Uresti had a cancerous lump removed, is back on the course
Golf has always come easy to Omar Uresti, a PGA Tour veteran with nearly 400 starts and 14 top-10 finishes on his résumé. In fact, he made his first ace at the age of eight, a fact that he still considers among his highlights with the sport.
After a successful collegiate career at Texas, Uresti turned professional in 1991 and played 11 full seasons on the PGA Tour, earning nearly $4 million. And although he's only dabbled on the PGA Tour Champions, he still plays frequently and even qualified (albeit controversially) for the PGA Championship five times between 2015 and 2021.
But recently he noticed a curious bump that was hindering his swing and causing some discomfort. Although the 55-year-old didn't think much of it, he finally went in to investigate.
“I kept kind of hitting and rubbing over this bump on my leg and finally, after a couple weeks, I decided to look at it,” Uresti said. “And when I did I was like, oh, that doesn't look good. So I decided to go to the dermatologist and they biopsied it.”
Uresti was later told it was squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most common forms of skin cancer. Squamous and basal cells are in the top layer of the skin, called the epidermis. About eight in 10 skin cancers are basal cell cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. While it's rare for it to spread to other parts of the body, if it's not removed completely then it can come back in the same place on the skin.
After getting the lump removed, Uresti said he feels fine.
“I had to go back in and I missed the qualifier in Tucson, so I drove back and got it done immediately,” he said. “There are not a bunch of tournaments going on. And so I had it cut out. I had five stitches or about a five-centimeter-long cut. They had to stitch it together and they told me two weeks with no strenuous activities.
“So, I'm finally back at it and the game still feels about the same. Hopefully, it'll get a little better.”
Uresti played in five PGA Tour events in 2023 but failed to make the cut in any of them. He did post a 69 in the second round at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in November, however, and finished even, but he still missed the weekend by five strokes.
Still, he feels he could break through at any time and add to his career earnings.
“It's been kind of inconsistent,” Uresti said of his game. “You know, a lot of good holes and a couple bad holes but they're making some swing adjustments lately and trying to get it back to where it used to be, and it's just a matter of the body letting it do it.”
Garcia: Ryder Cup fate to be decided soon
The Ryder Cup holds a dear place in Sergio Garcia's heart, and rightfully so. The passionate Spaniard is one of the most decorated players in the history of the competition, starting his career at 19 as the youngest Ryder Cupper ever back in 1999 (a record that still stands) and he's boasted an outstanding 25-13-7 record in 45 matches.
But Garcia, along with the likes of former European Ryder Cup stalwarts such as Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer, was deemed ineligible to be selected to Luke Donald's 2025 Euro squad because of the requirements to be a member of the DP World Tour, which runs the European side for the biennial matches. Garcia originally resigned from that tour in May.
The 44-year-old former Masters champion, who has played for LIV Golf since 2022, is intent on getting back onto the DP World Tour, and paid hefty fines of more than $800,000 to make amends. However, he reportedly missed the deadline to apply for 2024 membership and is now hoping that current negotiations with PIF (Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia) might allow a pathway back into the international competition.
“I look at it two ways. If I'm not able to play anymore, it'll be a little bit sad,” Garcia said. “But at the same time, I look at it that I've played many, many times. I've been successful in it both individually and as a team. So that's what I take from it.”
Birdies and bogeys
Gillman wins: Kristen Gillman from Lake Travis High School had her biggest payday on the LPGA in nearly four years with a tie for 13th at last weekend's inaugural Ford Championship in Gilbert, Ariz. Gillman had three rounds under 70 and earned $30,795. The Alabama star and three-time Texas state champion finished 10th in the Epson Tour's Race for the Card standings to earn LPGA membership for the 2024 season.
Happy anniversary, Hancock: Austin's Hancock Golf Course will celebrate its 125th anniversary on May 11 with a party that's set to include the unveiling of a new sign, guest speakers and breakfast with a two-player scramble to follow. Find more info at GolfATX.org.
Tim Schmitt is the managing editor for Golfweek, golf coordinator for the USA Today Network and lives in Round Rock.