VERONA — The rotten weather that greeted the touring golf professionals this past weekend at the Turning Stone Resort Championship made their on-course life miserable.
Staying warm, and trying to make the cut and earn enough money to survive another PGA Tour season were foremost on their minds.
But for Todd Demsey, a 36-year-old pro who has never distinguished himself on tour, just being at the tournament and being able to play golf for a living again is a huge bonus. No matter what the weather conditions are like, every day for Demsey is a gift.
"I feel like it's Christmas each and every day," said Demsey, who shot a final round 71 Sunday to tie for 43rd place in the Turning Stone Resort Championship. "God has given me a second chance at life, and at golf. I'm so appreciative of being back out here with all my golfing friends, and to enjoy life again with my family."
Demsey's story is one of hope and perseverance, in the face of a catastrophic illness that almost claimed not only his golfing career but his life.
The 1993 NCAA champion at Arizona State, Demsey had yet to fulfill his potential on tour when tragedy struck. He turned pro in 1995, and by 1997 had made the PGA Tour full time. But he did not earn enough money that first season to remain with the big boys, and played on-and-off on the secondary Nationwide Tour for the next five seasons.
Demsey's life changed for good in 2003. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor following the Nationwide season, which required surgeons to remove the benign growth behind his left sinus, going into the brain, in January of that year.
That came just 24 days after his wedding to wife Melinda.
After playing part-time on the Nationwide Tour in 2003 while recovering, he underwent a second surgery to remove the remaining 20 percent of the original tumor.
"The doctors told me I was going to live, but playing golf again was an iffy proposition," said Demsey, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., with his wife, a daughter and a son. "At that point I just put all of my concentration on getting better."
He entered a few tournaments the next four years, but he had trouble playing more than one or two rounds in a row.
Then, in 2007, doctors discovered the benign tumor had returned. But it was not as serious, and Demsey was cleared to play full time again.
Amazingly, Demsey earned a second stint on the PGA Tour after earning his 2008 card via a final-round 64 at the grueling PGA Tour Qualifying school last fall.
He made his 2008 tour debut at the SONY Open in Hawaii in January. But Demsey missed his first eight cuts this season. He has rebounded of late, making nine of his last 11 cuts, including last weekend.
The fact that he stands just 204th on the tour money list ($146,734) and will probably need to go back to qualifying school again doesn't bother Demsey at all.
"I've been so blessed in my life to do what I love and to have a great family that supports me," he said. "Whether I'm back out here next year or not, I will never complain. Life is great every day I get out of bed."