Charlie Rymer wasn’t sure he could swing a golf club with that port imbedded in his chest near his collarbone. Not to mention, the chemotherapy it delivered into his body made his hands shake so badly he joked that he might take a divot with his putter. But last Wednesday, he was hitting balls and getting ready for a member-guest – barely four months after doctors had resected a foot of his colon and 14 days after ringing the bell at M.D. Anderson in Houston to signal his last infusion of those life-saving drugs. “There’s no chance I can break 85, but I’m going to be out there with my buddies, having a good time and enjoying every minute of it,” Rymer said. The last two years haven’t been much fun for the former PGA TOUR pro turned broadcaster, though, after doctors discovered a polyp during a routine colonoscopy. At first, doctors decided to monitor it. But after six months, and then three more months, his physician was still concerned. So Rymer went to a specialist who twice performed an advanced polypectomy in hopes of avoiding the resection. Neither was successful. So, Rymer had the right hemicolectomy on March 10 and 12 inches of his colon were removed. All the previous biopsies had revealed no cancer but when the pathology was done on the full section the news was not good. Rymer had stage 3 colon cancer. And the cancer had spread to the 54-year-old’s lymph nodes. “And I’m like, what? I had no idea that that was coming,” he recalls. “I was just expecting, the surgery was successful. You’re good to go. You don’t have to worry about this.” Within six weeks, Rymer had started chemotherapy at M.D. Anderson. He’d have the infusion, which generally lasted three hours, and then begin a two-week regimen of chemo by pill, four of them, twice a day. And that didn’t count the drugs he was prescribed for the side effects – nausea, anxiety, insomnia – that made Rymer feel like a “walking pharmacist.” Mercifully, he was able to take a week off before beginning the process again. After four cycles of the dual chemotherapy, Rymer is cancer-free and now in surveillance mode where he’ll undergo body scans every six months and advanced blood work every three. He says the highest chance of recurrence is in the first year. “And because I’ve had the surgery — surgery alone gave me about a 50% chance of recurrence in year one and the chemo reduces that to about a 25% chance of recurrence in year one,” Rymer says. “Year two, that’s halved. Year three, it’s halved. “So, if you get through the first three years, you’re good to go without getting any further treatment. … If it does come back, they say it’ll come back somewhere other than my colon, but … we can get after that early. So, I hope I don’t have to go down that road, but that’s sort of what the situation is.” Rymer had kept his diagnosis relatively private, the news mostly confined to family and friends. When he felt well enough, he continued his work as an ambassador for Myrtle Beach golf and as executive vice president of McLemore Club, a resort in northern Georgia. He was also able to film parts of the second season of “The Charlie Rymer Golf Show” on ESPN2 during his off weeks from the chemo. He did discuss his cancer struggle on one episode, but it hasn’t aired yet. When he finished his last chemotherapy treatment on June 6, though, Rymer decided to tweet a video of him ringing the bell. The reaction was swift, and a little overwhelming. The tweet got more than 7,000 likes and 433 comments, many from people asking about his treatment – and most importantly telling Rymer they were scheduling their colonoscopy immediately. “It means the world. It really does,” Rymer says, his voice halting. “… I don’t normally read a lot of remarks on Twitter, but just the folks out there that had either, most of them I hadn’t ever met, but had either watched me play or do TV over the years, just the supportive comments that came in were just incredible. “One of the reasons I was hesitant to put it out was like, nobody cares that somebody’s going through this, but then you find out they do care.” Rymer says fellow broadcasters Mark Rolfing and Paul Azinger, both of whom are cancer survivors, have frequently called to check up on him. Judy Rankin has reached out, as well, along with many others in the golf business. He’s heard from friends in the entertainment industry like Colt Ford and Vince Gill. He’s even reconnected with his best friend from high school. Rymer, who describes himself as a “church-going person,” says the prayers and support are incredibly impactful. “I just would encourage folks when they have friends that are going through this or another severe health challenge, if you’re on the fence of whether I ought to drop a text or call, go ahead and drop it because it’s going to mean a lot more than what you think,” Rymer says, pausing before finishing his thought. “I hate to break down crying on you, but these this last six months I’ve cried more than I ever thought I was capable of crying. So, it makes you sort of look at things a little, a lot differently.” Until last week, Rymer had only played golf twice this year – both times before the surgery – which was the longest break he’d taken from the game since he was 4 years old. And the operation set him back when he developed