Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 2, 2002
His drives have traveled shorter. His irons don't fly so far. Walking 18 holes, which he has done routinely for his 15 years as a golf pro, is a struggle. He is weak and tired and sick.
But Greg Kraft is thankful.
He doesn't have cancer, which is what one doctor all but assured him of several weeks ago.
And he can keep pursuing his livelihood, even if it will be awhile before Kraft approaches his previous level of fitness and endurance.
Kraft, 38, an 11-year PGA Tour veteran who lives in Clearwater, contracted coccidioidomycosis (cox-SID-ee-OID-oh-my-COE-suss), more commonly referred to as valley fever, in the spring.
Unfortunately for Kraft, it took awhile for it to be diagnosed. At one point, he had become so troubled, he visited an oncologist, who told him the symptoms pointed to lymphoma, a form of cancer.
"It's been brutal," said Kraft, who last weekend made his first cut in nearly four months.
Kraft's journey began in February at the Tucson Open, where he had his lone top-10 finish of the season, a tie for sixth. The following week, he went to Doral in Miami and started feeling tired.
A week later, he withdrew from the Honda Classic. A visit to the doctor and blood tests followed, but nothing was found.
So Kraft went to the Bay Hill Invitational, where during the second round he could barely finish. The following week at the Players Championship, it was the same story.
"I was 100 yards behind everybody in my group," he said. "I couldn't walk. I went home and the doctor did a bunch of tests, threw the book at me, and said I had a bad virus. So I withdrew from Houston, Atlanta, and I wasn't playing the Masters."
With three weeks of rest, Kraft figured he was okay to return at Hilton Head in April. But after hitting a few balls on the practice range, the symptoms returned.
"I started sweating, shaking. I had a temperature of 103," he said. "I called my doctor, and he told me to get home. I couldn't get a flight, so my caddie drove me back all night.
"This time, they must have done 100 tests. I had a CAT scan, everything. And they noticed that the lymph nodes in my chest were five times the regular size."
Kraft sought frank answers from his doctor and got them.
"I wanted to know," he said. "He checked me out and felt my lymph nodes and said, "You have too much going on to have just an infection. All the lymph nodes in your neck are starting to swell up. You've got every symptom (of lymphoma)."'
But biopsies showed Kraft did not have cancer.
"The doctor called me up afterward and said, "I'm really glad to be wrong,"' Kraft said.
Finally, it was determined Kraft had valley fever, a fungal infection. The fungus thrives in arid places with hot summers and no winter frosts. In the United States, Arizona, California and Texas report the most cases.
The coccidioides fungus lives in soil, and all it takes is for the fungus to be inhaled. Some never come down with any symptoms. Others see the symptoms go away without treatment.
That was not the case with Kraft, who believes he contracted the illness when he played the Tucson tournament. It will take nine months to rid himself of the infection. He has been put on medication for a year.
"I lost about 18 pounds, and I still don't have my regular appetite," he said. "When I go home, I can put on a little weight. But on the road, I lost it again. The main thing is I've lost a lot of strength. As soon as I start walking and playing, I get tired. It's been tough."
Kraft made the cut last weekend at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn., where he tied for 50th. It was the first time he played 72 holes since tying for 41st in early March at Doral. His first-round 68 was his first score in the 60s since shooting 66 during the first round at Doral. Kraft has made six cuts in 16 starts this year.
With $152,563, Kraft is 151st on the money list. He must be among the top 125 at the end of the season to retain his card. Kraft, whose best season was 1999 when he earned $810,777 and finished 52nd on the money list, could have received a medical waiver that would have allowed him to compete as an exempt player next year.
But he decided to forge ahead, even though he has lost about 10 yards in distance with his irons and nearly 20 with the driver.
"I love playing golf," said Kraft, who this week is scheduled to play in the Western Open before heading to next week's Greater Milwaukee Open. "It's no fun struggling, but I have to feel I'll be better for this afterward. I don't want to be home. I want to play golf. You never know what might happen. I think if something bad like this happens to you, something good will happen to you, too. I'm trying to keep a good attitude.
"You only need a couple of good things to happen to you before things are turned around. This wasn't something I caused. It's not like I went water skiing and had an accident. It's a fluke. But I'm thankful for what it is. It could have been a lot worse."