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Summarized by Kent Larsen
LDS Pro Bruce Summerhays Leads Senior Tour . . . To Arthritis Relief
New York NY Daily News 3Jul00 S2
By Kristie Ackert: Daily News Sports Writer
NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- LDS Pro Golfer Bruce Summerhays has led the
way, and its helped his golf game. Summerhays, who plays on the
Senior PGA Tour, was the first player on the tour to try a new
arthritis drug, Celebrex, which is now extending the careers of more
than 80 players on the tour.
Arthritis has been a big factor in the senior tour, says Dr. Paul
Wright, a tour physician, "The players were always looking for a way
to cope with arthritis. They would take the old medications, but
still end up taking several pain relievers like ibuprofin during a
round. Arthritis was not only affecting their play, but it was
cutting some careers short."
Because of his arthritis, Summerhays was cutting back on the number
of games he played, and considering retirement. "I wasn't able to
practice as much as I should have. I would finish a round, sit down
to have a bite to eat and not want to get up. I couldn't go out and
hit the practice tee like I should have. The pain would wear me out.
That just wasn't the way I wanted to play golf, as a competitor, I
wanted to play better," he said. "I just didn't feel like I could."
He adds that Celebrex made an immediate difference, "I immediately
felt a difference - that day," he said. "I felt better. By the end of
that week, I had more energy. I could go out and hit practice balls,
I was ready to play more golf at the end of the week."
But Bruce Summerhays wasn't the only member of his family to benefit
from the drug. His daughter, Carrie, was diagnosed at age three with
juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She has fought the condition all her
life, taking as many as nine baby asprin a day as a child. But she
didn't let the condition stop her. She excelled in high school
sports, making all-state in golf, soccer and softball, before moving
on to BYU, where she is currently a member of the women's golf team.
Recently, Carrie started taking Celebrex, and she says it has made a
difference in her game also, "It only helps my golf game in that I am
not playing through pain," she said. "I am not sore, I can practice
more. I knew it was a good drug, I could see the difference in my
father."
Meanwhile, other members of the family are making golf news this
week. Both Boyd and Daniel Summerhays, also Bruce's children, are
competing along with 150 other hopefuls in the 2000 Utah Men's State
Amateur Golf Tournament. Daniel, 16, is playing in the tournament for
the first time. He has gained notariety in Utah recently as one of
the state's most promising amateurs.
Boyd Summerhays has just returned from an LDS mission to Argentina,
and is competing to capture about the only Utah golf championship he
didn't win before his mission. In play yesterday, Boyd shot a 69,
just one stroke behind the lead. Following the tournament, Boyd is
getting married and will return to Oklahoma State University, which
is considered to have the best golf program in the US, where he is a
member of the golf team.
See also:
State Am Starts Today With Its Deepest Field Ever
Salt Lake Tribune 5Jul00 S2
http://www.sltrib.com/07052000/sports/64553.htm
By Jay Drew: Salt Lake Tribune
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