Golf – and a special surprise from his favorite player – bring renewed hope to 11-year-old fighting rare form of cancer

Ethan Evans’ life started out like many others. Born and raised in Oklahoma, the oldest of 5, Ethan developed a love for many sports at a young age, but golf – by far – became his favorite. Ethan not only loves golf; he excels at it. He plays on a traveling team, competing in many different events throughout his home state and a few neighboring ones, taking home many top finishes along the way. Most everything was quite normal in Ethan’s life, until it wasn’t. In fact, it was rare. In late 2021, Ethan’s dad had noticed a bump on his cheek. Just a few weeks later, Ethan was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer – Rhabdomyosarcoma. This aggressive form of cancer affects less than 500 people per year in the United States, primarily children. Through surgeries and what was to come – 66 rounds of chemotherapy – Ethan needed to shave his head. However, his community and his classmates ensured that Ethan that he was not alone in this fight, orchestrating a head shaving party to let Ethan know they were going to be with him through it all. Ethan’s school also allowed its students to wear hats to school, which helped to alleviate Ethan’s worries about standing out with a shaved head. THE PLAYERS Championship team heard about his story in late November through one of Ethan’s family friends and wanted to support however they could, and with more than just a hat. It first started with sending Ethan a Christmas gift as a surprise, providing hats for each of his siblings, some shirts, swag, and a letter signed by THE PLAYERS team wishing him well. When the new year began, Ethan was recovering from his second surgery and started his chemotherapy. Once cleared to travel, another surprise was waiting for Ethan. The Mack Impact, a local wish-granting organization in Ethan’s hometown, helped arrange a special trip to THE PLAYERS for Ethan and his family. This trip wasn’t just a break from the exhaustion of medical appointments and chemotherapy. It was a chance to give Ethan a renewed spirit, as he fights through a harsh time of his life. The surprises didn’t end with tickets to watch the best golfers in the world compete on the Stadium Course. There was so much more in store. A week before Ethan and his parents flew into Jacksonville, Florida, Ethan came home to a video waiting for him on TV. It was from his favorite PGA TOUR player – Brooks Koepka. Brooks invited Ethan out for an inside-the-ropes experience during Wednesday’s practice round at THE PLAYERS. Ethan not only got to meet his golf idol, but he also had the opportunity to play holes 7, 8 and 9 on the Stadium Course, using Brooks’ clubs and receiving advice and words of encouragement from him along the way. During his one-on-one conversation with Brooks, Ethan had mentioned that he was a huge Cleveland Browns fan. As it turned out, Brooks and Baker Mayfield are good friends, so much so that the pair of pro athletes has each other on speed dial. Just moments later, Brooks came up to Ethan with a FaceTime from Baker Mayfield. Not that his day could have been any better, he was now standing in front of a crowd of fans chatting with the NFL quarterback about his experience at THE PLAYERS. As it turns out, Mayfield has strong ties with the organization that played a role in making Ethan’s trip to THE PLAYERS possible. The Mack Impact was founded in honor of Mackenzie Asher, who passed away in 2017 after battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This organization gives Oklahoma children fighting cancer an opportunity to have amazing “bucket list” experiences during their downtime from the hospital. Mackenzie’s bucket-list trip was to attend an OU football game as a VIP, which is where she met Mayfield. Mackenzie left such an imprint on Mayfield that he attended and spoke at her funeral and would later go on to dedicate his season to her and talk about her the night he won the Heisman trophy. It’s evident that both Mayfield and Koepka have a heart for stories like Ethan’s and Mackenzie’s, doing what they can to continue bringing hope to young men and women fighting battles so much tougher than what either of them experience on the course or the field. As Ethan continues to power through 66 rounds of chemotherapy, he has gained countless supporters and fans who will be cheering him on every step of the way. None more so than Koepka himself. “Ethan’s a pro.” Inspiration lives on both sides of the ropes.

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