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PGA Tour star to miss remainder of 2011 season after diagnosis

Surgery shocker: JB Holmes will miss the remainder of the PGA Tour season to undergo brain surgery

Two-time PGA Tour winner J.B. Holmes will miss the rest of the season after being told that he requires brain surgery.

The big-hitting Holmes, a member of the victorious US 2008 Ryder Cup team, has been diagnosed with structural defects in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that regulates balance. He first reported experiencing vertigo-like symptoms following The Players Championship in May, where he tied for sixth, and after consulting with several specialists, he has been told that he has Chiari malformations.

Essentially, Chiari malformations are caused when the indented bony space at the lower rear of the skull is smaller than normal, which can push the cerebellum and brainstem downward. This can cause the sufferer to experience dizziness, muscle weakness, numbness, headaches, problems with balance and coordination and problems with their vision.

The surgery and resultant recovery period is expected to sideline Holmes for three months. However, he is optimistic about making a full recovery and making a swift return to the tour.

“I know when people hear ‘brain surgery’ it conjures up all kinds of images, but this a relatively low-risk surgery and only takes about an hour-and-a-half,” Holmes said. “Best of all, there’s a very high success rate in fixing the condition. It’s just such a relief to know that there’s a name for what I’ve been going through these past few months and that I have a good chance of getting back to golf and to my regular life.”

Holmes, who was 66th on the FedEx Cup standings at the start of this week, turned professional in 2005 and immediately won the PGA Tour Qualifying School that year, earning him a card for the 2006 season.

He tied-tenth on his first outing at the Sony Open in Hawaii and, just three events later, won his first title at the FBR Open, making him the fastest golfer to reach $1,000,000 in career earnings on the PGA Tour. He subsequently regained the FBR Open in 2008 and, later that year, was part of Paul Azinger’s winning Ryder Cup team in his home state of Kentucky.

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Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered

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