The American Express: Round 2 leaderboard

Charlie Rymer wasn’t sure he could swing a golf club with that port imbedded in his chest near his collarbone. Not to mention, the chemotherapy it delivered into his body made his hands shake so badly he joked that he might take a divot with his putter. But last Wednesday, he was hitting balls and getting ready for a member-guest – barely four months after doctors had resected a foot of his colon and 14 days after ringing the bell at M.D. Anderson in Houston to signal his last infusion of those life-saving drugs. “There’s no chance I can break 85, but I’m going to be out there with my buddies, having a good time and enjoying every minute of it,” Rymer said. The last two years haven’t been much fun for the former PGA TOUR pro turned broadcaster, though, after doctors discovered a polyp during a routine colonoscopy. At first, doctors decided to monitor it. But after six months, and then three more months, his physician was still concerned. So Rymer went to a specialist who twice performed an advanced polypectomy in hopes of avoiding the resection. Neither was successful. So, Rymer had the right hemicolectomy on March 10 and 12 inches of his colon were removed. All the previous biopsies had revealed no cancer but when the pathology was done on the full section the news was not good. Rymer had stage 3 colon cancer. And the cancer had spread to the 54-year-old’s lymph nodes. “And I’m like, what? I had no idea that that was coming,” he recalls. “I was just expecting, the surgery was successful. You’re good to go. You don’t have to worry about this.” Within six weeks, Rymer had started chemotherapy at M.D. Anderson. He’d have the infusion, which generally lasted three hours, and then begin a two-week regimen of chemo by pill, four of them, twice a day. And that didn’t count the drugs he was prescribed for the side effects – nausea, anxiety, insomnia – that made Rymer feel like a “walking pharmacist.” Mercifully, he was able to take a week off before beginning the process again. After four cycles of the dual chemotherapy, Rymer is cancer-free and now in surveillance mode where he’ll undergo body scans every six months and advanced blood work every three. He says the highest chance of recurrence is in the first year. “And because I’ve had the surgery — surgery alone gave me about a 50% chance of recurrence in year one and the chemo reduces that to about a 25% chance of recurrence in year one,” Rymer says. “Year two, that’s halved. Year three, it’s halved. “So, if you get through the first three years, you’re good to go without getting any further treatment. … If it does come back, they say it’ll come back somewhere other than my colon, but … we can get after that early. So, I hope I don’t have to go down that road, but that’s sort of what the situation is.” Rymer had kept his diagnosis relatively private, the news mostly confined to family and friends. When he felt well enough, he continued his work as an ambassador for Myrtle Beach golf and as executive vice president of McLemore Club, a resort in northern Georgia. He was also able to film parts of the second season of “The Charlie Rymer Golf Show” on ESPN2 during his off weeks from the chemo. He did discuss his cancer struggle on one episode, but it hasn’t aired yet. When he finished his last chemotherapy treatment on June 6, though, Rymer decided to tweet a video of him ringing the bell. The reaction was swift, and a little overwhelming. The tweet got more than 7,000 likes and 433 comments, many from people asking about his treatment – and most importantly telling Rymer they were scheduling their colonoscopy immediately. “It means the world. It really does,” Rymer says, his voice halting. “… I don’t normally read a lot of remarks on Twitter, but just the folks out there that had either, most of them I hadn’t ever met, but had either watched me play or do TV over the years, just the supportive comments that came in were just incredible. “One of the reasons I was hesitant to put it out was like, nobody cares that somebody’s going through this, but then you find out they do care.” Rymer says fellow broadcasters Mark Rolfing and Paul Azinger, both of whom are cancer survivors, have frequently called to check up on him. Judy Rankin has reached out, as well, along with many others in the golf business. He’s heard from friends in the entertainment industry like Colt Ford and Vince Gill. He’s even reconnected with his best friend from high school. Rymer, who describes himself as a “church-going person,” says the prayers and support are incredibly impactful. “I just would encourage folks when they have friends that are going through this or another severe health challenge, if you’re on the fence of whether I ought to drop a text or call, go ahead and drop it because it’s going to mean a lot more than what you think,” Rymer says, pausing before finishing his thought. “I hate to break down crying on you, but these this last six months I’ve cried more than I ever thought I was capable of crying. So, it makes you sort of look at things a little, a lot differently.” Until last week, Rymer had only played golf twice this year – both times before the surgery – which was the longest break he’d taken from the game since he was 4 years old. And the operation set him back when he developed ileus, where his digestive system didn’t reset for nine days, and he lost 22 pounds. Once he recovered, Rymer started thinking about playing again. He ordered a new set of clubs and once he finished chemo, he started hitting balls again. He thinks it will take about a month to get all the medications out of his system to steady his hands. He’s also dealing with neuropathy. “I haven’t felt my toes in three months. And then the other thing is weight gain with this stuff. So not only have I not felt my toes in three months, hell, I haven’t seen my toes in three months,” says Rymer, proving his trademark sense of humor is still in tact. He also jokes about holding a carton of ice cream with oven mitts because the nerve endings in his hands couldn’t handle anything that wasn’t room temperature or warmer. And the disappointment of finding out that the side effects of both medications was weight gain. “I’m like, really?” Rymer says with a wry laugh. “Plus they put you on steroids too, so, I feel like I stepped on air hose.” Rymer says he couldn’t have survived the last two years without the support of Carol, his wife of 31 years, who also happens to be a registered nurse, and in his words an “absolute superstar.” He says the cancer ordeal has made the couple and their two sons grow closer. “Listen, I’m 54, and my life’s been a blessing,” Rymer says. “I’ve been fortunate to see and do things and have experiences that some folks take 20 lives to do. And then because of my faith, I don’t live my life with fear. But I’m hoping the big man has some more plans for me here.” One of the things Rymer wants to do is encourage everyone to take their health seriously and get a colonoscopy along with other cancer screenings. He can’t help but think about a friend who wouldn’t – “He almost bragged about it,” Rymer says – who has passed away. “When I was out in Houston and I got a chance to ring the bell, I thought you know what I’m going to put that on (Twitter) and just let people know what I’ve been going through,” Rymer says. “And the more I think about it — and I’m hoping this is the case — it seems like mine is rather than being life and death is just terribly, horribly inconvenient. “And I almost feel obligated to sort of share the experience and say, yeah, I’ve had a tough go with this, but if I hadn’t had a colonoscopy, two or three years down the road from now my stomach would be hurting or I’d have some other symptom and I’d go to the doctor and it would be, you’ve got six months, get your affairs in order.” Thankfully, Rymer didn’t wait. And neither should the rest of us.

