Brendan Valdes returns from cancer fight with better understanding of why he competes

Brendan Valdes has always relished using his platform as a vehicle to help others.

For the past several years, Valdes has organized a charity golf tournament at his childhood club, Orange Tree Country Club in Orlando, Florida. Proceeds from the event support the Ian Supra Memorial Foundation, which is dedicated to helping the fight against pediatric cancer. Supra, a friend of Valdes and his older sister Bailey, died of esophageal cancer in 2015 while still in high school.

“Everything we try to do with the foundation is to help kids,” Valdes said. “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.”

Now, though, Valdes can unfortunately relate.

The 23-year-old Valdes will play this week’s Biltmore Championship, the PGA Tour’s inaugural event in Asheville, North Carolina, on a sponsor exemption. It will mark his first Tour-sanctioned action since PGA Tour Q-School in mid-December, as Valdes has spent the last nine months battling cancer of his own.

“It’s been a process, but there have been a lot of people in my corner helping me through it,” said Valdes, who was diagnosed in January with primary mediastinal lymphoma but by early June was ringing the bell after a PET scan deemed him cancer-free.

“I’m just super pumped to be back competing.”

Are you being for real?

That was the initial reaction when his doctor told him that he had a 9-centimeter mass pressing against his heart and lung. Valdes had always considered himself healthy, and life couldn’t have been better – he was preparing for a third season on the Korn Ferry Tour with decent conditional status, had gotten engaged a few days before Christmas to girlfriend Rachel Gourley, and had just returned from a holiday trip to see Gourley’s family in England.

But what felt like a small cold quickly worsened. Valdes began coughing up small amounts of blood, which sent him to the emergency room in Orlando on New Year’s Day.

Initially thought to be dealing with a bad case of bronchitis, Valdes was bewildered when he received the more serious diagnosis. “It was too unbelievable to be true,” said Valdes, who was soon taking a medical leave from pro golf and flying to Houston to develop a treatment plan at renowned M.D. Anderson before starting chemotherapy in Auburn, Alabama, where he graduated from college as a two-time first-team All-American for the Tigers.

Shortly after his first round of chemo, Valdes developed a lung infection from untreated pneumonia, leading to a partial lung collapse, a consistent pulse of 150-plus bpm, and another week in the hospital. Over the next several months, the ultra-positive Valdes was constantly challenged both physically and mentally.

“Not the most ideal time of my life,” Valdes said. “But the whole time I had full confidence that I was going to make it back.”

Valdes underwent his final dose of chemo on May 15, and a few weeks later, he received the results of his final scan, and once given the all-clear, he got his port removed that same morning. Not long after, he started to hit wedges, then irons, then fairway woods, and finally, drivers.

“As soon I was able to hit drivers, it was pedal to the metal,” Valdes said. “Every other PGA Tour player, what were they doing all season? They were competing their asses off and getting better. And what I did all year was sit down and do nothing. I didn’t have the luxury of taking off any more time.”

Valdes’ caddie, friend Tiago Barni, was among those who checked in with Valdes frequently during his cancer battle. Barni told Valdes that once he could return to the golf course, he wanted to be the first to play him in a match.

“That is my best chance to beat you,” Barni told Valdes.

The two faced off in late June at Isleworth Golf and Country Club outside of Orlando, and from the Tiger tees, Valdes, who went over six months without touching a club, shot 3-under 69.

“He did not beat me,” Valdes said.

Valdes’ first competitive tournament back was a G-Pro Tour event Sept. 1-3 in Huntsville, Alabama. Valdes fired a second-round 62 and eventually shot 12 under for 54 holes, finishing third and three shots back of winner Beck Burnette.

“Those first few holes were a little nerve-racking,” Valdes said. “But it was nice to see that I was able to put up some good scores and play some quality golf. Playing well at home and playing well in a tournament are two completely different things. That just showed that I’m ready to compete.”

Valdes, who finished second in the 2024 PGA Tour University graduating class, will start next year with some Korn Ferry Tour status via a medical extension. He can also go to Q-School later this year and play for better status, perhaps even a PGA Tour card.

Valdes’ track record in PGA Tour events is solid. He made all three cuts last year, including a T-20 at the 3M Open and T-41 at the John Deere Classic.

“I’ve always thought I do a great job of minimizing damage,” Valdes said. “The relative consistency of my misses, if I hit a bad shot, I feel like I’m still either going to have a putt for birdie or a very easy up and down.”

He’s armed with something even greater now.

Valdes and Gourley are set to wed on Nov. 29 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. They’ve already purchased their first home in South Florida and are in the process of moving in. Valdes will need to find a place for the thousands of sports cards, including some of his own likeness, he collected as part of his new, dangerous hobby.

“I’ve spent way too much money on cards,” Valdes said with a laugh.

Also on the books is the sixth Brendan Valdes Charity Golf Scramble vs. Pediatric Cancer, set for Dec. 14 at Orange Tree. Valdes was hoping to get several of his fellow pro golfers to participate in what will be the biggest, most impactful edition in event history.

“That’s unbelievably important, now more than ever,” Valdes said. “I’ve always had the mentality that the best part of me having somewhat of a platform is it allows me to make the lives of others better. That’s always been my purpose, to play as well as I can, support my family and help others… Now, I have this greater appreciation for golf and life, but also a greater understanding that should help me do an even better job of helping kids and their families dealing with cancer.

“I hope that with what I went through, I can make their days just a little bit better.”

For more information on the Ian Supra Memorial Foundation, click here.

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