Long-time Queensland tour professional John Senden has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he said this week at the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship.
Senden has battled symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for about 18 months, he told ABC Sport, and plans to keep playing golf to deal with the condition.
“I’ve got to stay in the gym, stay fit and stay open, because Parkinson’s wants to close you down, wants to make you feel a bit more depressed,” Senden told ABC Sport. “It doesn’t actually undermine my strength, it just sort of makes me feel a bit weird sometimes.
“I can be on the range warming up and feeling really good, but as soon as the anticipation of hitting the first shot or a difficult shot or even the name called on the first tee, all of a sudden my right arm starts shaking and I can’t control that sometimes… I sort of stretch it or trigger it or get some bigger movements to get through this. It’s not going to go away, but I’m still able to play and still enjoying golf.”
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and parts of the body controlled by the nerves; symptoms include tremors, slowness of movement, limb stiffness and gait and balance problems. The disease is not fatal, but complications can be serious.
Senden played 19 events on PGA Tour Champions this season; his lone top-25 finish came at the Constellation Furyk & Friends in October. He ranked 83rd on the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings, after finishing 79th the year prior.
Senden, 52, is a two-time PGA Tour winner, at the 2006 John Deere Classic and 2014 Valspar Championship. He has made 481 career PGA Tour starts, recording 124 top-25 finishes. He qualified for the Tour Championship on four occasions (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014) as well.
Senden said he is drawing inspiration from his son Jacob, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in April 2017 at age 13. At the time, Jacob Senden was rushed to the hospital and told he had two hours to live. Soon thereafter, John Senden took a 14-month competitive leave to be with his son as he battled through multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
This week, Jacob Senden caddied for his dad at the Australian PGA; they missed the cut by one shot, but it was a memorable father-and-son experience.
“It’s really something else to see him out there thriving,” John Senden told ABC Sport.
