Pro with cancer inspires after PGA Tour debut
When golf professional Brian Morris got a call from a member of the Bermuda Butterfield Championship’s organizational team, he thought he was about to land some free tickets to the October 2021 event.
But it wasn’t tickets being offered to him on the call that day.
What they offered to Morris was a spot in the PGA Tour event, asking him if he’d like to compete on a sponsor exemption.
“I was like whoa, wow, how cool is that? So I absolutely, I said yes, 100% and then I called up my boys that I work with and then I called my wife and told her look, I'm actually gonna play!” recalls Morris.
Morris and fellow Bermuda pro Michael Sims had the opportunity to play in a threesome with American Sahith Theegala, the world No. 372, in the Butterfield Championship.
As big as the tournament would be for Morris, it certainly wouldn’t be his biggest challenge of late. The head pro of Bermuda’s Ocean View Golf Course has been battling Stage IV brain, esophageal and stomach cancer since December of 2019.
“Cancer and golf have so many similarities, believe it or not. Being a cancer patient, you learn to adapt just like you learn to adapt on the.golf course whether it's a calm day or when the day is rainy. You learn to adapt to that. And cancer is no different, you learn to adapt then say, Hey, you know what? Today's going to be a bad day, I know it from the minute I wake up and you adapt to that,” says Morris.
“You get this disease and you learn to live with it, or you don't. You accept it. And like golf, if it's raining… you could get you get third hole and say, ‘Hey, I'm a quit I'm going in’ or you could put your rain suit on and adapt,” adds Morris.
Sims says through this entire journey, he has never heard Morris complain. He says the community has rallied around Morris like no other.
“The thing that stands out to me is Brian's tenacity and his desire to always go past whatever it is. He just charges through it. He is a big inspiration for me and then I get to walk in and be inside the ropes with him… I mean, you can't even put it into words,” says Sims.
Morris says it’s all about perspective - and he has a lot of it. He says the game of golf has been a huge part in getting him through it all. He’s now finding ways to help others going through cancer, especially those who also enjoy the greens.
Morris is in the process of creating a charity called Brian Morris Fore Cancer. Alongside wife, Laurie, a few friends and Cheryl-Lynne Thompson, the president of Ocean View, Morris plans to support golfers of all levels that are fighting cancer. He hopes the organization can fund foursomes at top courses, tickets to see golfing greats at premier destinations, plane tickets and even last wish opportunities.
“This stuff gets so expensive when battling cancer and unfortunately, the first thing you have to give up is golf because it's expensive. But I've learned that golf is such a motivator and such an important part of getting through this… that without it. I honestly believe I would have checked out,” says Morris.
With a PGA Tour start now under his belt and supportive family and friends, Morris says, he’s never been so grateful.
“It was the highlight of my life playing at a PGA tour event and to top it off playing with Michael Sims… I watched his whole junior career, I was always following him. We don't have to speak every single day, but he has a special place in my heart so to be able to play with him was really cool” says Morris.
“I'm so grateful for small mercies. Don't give up. It's not all doom and gloom. There's still a lot of happiness in life. There are going to be bad times. There are going to be real ugly periods of your life, but I'll tell you what… they don't last long. And I believe that you don't know how strong you can be until strong is not an option,” says Morris.
Michael Sims and Brian Morris at the Bermuda Butterfield Championship