WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va.—
A host of players are currently in the hunt during the second round of the Greenbrier Classic, including J.B. Holmes.The fact that Holmes is even on the course, is a minor miracle.
J.B. Holmes looks like any other PGA Tour player. But last summer, he began to experience vertigo-like symptoms, including dizziness and double vision, caused by chiari malformations in his brain.
In September he underwent surgery, which left him without a quarter-sized piece of his skull and a titanium plate at the base of his cerebellum.
“I tried to stay real positive. It was brain surgery, but for brain surgery it was minor surgery. I was very confident in the doctor. He knew what to do and had done a bunch of surgeries so I really didn't let it enter my mind that I wasn't coming back out here to compete. I just tried to stay positive,” Holmes said.
While downplaying the surgery, he knows how fortunate he really is. The Kentucky native didn't swing a club for three months, admitting his health problems gave him a new appreciation for life and his livelihood.
“It's still your job and it's still frustrating, and you still get upset when you hit a few bad shots but in the grand scheme of things you realize the most important things are God, family, and friends. So it puts it in perspective a little bit. If you do start to get a little upset, you stop and think and say it's not that big of a deal, it's just a game.
Holmes has a reputation as one of the longest hitters on Tour. His driving skills were on display in the second round of the Greenbrier Classic when he bombed a 359-yard drive on the 11th hole.