ileus, where his digestive system didn’t reset for nine days, and he lost 22 pounds. Once he recovered, Rymer started thinking about playing again. He ordered a new set of clubs and once he finished chemo, he started hitting balls again. He thinks it will take about a month to get all the medications out of his system to steady his hands. He’s also dealing with neuropathy. “I haven’t felt my toes in three months. And then the other thing is weight gain with this stuff. So not only have I not felt my toes in three months, hell, I haven’t seen my toes in three months,” says Rymer, proving his trademark sense of humor is still in tact. He also jokes about holding a carton of ice cream with oven mitts because the nerve endings in his hands couldn’t handle anything that wasn’t room temperature or warmer. And the disappointment of finding out that the side effects of both medications was weight gain. “I’m like, really?” Rymer says with a wry laugh. “Plus they put you on steroids too, so, I feel like I stepped on air hose.” Rymer says he couldn’t have survived the last two years without the support of Carol, his wife of 31 years, who also happens to be a registered nurse, and in his words an “absolute superstar.” He says the cancer ordeal has made the couple and their two sons grow closer. “Listen, I’m 54, and my life’s been a blessing,” Rymer says. “I’ve been fortunate to see and do things and have experiences that some folks take 20 lives to do. And then because of my faith, I don’t live my life with fear. But I’m hoping the big man has some more plans for me here.” One of the things Rymer wants to do is encourage everyone to take their health seriously and get a colonoscopy along with other cancer screenings. He can’t help but think about a friend who wouldn’t – “He almost bragged about it,” Rymer says – who has passed away. “When I was out in Houston and I got a chance to ring the bell, I thought you know what I’m going to put that on (Twitter) and just let people know what I’ve been going through,” Rymer says. “And the more I think about it — and I’m hoping this is the case — it seems like mine is rather than being life and death is just terribly, horribly inconvenient. “And I almost feel obligated to sort of share the experience and say, yeah, I’ve had a tough go with this, but if I hadn’t had a colonoscopy, two or three years down the road from now my stomach would be hurting or I’d have some other symptom and I’d go to the doctor and it would be, you’ve got six months, get your affairs in order.” Thankfully, Rymer didn’t wait. And neither should the rest of us.
Charlie Rymer grateful to play golf again after cancer battle
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1st Round 3 Balls – J. Dahmen / L. Griffin / K. Chappell | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Joel Dahmen | +110 |
Lanto Griffin | +210 |
Kevin Chappell | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Wu / T. Detry / A. Novak | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Andrew Novak | +160 |
Thomas Detry | +160 |
Brandon Wu | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – Pierceson Coody / Parker Coody / J. Bridgeman | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Parker Coody | +145 |
Jacob Bridgeman | +150 |
Pierceson Coody | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Meissner / R. McCormack / C. Hammer | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Mac Meissner | +140 |
Cole Hammer | +190 |
Ryan McCormick | +200 |
Ford Championship | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Nelly Korda | +900 |
Lydia Ko | +1800 |
Brooke Henderson | +2000 |
Hyo Joo Kim | +2000 |
Minjee Lee | +2000 |
Ruoning Yin | +2200 |
Alison Lee | +2500 |
Ayaka Furue | +2500 |
Celine Boutier | +2500 |
Lilia Vu | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Skinns / T. Whitney / S. Bennett | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sam Bennett | +160 |
David Skinns | +180 |
Tom Whitney | +190 |
1st Round 3 Balls – N. Xiong / M. Greyserman / P. Fishburn | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Max Greyserman | +140 |
Norman Xiong | +185 |
Patrick Fishburn | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – T. Olesen / J. Highsmith / D. Van Der Walt | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Thorbjorn Olesen | +105 |
Joe Highsmith | +180 |
Dawie Van Der Walt | +300 |
Tournament Match-Up – T. Olesen vs B. Horschel | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Billy Horschel | -145 |
Thorbjorn Olesen | +110 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L. Maguire / X. Lin / B. Tardy | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Xiyu Lin | +130 |
Leona Maguire | +160 |
Bailey Tardy | +260 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Lee / B. Henderson / R. Yin | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Brooke Henderson | +170 |
Minjee Lee | +175 |
Ruoning Yin | +180 |
1st Round 3 Balls – C. Hull / L. Thompson / A. Lee | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alison Lee | +145 |
Charley Hull | +160 |
Lexi Thompson | +230 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Cauley / D. Lipsky / R. Sloan | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Bud Cauley | +135 |
David Lipsky | +185 |
