Marcus Kinhult returns to The Open, three months after health scare
Three months ago, Marcus Kinhult wasn’t sure when he’d be playing golf again.
It was early April, and Kinhult was in Spain practicing during a European Tour off week for the Masters. One evening, he was chatting with his girlfriend, Agnes, over FaceTime when Agnes’ screen went black.
Kinhult had gone into seizure.
“I told her that I felt a little dizzy and then the phone went down,” he told SportsBeezer a week later.
Luckily, Agnes was able to dial 911 and Kinhult was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was eventually diagnosed with epilepsy.
“Purely cognitive, I feel pretty clear,” Kinhult added. “Then the body is still a little shaky. I have had quite strong back pain in the upper back and in the shoulders, it says that the doctors are from cramps. It still hurts, but it is going in the right direction.”
After a week or so in Spain, Kinhult was able to travel back to his home in Sweden, but his golf career was on hold. He met with a neurologist and was prescribed a treatment plan. Kinhult’s absence from golf last more than two months until he returned to action at a Nordic League event in Sweden.
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He missed the cut there, and did the same the following week at the Irish Open, his first European Tour start in more than three months. He recently tied for 59th at the Scottish last week.
This week marks Kinhult’s second Open start. He tied for 61st in 2018 at Carnoustie.
“Very fun of course and very grateful,” Kinhult told the Teller Report in Ireland about being back on the golf course. “We’ll see how long it lasts, but now that I’ve been away from it for a while, it’s extra fun to make birdies and it hurts less with bogeys. I know how painful it is to lie on the couch and not be able to participate.
“I’m not completely fantastic in the body, but it is completely OK, it is good enough.”