Fortune on DeLaet's side early in comeback bid
By Mike McAllister, PGATOUR.COM Managing Editor
HONOLULU -- There's no exact date, but Graham DeLaet remembers it was late in 2010, sometime after the Fall Series had ended and he had put the finishing touches on a productive rookie year, one that produced nearly $1 million in earnings and gave him a spot in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup.
All he did was sit down.
Ten seconds later, he had to stand up.
It was the searing pain from the herniated disc in his back.
He had been dealing with the pain for awhile -- once or twice a year his back issues would flare up, as his hockey-playing days back in his native Canada began to catch up with him. He tried to solve the problem with physical therapy, massage, chiropracture and acupuncture. Nothing worked.
And now it was unbearable.
That left him with one option. Surgery. That's a date he remembers -- Jan. 3, 2011.
Twelve months later, DeLaet found himself sitting in the interview room after Thursday's first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii. No, he didn't have to stand up after 10 seconds. And though he was talking about the pain in his back, he wasn't feeling it. He was only feeling relief and satisfaction, a result of the 7-under 63 to give him the lead for the first time after any round of his PGA TOUR career.
"I realize over the past couple of years or a year that we are all so fortunate to be playing golf for a living," DeLaet said. "You know, bogey is a pretty minor problem looking back to what I went through last year."
DeLaet will take a two-shot lead over Carl Pettersson, Kyle Reifers and past Sony Open champ K.J. Choi into Friday's second round. Twenty-five other players are within another two shots of the lead.
Obviously, it's early and there's no guarantee that DeLaet, who played just his 100th round on TOUR on Thursday, will have enough staying power so early in his comeback.
After all, he did benefit from a couple of long birdie putts outside of 30 feet, as well as a chip-in for eagle at the par-5 ninth. Even DeLaet acknowledged that he was "actually pretty fortunate" a few times Thursday. If he doesn't hit more fairways -- just five of 14 on Thursday
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Then again, DeLaet already has beaten the odds by getting back into contention faster than expected. He's not even 100 percent yet -- he estimates 90 percent -- but he's certainly feeling better than last year when he tried to return to the TOUR.
Having spent the first two months on his back following microdiscectomy to repair the L5 S1 disc in his lower back, he got himself into what he thought was decent playing shape. In fact, he played two events, even making the cut at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
But he was fooling himself.
"I think I wanted to be there so bad that I felt that I was better physically than I actually was," he said. "And so the next morning, I woke up ... and I just knew that I wasn't in good enough shape to compete."
So spent the remainder of the year resting, taking a Major Medical Extension this year. That means he has 26 events to make enough money to match the amount made by the 125th player on last year's money list, $668,166. The $10,472 he made at the FedEx St. Jude counts toward that total, so he's down to $657,694.
First prize this week is worth $990,000.
"That would be a nice way to start the year," he said.
But the overriding goal is to stay healthy, enjoy the competition and enjoy the game.
And maintain his new-found perspective.
"There were times when ... I didn't know if I was going to be able to play," DeLaet said. "Things start going through your head, like if you have children, whether you're going to be able to play catch with them in the front yard, that kind of thing.
"I was in a pretty bad place mentally and physically. It's just nice to be back."
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