U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker was recently released from a Wisconsin hospital following a lengthy stay for a non-COVID-related illness.
Stricker, 54, fell ill about a month after the United States won the Ryder Cup in blowout fashion over Europe at Whistling Straits in Sheboygan, Wis. in late September. What started as a cough and a sore throat morphed into a high white blood cell count and inflammation around his heart, according to Wisconsin.Golf.
Stricker spent 11 days at UW Health University Hospital and was discharged just before Thanksgiving. But he was admitted again three days later and endured another lengthy stay.
“I’m still on no activity. I’m still dealing with inflammation around the heart,” Stricker said. “That part is getting better, though, all the time. They took an MRI right before Christmas and it was still there, this inflammation, but it’s going down. I’ll have another MRI (Jan. 20). If it’s gone, then I can start to do things.”
The 12-time winner on the PGA Tour said he lost 25 pounds during the ordeal, as well as losing a considerable amount of muscle mass. A COVID-19 test came up negative.
At times during the illness, Stricker said he had a fever that spiked, he had liver issues that led to jaundice and he had an allergic reaction to medication. A liver biopsy was performed, and blood thinners were prescribed.
“You don’t know what’s happening; you don’t know where this road is leading to,’ Stricker said. “I never thought that I’m not getting out of there kind of thing. But I didn’t eat for two weeks. I didn’t have any energy or appetite to eat. I had a hard time just getting up and walking because of the heart. I took a few steps to the bathroom and I’d be out of breath.
“I was pretty sick, from what they tell me.”
According to doctors, Stricker will need at least six months before he can play golf again. He is currently recuperating in Florida.
–Field Level Media