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NASSAU, Bahamas — The bad news for Tiger Woods after Thursday’s first round of his Hero World Challenge? He failed to take advantage of a terrific day off the tee, posting a 1-over 73 that has him near the bottom of the 18-man leaderboard. The good news? The cold he’s been battling since last week’s match in Las Vegas against Phil Mickelson is subsiding. “At least I’m just not coughing anymore — which is nice,� Woods said Thursday. Getting back to full strength may be a lot easier that getting back into contention in the next three days. Woods finds himself eight strokes off the lead shared by Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay and will be in the first twosome (with Hideki Matsuyama) out in Friday’s second round at 11:15 a.m. ET. Matsuyama is last in the field at 2 over, with Woods and Xander Schauffele tied for 16th at 1 over. On Thursday, it was a day of wasted opportunities for Tiger, especially with the way he was hitting his driver. He missed just one of 13 fairways but his iron play was not crisp, and his short game also was lacking. He bogeyed two of his first five holes, bounced back with consecutive birdies, but then suffered a triple-bogey at the par-3 12th. A poor chip shot from near the water hazard on his second shot came up short, rolled back down a hill and into the water. “I had a little patch right behind the golf ball and I tried to toe it in there in trying to make sure I actually hit it long,� Tiger explained. “I was trying to play for like a 10-12 footer coming back and it just didn’t come out and it blew back in the hazard. “I didn’t quite feel comfortable with my game today even though I drove it great. It was definitely reflective in my scoring today. I didn’t quite feel comfortable and just didn’t quite hit the ball close enough or give myself a lot of looks at it.� While unhappy with his score, perhaps the best news for Woods is that the focus this week is on his game and not simply his return to action. It was a year ago that he first began his latest comeback after multiple back surgeries. He was just glad to be on the course that day — and he took time on Thursday to reflect on the last 12 months and how far he has come. “Yeah, there have been a lot of thoughts of that, not just today but this entire week of where I started at last year coming into this event and looking at how the year’s panned out,� Woods said. “It’s been pretty amazing.� Now if he can just get past the cold. “I just don’t have the same energy,� he said. “That’s just from being under the weather like I have been. I’ve just been rundown and I’m tired and been trying to catch up with it. “I’m feeling a lot better today, for sure. It’s been a long last week or so. At least this tournament’s now started and we’ve got it underway. Now I’m back into the rhythm of playing again, which is nice.�

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CHICAGO — Grant Thornton LLP and the PGA TOUR have established dual five-year partnership agreements: one as a Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS Championship; and a second as an Official Marketing Partner of the PGA TOUR. In addition, Grant Thornton has signed a separate partnership with professional golfer Rickie Fowler, who won THE PLAYERS in 2015 and clinched another victory this past weekend at the Hero World Challenge. The partnerships with the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS will provide Grant Thornton with premier positioning during THE PLAYERS telecast on the Golf Channel and NBC – alongside Morgan Stanley and Optum, as the three exclusive Proud Partners. Grant Thornton will have a broad presence on the course and through hospitality venues when the championship is held at TPC Sawgrass the week of May 7-13, 2018. The firm will extend the partnership nationally at select PGA TOUR events. “Grant Thornton is the kind of acclaimed organization that aligns with the vision and values of the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS Championship,� said PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan. “Moreover, as a Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS, Grant Thornton will help support the continued growth and charitable impact of the event as we strive to present a showcase of excellence for players, guests and fans from around the world.�  Teaming with Rickie Fowler Grant Thornton has also signed a partnership with Rickie Fowler, the seventh-ranked golfer in the world. Fowler, who is known for his thoughtful and innovative approach on and off the course, will be sporting Grant Thornton’s logo on his right chest in all competitive rounds on the PGA TOUR, and in other professional appearances – beginning in 2018. He is scheduled to appear in the firm’s national advertising campaign next year. “Rickie Fowler is one of the most respected and transformational athletes in the world today, not to mention the game of golf,� said Mike McGuire, chief executive officer of Grant Thornton LLP. “Nobody is better at challenging convention and being transformational.� According to John Harmeling, chief marketing officer at Grant Thornton: “In chorus with our sponsorships of the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS Championship, Rickie is a perfect fit for our ‘Status Go’ brand positioning – challenging the status quo in a forward-thinking, modern, and difference-making way.� Fowler echoes this sentiment, saying that “Grant Thornton is a leader in professional services; I’m really drawn to the firm’s ‘Status Go’ approach. It lets them work for clients in an unexpected way to solve problems, stand out and win.� For more information on Grant Thornton and its three golf partnerships, visit www.grantthornton.com/about-us/golf.aspx

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