Brian gay pga tour

By Jeff Babineau

NAPLES, Fla. - Brian Gay shot 2-under 70 in his first PGA TOUR Champions start on Friday at Tiburón Golf Club.

it's kind of hard to put the schedule together right now.

“It’s great to see a lot of old, familiar faces (on the Champions Tour), which is neat. He wanted to play next week’s PGA TOUR Champions event in Tucson – on a golf course he knows at Omni Tucson National Resort – but as of Friday said he would be traveling to the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens.

“Can you double commit?” Gay asked jokingly as the 5 p.m.

Individual results may vary. Maybe he will play the Champions majors?

“I got an invite to the Senior PGA last week, I think,” he said. After graduation, he started a professional golf career marked by several PGA Tour events. Same thing as anywhere, though – you’ve got to play good golf, period.

Since his surgery in 2014, Brian has competed in over 70 PGA Tour events, over 10 of which he finished in the top 10. In fact, his 2020 win at the Bermuda Championship was his first championship since 2013! Brian proudly notes, “I feel like my activity level is now a 10 out of 10! Despite this, Brian was able to manage his normal activities and continue to play golf.

By 2014, the neck and arm discomfort had become severe—with pain and numbness radiating from his neck through his shoulder, bicep, and down his arm through his hands.

In his personal life, Brian was also very active and enjoyed traveling and spending time with his wife, Kimberly, and daughters, Makinley and Brantley.

“At this time, the pain became debilitating and I lost strength in my left arm. He consulted with multiple spine surgeons and ultimately opted for a total disc replacement procedure that his surgeon had mentioned years ago—as it offered the opportunity to maintain neck mobility and flexibility post-operatively.

 

Life After prodisc:

Brian underwent a total disc replacement procedure with prodisc C in October 2014 and was discharged from the hospital on the same day.

According to Brian, “At this time, the pain became debilitating and I lost strength in my left arm. Though his surgeon initially recommended conservative care at Brian’s first consultation, he also mentioned that total disc replacement may be an option in the future if his symptoms progressed. He played golf throughout high school—competing in numerous Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) and United States Golf Association (USGA) events— and was eventually offered a scholarship to play at the University of Florida.

Immediately, he was already walking and was amazed that he didn’t need to wear a neck brace—just a small bandage over the incision site. Additionally, the numbness in his arm and hand disappeared, except for a small part on the tip of his thumb.

“I feel like my activity level is now a 10 out of 10! deadline to commit to next week’s tournaments neared.

 

This is Gay’s first time at Tiburon, and somebody joked to him earlier in the week as he looked around in the parking lot that he resembled a young kid on his first day of school.

My recovery after prodisc C was amazing.”

In the weeks following surgery, Brian walked multiple times daily and did physical therapy three times each week to help regain muscle strength and neck mobility. It is important that you discuss the possible risks and potential benefits of various procedures with your doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that you rely on your physician’s best judgment.