, missing the cut both times.
Hendry, now in remission, is looking to make his first cut at a major championship on Friday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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