Torrey Pines' grad Demsey hasn't been deterred by series of setbacks

By: MARC FIGUEROA - Staff Writer | Tuesday, May 8, 2007 11:32 PM PDT ∞

It had been nearly 10 years since he had played in a PGA Tour event. For all Todd Demsey has been through the last decade, it might as well have been a lifetime.

The Torrey Pines High grad and current Nationwide Tour player, who earned a spot in last week's Wachovia Championship through Monday qualifying, reunited with guys he used to run with -- Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson included.

Demsey, a teammate of Mickelson's at Arizona State, won the NCAA Championship in 1993 and was a Walker Cup teammate of Justin Leonard and Tim Herron. Woods was his World Amateur teammate in '94.

But a career full of promise soon took a major turn, one that changed his life.

Demsey played on the tour in 1997, but was unable to keep his card after missing 18 cuts in 27 events and earning just $41,774. Then in 2001, a back injury, which at times made it difficult for him to even walk, sidelined him for months.

More than a year later, he was on an operating table undergoing seven hours of surgery.

Not for his back, but to remove a golf-ball sized tumor from his brain. What's worse, he had the craniotomy less than a month after getting married to his wife, Melinda.

The doctors were able to expel 90 percent of the tumor, and late in 2003 Demsey had a second surgery to remove the rest.

Now 34 years old, Demsey is still playing the game he loves, working through the physical pain and the emotional anguish that comes from years of trying to make it back to the big leagues. And thanks to a solid season so far, he's in his best position in years to do just that.

He's currently ranked 34th on the Nationwide money list, having made a tour-leading eight straight cuts this year. The top 25 at the end of the season earn an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour in 2008. He made another cut on Friday, this time as a Monday qualifier at the Wachovia in Charlotte, N.C., and finished in a tie for 69th.

"I feel real good about my progress," Demsey said Monday. "I've had a lot of things thrown at me since I turned pro, with my back and the brain tumor and everything. To be where I'm at right now, I'm real proud of that.

"I feel like I'm ready (for the PGA Tour), especially after last week. I didn't play anywhere close to what I can do, but to make the cut not playing very well and to make a little money is encouraging."

Demsey got another piece of jolting news several weeks back, when a brain scan revealed the tumor that was as removed more than three years ago is coming back. He's planning to go through cyberknife radiation treatment in December at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.

"Not good news, but it shouldn't be a problem (since it was detected early)," he said.

Some would say Demsey has been through hell and back. But Demsey, a touring pro since 1995, doesn't look at it that way. Sure, his setbacks have frustrated him, but they've also given him plenty of perspective on the game and in life.

He's learned not to take anything for granted, something he didn't do much when he was just starting his career.

"A lot of guys would have just packed it in, but he didn't," said Brian Newton, Demsey's agent at Gaylord Sports Management. "He obviously has a passion for the game and has tons of talent. I don't look at him as a journeyman because he's had success. He's not just scraping by and just making it."

Now with a baby daughter -- Melinda gave birth to Maggie Demsey on July 13 -- Demsey's perspective is changing even more. While some may contend a child could distract a golfer's focus, Demsey believes Maggie is actually helping his.

"I haven't missed a cut since she's been born," said Demsey, who won twice on the Gateway Tour last year. "I think it motivates me to work harder, plus it puts a lot of things into perspective, too. When you play bad, it's not quite as bad when you come home to see her.

"My practice is more focused than it has been in the past. (Being a father) there's only a certain amount of time I have to get stuff done, so I think it's helped."

The Demseys make their home in Scottsdale, but this season their real home address has been the family RV, which Todd, Melinda and Maggie have been using to commute to each tournament.

When the Nationwide Tour resumes next week, the Demseys will be on the South Carolina-North Carolina border for the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs. Then it's off to Maryland, then Illinois, then back to North Carolina.

For some, the rigors of the road can be mundane. But with a new baby on board, days are anything but boring for Todd and Melinda, who used to caddie for Demsey and now works logging players' equipment usage for the Darrell Survey at many events.

"No time to sit around and do nothing," he said with a laugh. "We got a dog, thinking it would be a good warm-up (to having a child), but it's not even close."

"They make a great team," Newton said about the Demseys.

While Demsey still may be on the short end of the fatherhood learning curve, his golf game is dialed in more than it has been in years. He's close, and he knows it. Others do too.

"He still believes in himself and is going to do whatever it takes to get back to the PGA Tour," Newton said.

-- Marc Figueroa covers golf for the North County Times. E-mail him at marcfig@aol.com. The Golf Gallery appears every Wednesday.

Todd Demsey File

Age: 34

Career earnings: $532,794 on Nationwide Tour; played on PGA Tour in 1997 and earned $41,774

Career finish: Runner-up twice (1996 Monterrey Open, 2000 Virginia Beach Open)

Standout stats: 1993 NCAA champion; played in '93 Walker Cup; won the Utah Open, California State Open and Arizona Open in same year ('98)

Did you know?: His grandfather was a catcher for the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940-41.