The two-time PGA Tour winner has revealed that he is battling Parkinson’s disease.
John Senden he told ABC Sports during last week’s Australian PGA. He said he was diagnosed with the disease, which affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by nerves, about 18 months ago. But Senden, 52, who missed out on Friday’s game against Royal Queensland in Brisbane, said he wanted to continue competing.
“I have to go to the gym, stay healthy and keep an open attitude, because Parkinson’s wants to shut you down and make you feel a little more depressed,” Senden said. Told. “I have to keep playing and I have to be comfortable with everything. It doesn’t really hurt my strength, but it just makes me feel a little weird sometimes.”
Senden played in 481 career matches, won two PGA Tour titles, the 2006 John Deere Classic and the 2014 Valspar Championship, and earned more than $21 million in prize money. He also won his 2007 Australian Open.
Senden’s last PGA Tour start was at the 2022 John Deere, and he played in 15 PGA Tour Champions events this year, recording one top-25 finish.
“I’m warming up on the practice range and I’m feeling really good, but then all of a sudden my right arm suddenly hurts, the anticipation of hitting the first shot, the difficult shot, or the moment my name is called on the first tee. Sometimes you start shaking and you can’t control it,” Senden added. “I stretch, trigger, and make bigger movements to get through this. The disease doesn’t go away, but I’m still able to play and enjoy golf.”
The Senden family’s battle with Parkinson’s disease is not the Senden family’s first health scare. Senden’s 19-year-old son, Jacob, was diagnosed with a brain tumor six years ago. John Senden took time off from touring to support his son.
Jacob Senden caddied for his father last week.
“There was a time at the time when we didn’t know if he was going to make it,” Senden said recently. “Being together this week has definitely been an inspiration, especially for me and for other kids watching him grow over the past six years. And thanks to some doctors here in Australia, he’s getting stronger every year. He’s doing well and now I feel like I have to take it seriously and live my life.”