Roger Sloan | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. Palmer / M. Kim / B. Taylor | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Michael Kim | +130 |
Ryan Palmer | +160 |
Ben Taylor | +260 |
1st Round Match-Up – M. Kim v J. Suh | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Michael Kim | -125 |
Justin Suh | +105 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Bramlett / D. Thompson / S. Gutschewski | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Davis Thompson | +125 |
Joseph Bramlett | +135 |
Scott Gutschewski | +350 |
1st Round 3 Balls – H. Norlander / J. Suh / C. Yuan | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Carl Yuan | +160 |
Justin Suh | +160 |
Henrik Norlander | +200 |
Tournament Match-Up – J. Suh v C. Yuan | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Justin Suh | -120 |
Carl Yuan | -110 |
1st Round Match-Up – D. Thompson v D. Berger | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Davis Thompson | -125 |
Daniel Berger | +105 |
1st Round Match-Up – J. Bramlett v V. Whaley | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Joseph Bramlett | -135 |
Vince Whaley | +115 |
1st Round 3 Balls – P. Kizzire / R. Moore / C. Tarren | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ryan Moore | +130 |
Patton Kizzire | +190 |
Callum Tarren | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Trainer / V. Whaley / M. Schmid | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Matti Schmid | +150 |
Vince Whaley | +175 |
Martin Trainer | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – D. Berger / J.B. Holmes / S. Stallings | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Scott Stallings | +125 |
Daniel Berger | +130 |
J B Holmes | +375 |
1st Round 3 Balls – W. Clark / T. Finau / S. Woo Kim | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Wyndham Clark | +135 |
Tony Finau | +190 |
Si Woo Kim | +200 |
1st Round Match-Up – W. Clark vs S. Theegala | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Sahith Theegala | -120 |
Wyndham Clark | +100 |
1st Round Match-Up – J. Day vs T. Finau | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Jason Day | -110 |
Tony Finau | -110 |
1st Round Match-Up – S.W. Kim vs A. Noren | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Si Woo Kim | -120 |
Alex Noren | +100 |
1st Round 3 Balls – V. Norrman / D. Riley / C. Ramey | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Vincent Norrman | +160 |
Chad Ramey | +180 |
Davis Riley | +180 |
1st Round 3 Balls – S. Theegala / J. Day / P. Harrington | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sahith Theegala | +120 |
Jason Day | +135 |
Padraig Harrington | +375 |
Tournament Match-Up – S. Theegala vs J. Day | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Sahith Theegala | -145 |
Jason Day | +110 |
1st Round Match-Up – A. Smalley v V. Norrman | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Smalley | -110 |
Vincent Norrman | -110 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Hughes / B. Horschel / T. Hoge | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Mackenzie Hughes | +170 |
Tom Hoge | +170 |
Billy Horschel | +185 |
1st Round 3 Balls – K. Kitayama / J.J. Spaun / C. Champ | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Kurt Kitayama | +130 |
Cameron Champ | +180 |
J J Spaun | +240 |
1st Round Match-Up – T. Hoge vs K. Kitayama | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Kurt Kitayama | -110 |
Tom Hoge | -110 |
1st Round Match-Up – P. Rodgers vs M. Hughes | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Mackenzie Hughes | -110 |
Patrick Rodgers | -110 |
1st Round 3 Balls – H. Buckley / R. Shelton / T. Alexander | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Robby Shelton | +160 |
Tyson Alexander | +175 |
Hayden Buckley | +190 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Walker / P. Rodgers / A. Smalley | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Patrick Rodgers | +115 |
Alex Smalley | +170 |
Jimmy Walker | +280 |
1st Round 3 Balls – N. Lashley / S. Ryder / Z. Blair | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Sam Ryder | +145 |
Nate Lashley | +160 |
Zac Blair | +230 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Long / J. Vegas / A. Noren | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Alex Noren | +100 |
Jhonattan Vegas | +230 |
Adam Long | +260 |
1st Round Match-Up – B. Silverman v N. Lashley | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Nate Lashley | -115 |
Ben Silverman | -105 |
1st Round 3 Balls – C. Phillips / C. Gotterup / H. Springer | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Chandler Phillips | +160 |
Chris Gotterup | +170 |
Hayden Springer | +190 |
1st Round 3 Balls – B. Silverman / P. Barjon / K. Ventura | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ben Silverman | +115 |
Paul Barjon | +210 |
Kris Ventura | +230 |
Tournament Match-Up – B. Silverman vs C. Gotterup | |
Type: Tournament Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Ben Silverman | -115 |
Chris Gotterup | -115 |
1st Round Match-Up – C. Phillips v C. Gotterup | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Chris Gotterup | -115 |
Chandler Phillips | -105 |
1st Round 3 Balls – E. Barnes / T. Crowe / W. Furr | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Erik Barnes | +145 |
