PGA Tour pro makes long-awaited return after undergoing "experimental" surgery

A PGA Tour pro is returning to play for the first time in nearly nine months after undergoing an "experimental" surgery.

Lara Kuipers

01 Jun 2023

A PGA Tour pro is making his first start in nearly nine months after undergoing surgery on his sternum.

This week's event is the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial Tournament, played every year at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

It's one of many designated events on the PGA Tour this season, filled with top players and carrying purses of $20m.

According to Brandt Snedeker, it's also the perfect setting to make his return to professional golf.

The 42-year-old was sidelined for nearly nine months after he was forced to undergo surgery on his sternum.

Excited to be back @MemorialGolf @Workday pic.twitter.com/jvUkireEe3
— Brandt Snedeker (@BrandtSnedeker) May 31, 2023

His last PGA Tour start was the Fortinent Championship in mid-September, the first event of the 2022-23 season.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Memorial Tournament on Wednesday, Snedeker detailed his injury and the procedure.

The nine-time PGA Tour winner explained:

"I had a sternum injury called -- been dealing with it for six or seven years -- called manubrium joint instability. So a really rare thing. But managed it the best I could and got to the point where I couldn't play without pain anymore and got tired of dealing with it.

"So had surgery December 1st in Nashville with my surgeon named Dr. Burton Elrod, kind of an experimental surgery, to say the least, to see if it would. Luckily, everything kind of went the way it was supposed to. Took a bone out of my hip and cut my sternum open and kind of created a new sternum in a sense. It is way more stable and hopefully does not cause me pain. So, so far, so good."

Snedeker added that the injury has affected his game for the past three years, and he's done everything non-surgical to try and deal with it.

"So this was a quality-of-life decision," he told reporters. "Whether golf worked out after this, great. If it didn't, at least I did everything I possibly could."

He added that his surgery had only been done one other time before to his knowledge, but he had "tons of faith" in his doctor.

It’s been a long, hard journey back to full health but I’m proud of the work it’s taken to get ready to compete again. Even more proud to represent @Workday at The Memorial this week. Look forward to seeing everyone at Muirfield! pic.twitter.com/A89lSgoweB
— Brandt Snedeker (@BrandtSnedeker) June 1, 2023

In terms of his recovery after the surgery, Snedeker said he went through five months of rehab before hitting golf balls again at the beginning of April.

He said this week's tournament felt like a good place to "jump into the deep end" and see if the surgery worked in terms of allowing him to play golf pain-free.

Snedeker is set to tee off at 1:12 p.m. ET Thursday for the first round of the 2023 Memorial Tournament.

On Wednesday, Ohio resident Jason Day also revealed his own injury.

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