Just nine months after an emergency room visit revealed a nine-centimeter cancerous mass pressing against his heart and lungs, 23-year-old Brendan Valdes is making his emotional return to the PGA Tour. The former Auburn standout, now officially cancer-free following intensive chemotherapy, has landed a sponsor exemption into this week’s inaugural Biltmore Championship in Asheville, North Carolina.

The start marks Valdes’s first Tour-sanctioned competition since December, capping an arduous road to recovery with a prime spot in the 132-player field at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. As the PGA Tour kicks off its FedExCup Fall schedule in western North Carolina, the Orlando native isn’t taking a single swing for granted. “I’m just super pumped to be back competing,” Valdes said.

Just months earlier, life was moving at full speed for the former Auburn standout. Valdes had recently gotten engaged to his fiancée, Rachel Gourley, returned from a holiday trip to England, and was gearing up for his rookie campaign as a pro. But on New Year’s Day, a persistent cough worsened into coughing up small amounts of blood, prompting an urgent trip to an Orlando emergency room.

Doctors initially suspected bronchitis. But scans revealed a roughly 9-centimeter mass pressing against his heart and lung. Further testing confirmed the primary mediastinal lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and Valdes publicly announced it in January.

He later worked with MD Anderson in Houston and underwent chemotherapy in Auburn, Alabama. After completing his final chemotherapy dose in May, Valdes was declared cancer-free in early June and has since returned to competitive golf after nine months.

“It’s been a process, but there have been a lot of people in my corner helping me through it,” said Valdes.

Turning personal loss into hope for others

For Valdes, the diagnosis carried an agonizing sense of familiarity.

As a 12-year-old, Brendan Valdes witnessed his sister, Bailey, and his friend, Supra, battle esophageal cancer before both tragically passed away in 2015. Now, Valdes is giving back through a charity golf tournament at his childhood club, Orange Tree Country Club in Orlando, Florida. The event raises funds for the Ian Supra Memorial Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting the fight against pediatric cancer. 

“Everything we try to do with the foundation is to help kids,” Valdes told the Golf Channel. “And, of course, I always had a big heart for it, but I never truly understood how it actually felt to go through what these kids and their families are dealing with.”

Justin Thomas withdraws from Biltmore Championship

Two-time major champion Justin Thomas will no longer tee it up at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove this week after withdrawing from the Biltmore Championship in Asheville late Sunday evening. The 16-time PGA Tour winner was originally expected to headline the 132-player field as its highest-ranked competitor, but Cameron Champ will now take his place in the FedExCup Fall’s opening event. 

No official reason has been provided for the 33-year-old’s withdrawal. However, Thomas remains confirmed for next week’s Presidents Cup at Medinah Country Club, where he will represent the U.S. after being selected as one of captain Brandt Snedeker’s picks in early September. Thomas has played in three previous editions of the biennial event, compiling a 10-3-2 record.

The tournament was initially expected to serve as a tune-up for Thomas, Jacob Bridgeman, and Jackson Koivun before the Presidents Cup. That being said, it appears that as Brendan Valdes arrived, Justin Thomas left.