Trace Crowe | +185 |
Wilson Furr | +200 |
1st Round 3 Balls – N. Lindheim / A. Dumont De Chassart / K. Dougherty | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Adrien Dumont de Chassart | +175 |
Kevin Dougherty | +175 |
Nicholas Lindheim | +175 |
1st Round 3 Balls – E. Gonzalez / H. Endycott / V. Perez | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Victor Perez | +120 |
Harrison Endycott | +185 |
Emilio Gonzalez | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – R. MacIntyre / R. Campos / R. Pereda | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Robert MacIntyre | +110 |
Rafael Campos | +170 |
Raul Pereda | +320 |
1st Round Match-Up – V. Perez v R. MacIntyre | |
Type: 1st Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Victor Perez | -115 |
Robert MacIntyre | -105 |
1st Round 3 Balls – J. Campillo / R. Hoey / R. Gibson | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jorge Campillo | +140 |
Rico Hoey | +140 |
Rhein Gibson | +275 |
1st Round 3 Balls – A. Nordqvist / A Lim Kim / Y. Saso | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Yuka Saso | +130 |
A Lim Kim | +170 |
Anna Nordqvist | +250 |
1st Round 3 Balls – M. Stark / J. Kupcho / J. Shin | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Jenny Shin | +130 |
Maja Stark | +200 |
Jennifer Kupcho | +210 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L. Vu / N. Hataoka / A. Furue | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Ayaka Furue | +170 |
Lilia Vu | +175 |
Nasa Hataoka | +180 |
1st Round 3 Balls – N. Korda / C. Boutier / L. Ko | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Nelly Korda | +130 |
Lydia Ko | +190 |
Celine Boutier | +220 |
1st Round 3 Balls – L. Grant / H.J. Kim / R. Zhang | |
Type: 1st Round 3 Balls – Status: OPEN | |
Hyo Joo Kim | +170 |
Linn Grant | +175 |
Rose Zhang | +180 |
2nd Round Match-Up – S. Bairstow v A Fitzpatrick | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Sam Bairstow | -115 |
Alex Fitzpatrick | -105 |
2nd Round Match-Up – J. Luiten v R. Cabrera Bello | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Joost Luiten | -120 |
Rafa Cabrera Bello | -110 |
2nd Round Match-Up – J. Veerman v M. Kieffer | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Johannes Veerman | -115 |
Maximillian Kieffer | -115 |
2nd Round Match-Up – J. Morrison v T. Lewis | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
James Morrison | -115 |
Tom Lewis | -115 |
2nd Round Match-Up – M. Kawamura v A. Sullivan | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Andy Sullivan | -120 |
Masahiro Kawamura | -110 |
2nd Round Match-Up – C. Jarvis v M. Penge | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Casey Jarvis | -115 |
Marco Penge | -115 |
2nd Round Match-Up – B. Stone v G. Migliozzi | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Brandon Stone | -115 |
Guido Migliozzi | -115 |
2nd Round Match-Up – S. Sharma v A. Otaegui | |
Type: 2nd Round Match-Up – Status: OPEN | |
Adrian Otaegui | -120 |
Shubankar Sharma | -110 |
The Galleri Classic | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Steve Stricker | +350 |
Steven Alker | +650 |
Miguel Angel Jimenez | +1100 |
Jerry Kelly | +1200 |
Stephen Ames | +1400 |
Ernie Els | +1600 |
Alex Cejka | +1800 |
Brian Gay | +2000 |
KJ Choi | +2500 |
Kevin Sutherland | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Major Specials 2024 | |
Type: To Win A Major 2024 – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +125 |
Jon Rahm | +225 |
Rory McIlroy | +225 |
Viktor Hovland | +225 |
Brooks Koepka | +350 |
Ludvig Aberg | +350 |
Patrick Cantlay | +400 |
Collin Morikawa | +450 |
Justin Thomas | +450 |
Wyndham Clark | +450 |
Click here for more… | |
The Masters 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +450 |
Rory McIlroy | +1100 |
Jon Rahm | +1200 |
Brooks Koepka | +1800 |
Jordan Spieth | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Hideki Matsuyama | +2500 |
Joaquin Niemann | +2500 |
Justin Thomas | +2500 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
PGA Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +700 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1400 |
Brooks Koepka | +1600 |
Bryson DeChambeau | +2000 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2000 |
Wyndham Clark | +2000 |
Xander Schauffele | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
US Open 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +700 |
Rory McIlroy | +800 |
Jon Rahm | +900 |
Viktor Hovland | +1000 |
Cameron Smith | +1600 |
Brooks Koepka | +1800 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Patrick Cantlay | +2000 |
Click here for more… | |
The Open Championship 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
Scottie Scheffler | +800 |
Jon Rahm | +1000 |
Rory McIlroy | +1000 |
Viktor Hovland | +1100 |
Brooks Koepka | +2000 |
Cameron Smith | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2000 |
Collin Morikawa | +2000 |
Jordan Spieth | +2500 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2500 |
Click here for more… | |
Solheim Cup 2024 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -140 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1200 |
Ryder Cup 2025 | |
Type: Winner – Status: OPEN | |
USA | -135 |
Europe | +135 |
Tie | +1000 |