Photo: Stan Badz/PGA TOUR/Getty
It’s been two years since Morgan Hoffmann has golfed competitively, but this weekend he’s back in action on the PGA Tour.
The former World No. 1 amateur golfer was diagnosed with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) in 2017 after years of his pectoral muscle deteriorating without a clear cause. He first noticed atrophy in his bicep in 2011 and searched for a diagnosis for five years.
This weekend’s RBC Heritage at the Harbor Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, will be Hoffman’sfirst PGA appearancesince the 2019 Shriner Children’s Open. He’s spent the past two years undergoing a series of unusual healing treatments in an attempt to cure his FSHD.
Altering his diet was one of the first lifestyle changes Hoffman says he implemented, according toGolf Digest. After hearing a story about a woman whose brain tumor allegedly disappeared after undergoing a grape cleanse, he began experimenting.
For 17 days, he ate only grapes. “Each morning I’d go to the Whole Foods in Jupiter [Florida] right when it opened to clear out the grape section,” he toldGolf Digest. He ate an estimated 800 grapes daily during that time period.
Hoffman and his wife, Chelsea, also moved to Nepal in South Asia in early 2018. They lived off-the-grid, experimenting with ancient treatments like urine therapy — which involves using one’s own waste as a mouthwash twice a day.
Hoffmann’s journey toward healing brought them next to Costa Rica. After a transformative visit to Nosara on the Nicoya Peninsula, his wife found a house she loved, and the two moved to the remote town in 2020.
Their life in Costa Rica is completely remote, he explained to the outlet. They live in a windowless, doorless house that overlooks the ocean with three dogs and two cats — and is some distance from the closest golf course.
Now, he says the atrophy in his chest has stopped and he’s ready to return to the golf circuit. He said playing the Harbor Town Links is “euphoric” for him, as heused to frequent the courseduring his time at the International Junior Golf Academy.
“I’ve been practicing hard and my game actually feels pretty solid,” hesaid after his practice roundearlier this week, according to PGATour.com. “Obviously, you come to tournaments to win and I’ve never done that before, so might as well shoot for the stars, right?”
His best PGA Tour finish came when he tied for second place at the 2017 Honda Classic. He’s playing this weekend in search of his first win.
“I’ve toyed with not going back,” he toldGolf Digestof his PGA return. “But it’s a bigger picture now. I’m not just going back to play golf. I’m going back to bring this knowledge that I have to the world of the PGA Tour, where it doesn’t exist. [On tour] we’re driving a new car every week; we’re pampered all the time. I’m very glad that I’ve gotten to a place where I know that material things are not going to get you through life.”
source: people.com
