Asian Tour: cancer survivor Hendry ready to win New Zealand Open, months after success would have been ‘just turning up’
- Kiwi Michael Hendry had just finished second at the World City Championship in Hong Kong when he got his leukaemia diagnosis
- Now he is back on the Asian Tour and targeting a second Open title at Queenstown
Less than a year ago, Michael Hendry did not know how much longer he would live, let alone if he would ever play golf professionally again.
The New Zealander had just finished second at the World City Championship in Hong Kong when he was diagnosed with leukaemia, and in May announced he was taking indefinite leave from the sport.
On Thursday, with the all-clear from his latest biopsy still fresh in the mind, Hendry returns to the Asian Tour to compete in the New Zealand Open, with a second title in Queenstown firmly in his sights.
“Success nine months ago would have been just being able to turn up,” Hendry, who won his national Open in 2017, said. “Fortunately the hard work I have done has put me in a position where I feel I have a genuine chance to win the tournament if things click.”
Four months after that initial diagnosis, the 44-year-old returned to the game, competing and winning on the Charles Tour in New Zealand, and he believes golf has helped him recover.
“One thing that became apparent when I was at a stage where I was unsure how much longer I was going to live, was that I was going to enjoy every day I had left,” he said. “My priorities were my family and what I do for a living.
