How America took Holmes to its heart after brain surgery

THERE’S surely not a player competing in the Ryder Cup with a more remarkable tale to tell than personable American JB Holmes. On his windowsill at home is a chunk of bone removed from the back of his skull five years ago which he keeps as a reminder of how lucky he is to be playing. The 34-year-old from Kentucky turns round to show the deep scar at the base of his neck, where a plate was inserted following brain surgery in August 2011. Now here he is, not only playing golf again, but among the top dozen players from his nation. No wonder he gets letters from all over America from people telling him they find his story inspiring. ‘It’s obviously very moving when you read you’re helping people overcome something negative that has happened to them,’ he says. ‘It makes me feel grateful in a way that I went through what happened to me. ‘It definitely made me grow as a person.’ Back in the summer of 2011, Holmes couldn’t understand why he was having occasional dizzy spells and duffing the odd chip shot. ‘I guess a club golfer might be happy with duffing every fourth or fifth one — but it was obviously no good to me,’ he says, smiling. ‘If I’d been working in an office then I’d probably have just got on with it. After all, I could still make cuts and finish 40th every week — but it’s not what you want.’ Holmes (right) went to see a consultant and was shocked by the outcome. One minute he was preparing for the USPGA Championship and the next he was being told surgery was required to correct structural defects in his cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. ‘I know when people hear the words brain surgery it conjures up all sorts of images,’ he said. ‘But the consultant explained to me there was an 85 per cent chance my symptoms would be cured and, once he told me that, I had a plan — have the surgery, rehab, and get back playing again.’ Holmes was a star at the 2008 Ryder Cup and is actually the only American on this year’s team who has played before and not been on a losing side. ‘Once you play in one you want to play in them all, but, obviously, in 2011, it was a long way from my thoughts,’ he said. ‘I knew it would be a long process and it started with being able to swing 100 per cent. ‘Once I did that, I started to think about making halfway cuts, then finishing well, then winning, and so on.’ Holmes hasn’t won this season, but a third-place finish in The Open took the big hitter to the forefront of US captain Davis Love’s thoughts for a wild card. ‘I’m thrilled of course to be back in the team,’ he said. ‘It has been painful watching the last three Ryder Cups, but, hopefully, I can prove a lucky omen. ‘After all, I’m a lucky guy.’