Kang, Choi in front at KPMG Women’s PGA

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KAPALUA, Hawaii – Jimmy Walker spent most of last season battling the effects of Lyme disease and now his wife Erin must also fight the good fight. Erin revealed in her blog on Thursday that after ironically spending the good part of nine months trying to raise awareness for the disease that had her six-time PGA TOUR winning husband wrecked with fatigue – she had also been diagnosed.   In an in-depth essay about Jimmy’s problems throughout 2017 Erin said she was diagnosed on December 15 last year and is now undergoing treatment. She is hopeful the early detection will ensure a quick recovery, unlike her husband. Since winning the 2016 PGA Championship Jimmy has struggled with his game, mainly due to the effects of the disease. Neither know how they contracted the illness which is non-transferable from human-to-human but comes from tick bites. They believe Jimmy may have caught it on a hunting trip while Erin could have picked up a bite walking a golf course – but neither saw a tick or the associated bull’s-eye rash that follows a bite. Erin revealed her husband went through bouts of depression after getting flu-like sickness several times throughout the year and also began to have “brain fog.â€� He actually tested positive for Lyme, Mono, two different types of pneumonia, West Nile Virus and a virus common to children called CMV. “He had good days, and bad days. Good hours and bad hours. His mood continued to decline and in hindsight he has said he was possibly depressed. We still aren’t sure if the Lyme caused the depression and mood issues, or if it was the fact that he felt awful all of the time,â€� Erin wrote. “Jimmy had no energy to practice, so his golf suffered. He didn’t have energy to play with the kids or help in normal activities around the house. Getting up to go to the golf course for his tournament rounds was the only energy he could muster and most days he felt like sitting down on the tee boxes in-between holes. “One of the biggest symptoms he was experiencing was brain fog. From difficulty to remembering simple tasks such as, leaving tickets for friends and family, to putting on a pot of water to boil and then leaving the house, he was experiencing these types of symptoms on a daily basis.â€� Jimmy is hoping to resume his PGA TOUR season later this month while Erin is hoping to continue her competitive horseback riding despite the diagnosis and re-evaluate the situation after a month of treatment. You can read her full blog here: https://tourwifetravels.com/lyme-disease/

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PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – Freddie Jacobson did not want to shake hands. He wasn’t trying to be rude, but after three hand surgeries – two to his left thumb, one to his right wrist – it’s best to avoid anything that might cause pain or a relapse. “Can’t afford any more hand injuries,� Jacobson said. Fist-bumping is OK, though. So that’s the preferred greeting for now. There’s been lots of opportunities for Jacobson to fist-bump the first two days at The Honda Classic. With rounds of 69-67 that left him at 4 under and near the top of the leaderboard entering the weekend, the Swede shot consecutive rounds in the 60s for the first time at a PGA TOUR event since the 2016 Wyndham Championship. That might not sound like much, but given what he’s endured since then, any positive achievement is worthy of celebrating. It was soon after the 2016 FedExCup Playoffs that Jacobson underwent his third hand surgery. He didn’t return to action until the 2017 Honda Classic but was not competitive in his next few starts. Then at THE PLAYERS Championship that year, his left thumb became a problem again. He tried to fight through with one more start but couldn’t find any stability, as the thumb weakened. So he shut it down for the rest of the year. He considered having another surgery but opted instead to hold off, hoping that rest and proper rehab would be enough. Meanwhile, he and wife Erika also were starting the process of moving their family to their native Sweden, wanting to give their three children – including son Max, who underwent open-heart surgery after being diagnosed with a heart defect in 2015 – the opportunity to enjoy their home country’s culture and language. Jacobson ultimately missed the entire 2017-18 TOUR season, finally returning last fall at Las Vegas. Playing out of the Major Medical category, he has 18 starts to earn 333 FedExCup points to keep his TOUR card. Through his first seven starts, he has just eight points, as he’s missed five cuts. He started off this week thinking his struggles would continue – he had lost the feel of his swing while battling the winds at the Genesis Open and Puerto Rico Open. “On Monday, I thought no chance,� Jacobson said. But after two productive practice days with swing coach Mark McCann, his spirits improved. He teed off on Thursday in a positive frame of mind and has mostly stayed out of trouble on a tough PGA National course. He was a bogey-free 2-under on his last 13 holes Friday. ‘It’s the first week I’ve felt since I kind of disappeared on TOUR that my short game and focus around the green was back,� said Jacobson, who once lived nearby in Hobe Sound. “That’s a good base for me. I need that base.� And he just needs to stay healthy, get back into a rhythm, get some rounds under him. The problem, of course, is that there are no guarantees. A handshake that’s too strong, an unexpected bend of the wrist – anything could set him back. “I just hope it holds up for awhile, so I don’t have to do any more surgeries,� he said. “Get some continuity, playing and practicing. That’s the key. “It’s tough when the body can’t recover after practice. You practice for a day or two, and the you have to take a number of days off. That doesn’t really work out here if you want to make the cut, at least.� Jacobson, the 2011 Travelers Championship winner, has battled through several injuries during his lengthy pro career. Mentally, he’s always been able to bounce back and regain his form. This time, though, it’s been a challenge. “It’s been the toughest one to get back from,� he said. “… This was too long. I lost my feel. Hard to get my head in the game.� But now, he says, he’s ready to put the pieces together. The first two days at PGA National confirmed that. Of course, the weekend will determine just where he stands when the pressure ramps up. And if he plays well this weekend and you want to congratulate him? Well, don’t take offense if he offers you a fist instead of a handshake.

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