The circumstances last November were proof that we never quite know what professional golfers are facing in any given week. They have lives and joys and troubles beyond the golf course, though it essentially is their job not to show it.

And, indeed, if Erik van Rooyen had not shot eight under in stunning Sunday back nine to win the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico last fall, he wouldn’t have had an audience with which to share his tragic story.

Earlier that week, van Rooyen and his caddie and past University of Minnesota teammate, Alex Gaugert, got a text from another former Gopher, Jon Trasamar, that his melanoma cancer, which had been in remission, returned. Trasamar told them he had only weeks to live. Not only had van Rooyen and Trasamar been roommates on the college team that won the 2014 Big Ten Championship, Jon was the best man in Erik’s wedding. “He’s like a brother to me,” van Rooyen said.

Somehow, the player and caddie found extraordinary inspiration in Trasamar’s plight, and van Rooyen stormed to a total of 23 under par that included a closing 63 at El Cardonal at Diamante in Cabo San Lucas. It was his second career tour win and removed him from a fight on the bubble for his 2024 tour card.

“Every shot out there today was for him,” van Rooyen said of Trasamar after the victory, which he celebrated with an emotional hug of Gaugert on the 18th green.

Erik van Rooyen reacts on the 18th green after his win.

Hector Vivas

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Van Rooyen and Gaugert skipped the following week’s tournament in Bermuda to go see Trasamar in person. Their friend died less than a week later at the age of 33.

“I pour my heart and soul into this sport like a lot of us do. Yeah, that win last year meant so much.” Van Rooyen said at his defending champion’s press conference ahead of Thursday’s start to this year’s World Wide.

Van Rooyen revealed that a scholarship at Minnesota has been established in Trasamar’s name.

“I’ve spoken about Jon a lot, but another thing I learned was even though this game means so much to me, it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day,” van Rooyen explained. “So, there’s much bigger things in life and that’s a lesson I’ve carried with me these last 12 months.”

Van Rooyen, 34, had a decent year by finishing 62nd in the FedEx Cup. His best result came in March when he fired yet another 63 in a final round to tie for second in the Cognizant Classic. Van Rooyen competed in the Olympics for South Africa and finished 17th, and In the current FedEx Fall slate, his best finish is a T-33 in Las Vegas.

In reflecting on the World Wide win, Van Rooyen said he learned to never give up—he was four strokes behind when he made the turn that Sunday, only to shoot eight-under 28 coming home. He also had a funny revelation from behind the scenes.

“I know for a fact my mom and dad went to sleep when that happened in South Africa. They didn’t have faith,” he said. “I think regardless of how many I’m back, I think I’m always within a shot, so that gives me a ton of confidence.”

And his parents will never doubt him again.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com