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A Year After Battling Demons, LPGA Phenom’s Intense Struggle Comes to Light

Published 10/30/2023, 1:57 PM EDT

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Physical hurdles take a toll even on the fittest of bodies. For example, Tiger Woods was doing well on course until he met an accident in 2021, which almost left him with a limp. He even had to go for complete rehabilitation and thus stepped back from the Masters Championship as well. Similarly, Jessica Korda had been suffering from a back injury, which caused the LPGA star to stay away from golf. 

Now, another golfer’s story comes to light who is a major winner in the LPGA circuit and suffering from a deadly disease. 

LPGA golfer is suffering from a serious ailment

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Karen Stupples is a golfer on the LPGA circuit who has made a fair share of contributions to the game. The golfer was suffering from Graves’ disease at the start of the year. It started with hand tremors, followed by trembling legs, which would be the case after hours of workouts.

Even her stomach used to remain upset for days. Besides that, her body became so weak that she couldn’t even lift a frying pan. The pain was so excruciating that she could barely talk properly. Back in January, her heart rate was at 150 for a week, which resulted in her being admitted to the nursing home. 

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When her partner inquired about the situation, he said, “I’m not sure she got an answer that first trip. They thought she was diabetic and told her not to eat any carbs for two months.” Three months later, she was diagnosed with the disease, which was not thyroid.

Recently, a tweet about her struggles was shared on social media. The tweet said, “Karen Stupples had an extraordinarily tough year. But you’d never know it by watching her work on Golf Channel. She was kind enough to open up about a year that was downright terrifying for the major champ.” 

As golf fans hope and pray for Karen, some might remember that Pat Bradley also fought the disease back in the day.  

Pat Bradley went through a horrendous rollercoaster ride

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In 1986, Bradley was at her peak and was doing exceptionally well in her career. She was given the title of Player of the Year. She won five LPGA trophies and three major championships. One of the majors was the Nabisco Dinah Shore LPGA. 

Read More: “Not So Fine”: Amid Massive Concerns Around His Health, Tiger Woods Makes an Honest Confession

But after a while, her gameplay started suffering. She felt physically weak. In an interview, she said, “All of a sudden I was zapped with no muscle strength”. As the problems affected her game, she thought she must seek psychological help or change the way she trained. But after missing a cut in a tournament, she saw a proper doctor who did a blood test, which revealed that she was suffering from Grave’s disease. Currently, she’s doing fine health-wise and her problems are no longer visible. 

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Written by:

Suchita Chakraborty

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Suchita is a golf writer for EssentiallySports who was chosen in the recent ‘ES Draft’ round for her in-depth coverage and knowledge of the sport. Even as a budding writer, she has captivated readers through her ability to bring the sport to life through her articles, especially when it comes to golf's latest hot topic, the merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Suchita draws her inspiration from one of the legends in women’s golf, Annika Sorrenstam.
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Edited by:

Stefan Thomas

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