It wasn’t supposed to go this way for Joey Snyder III. Not after the Scottsdale pro made his rookie debut on the PGA Tour last year, and won over $1 million in the process.
“I haven’t touched a club in three months,’’ said a dejected Snyder, who finds himself in the unusual position of being saddled with two baffling injuries simultaneously.
“But until we find out what the problems are, I don’t want to take any chances.’’
For the record, Snyder’s ailments came into play immediately this season, when the pain first surfaced at the Sony Hawaiian Open in early January. Even though he played in five more events, his body wasn’t right, which explains why Snyder has made only one cut and a little over $13,000 in 2006.
According to the former Arizona State All-American, he has been diagnosed with a tear in the pad between the C5 and C6 vertebrae in his neck, as well as another tear in the labrum of his shoulder.
Following the FBR Open in early February, Snyder underwent an MRI. That test confirmed the injuries, which had left Snyder “sore and stiff.’’
“The last tournament I played in was the Doral (March 5), and I was in constant pain. It was killing me,’’ said Snyder, who turns 33 on Wednesday. “I remember I was on the range one morning, and Rocco Mediate came up to me and said, ‘Go home, Joey Snyder, you can’t play at 60 percent when everybody else out here is playing at 100 percent.
“Rocco even went as far as taking away the rest of my range balls. He said, ‘I don’t want you to hurt yourself any more. Go home, heal’ ’’
Mediate would know, as he has been saddled by a bad back for much of his career. Snyder, on the other hand, is new to the playing-with-pain game.
“That’s why I’ve gotten advice from both a surgeon and a neurosurgeon, and have been seeing a physical therapist,’’ he said. “It’s also why I’ve quit playing, as my neurosurgeon told me that the injuries are like a sore elbow in that if you keep using it, (the pain) is never going to go away.’’
The same could be said of the frustration, Snyder added.
“Mentally, it’s tough, because I’ve never taken three months off in my life – not junior golf, high school golf, college golf or in the pros,’’ said the former state champ at Paradise Valley High School. “It’s a freaky deal, because nothing has really been decided on.’’
Meanwhile, Snyder keeps missing starts. Like this week’s Memorial, a tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus.
“I’ve wanted to play in Jack’s tournament since I was a kid,’’ Snyder said. “But that’s the hardest part about all this.
“I played well enough to qualify for my first Players Championship, and then had to miss it. That would have been like a major (championship) for me.’’
But the worst part of all is there is no timeline for his injuries, or when he will return to the big leagues.
“There are just no solid answers, although I’ve noticed that slowly but surely (the neck and shoulder) are starting to calm down a little,’’ Snyder said. “Fortunately, I’m protected under the (medical exemption) rules, and the Tour has been very helpful, in that they’ve told me not to come back until I’m 110 percent.
“But my wife has seen enough of me for one season, and she definitely wants me to get back out there. I want to be there, too, but only if I’m healthy.’’
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