John Senden offers his right hand in greeting, and the 53-year-old professional golfer’s grip is firm.
In that moment, there is no hint he’s been playing on the PGA Tour Champions for 25 months since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
A native of Brisbane, Australia, Senden illustrates one of his many problems with the neurodegenerative disorder. He picks up his phone and continues to talk. His right-side tremors, perhaps unnoticeable to those unfamiliar with the condition, rapidly become more pronounced. He says his nervous system is finding it difficult to perform two tasks at the same time, even one that is taken for granted like speaking.
With most Parkinson’s patients, one side of the body is affected first, then the symptoms cross over. Senden knows that day may be coming. But he’s never dropped out of a round due to his condition, never thought of quitting.
Senden forges ahead, spurred by a tangible dream.
“With the way I’m feeling at the moment, yes, it’s a challenge every day, but wouldn’t it be great to get out here and win a golf tournament with Parkinson’s?” Senden said Tuesday at Firestone Country Club. “No one’s ever done it, right? No one’s heard much about it, either. It would be a real challenge for me to do that, but it’s not out of the question.”
To some, hearing Senden utter those words with such conviction might evoke a visceral reaction. But that suggestion didn’t faze fellow Aussie and Dallas neighbor Rod Pampling, Senden’s friend of 35 years.
“At the end of the day we all have to have goals,” Pampling said Wednesday. “That’s what drives you still. For John, that’s a great goal. It would be incredible.
“Can he do it? Of course he can, the game’s there. He’s just got to somehow get the medication right so he can perform at his best. It’s difficult out here. And to have Parkinson’s and still be playing out here is pretty amazing.”
Competing this week in the $3.5 million Kaulig Companies Championship, Senden did not play a practice round after Tuesday to keep his body in peak form for the senior tour’s fourth major. His wife, Jackie, remained in Texas, planning to join him July 25-28 at the Senior Open Championship in Carnoustie, Scotland. Their son, Jacob, 20, accompanied his dad to Akron.
As daunting as his future appears, Senden considers the senior tour a blessing, especially because it provides a familial atmosphere and the exercise he needs to battle…
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