While the golf world has been abuzz about the gimpy gams of two no-shows for this week’s British Open, a player on the LPGA Futures Tour, Ladies European Tour min-tour competitor, and contestant on Golf Channels’ Big Break has been learning how to stand up to the tee on one good leg.
Tiger Woods’ nagging knee and Achilles tendon woes continue to dominate headlines (see: the media frenzy involving Woods’ non-announcement on Monday), while French Open winner Thomas Levet broke his leg with an ill-advised leap into a lake to celebrate his French Open win. Meanwhile, Caroline Larsson was back on the course two weeks after surgery to remove her cancerous right limb, according to the LET’s Bethan Cutler.
Larsson, who made it through four episodes of Big Break Prince Edward Island in 2009 and has played in the LPGA Futures Tour International event at Beaver Meadow Golf Course Concord, N.H., expected to compete for her 2012 LET card at qualifying school this year but began experiencing swelling in her knee. About a year later, after having trouble bending her knee to line up putts, Larsson went to doctors, who removed a malignant tumor in March. During a follow-up visit, her physicians discovered five malignant tumors in her thigh and told the 22-year-old Larsson, former member of the Swedish National Team as an amateur and sister of LET rookie Louise Larsson, they had to amputate her leg.
Larsson lost her leg in May and within a week was swinging a golf club in the hospital. A week later, she returned to her home course to hit balls while standing on one leg as her sister helped stabilize her by holding her hips.
These days, Larsson switches off between using a prosthetic limb and balancing on her left leg as she prepares to vie in highly competitive inter-club matches and with the world’s top players with disabilities at the Swedish Invitational in August.
As one may imagine, it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park for Larsson, who described the “rough time” she has had since the surgery.
“There are feelings that I cannot describe actually because it’s not like usual pain; it was like pain from the inside, right from where they took off my leg,” she told Cutler. “The nerve was on my foot before, but I couldn’t feel my foot, so they call it phantom symptoms. I was like that for three days. It still hurts and I have to take medications until at least the end of July.”
Still, Larsson said she was thankful to be alive after experiencing the earthquake that killed some 181 people in New Zealand earlier this year. Following a LET event in Christchurch, the Larsson sisters were having lunch in a restaurant when the tremblor struck.
“Buildings were coming down and we just survived,” Larsson said. “Our restaurant and four other buildings were the only buildings left standing on the street: the choice of restaurant saved our lives.”
The experience colored what would come next for the captain and All-ACC selection at Florida State who turned pro in 2006.
“After that I had a completely different view of life coming home because we could have been killed,” Larsson said. “One month later I had the decision that my leg had to be amputated. I was in shock because I felt so good and I had been through so much.”
Now, thanks to a daily practice and workout regimen, Larsson believes she can compete with the best and possibly return to the professional ranks, even if she has lost some distance.
“I can hit every shot nearly as good as before but the big difference is that my length is not so long any more,” she said. “I think I lost a lot of strength with my leg but every shot is good right now so I’m happy.”
(Photo: Ladies European Tour)
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, National Golf Examiner, and GottaGoGolf websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer.)
Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly.
