New Hudson’s Ryan Lenahan withdrew from last month’s Michigan PGA Eastern Chapter Championship. But it was hardly a decision he made for himself. The 42-year-old was forced to pull out after being struck in the head by a stray golf ball while playing in the event. Now, Lenahan has opened up about the frightening incident and the aftermath.
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“I’m alive. I may have some short-term memory loss,” Lenahan said, as per Golf Week. “I taught [recently], and I told somebody, if this short-term memory loss eliminates all the bad shots I’ve hit recently, then I’m completely fine with that.”
If the incident is news to you, Lenahan had just finished the par-5 fifth hole at Eagle Crest Golf Club in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on September 21. Then he was collecting clubs from his cart as he prepared to play the par-3 sixth when he heard a loud bang. The ball had been hit by a player in the group behind Lenahan, who was attempting to reach the fifth green in two with a 3-wood from roughly 250 yards away.
No one yelled “fore,” and trees partly obscured the area between the holes. The ball struck Lenahan squarely on the head, knocking him unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was lying on the ground with blood covering his head and hands. His playing partners called 911, and paramedics took him by golf cart to an ambulance before he was rushed to the University of Michigan Hospital.
“Out of nowhere, I heard a really loud noise, and I was thinking to myself, ‘What’s going on?’ I was so confused, I couldn’t concentrate,” he said, recollecting the event. “My awareness and my [depth] perception completely went away. Then, I’m tripping and falling. And everything went blank.”
There, a CT scan was performed, and luckily it showed no bleeding in his brain. But doctors diagnosed him with a concussion. The 42-year-old was released from the hospital that evening. However, Ryan Lenahan was left with a massive gash on his temple, which made it obvious that the ball had missed his eye by two inches.
“It was a very unlucky situation, and I was really lucky,” Lenahan added. “It’s one of those things where it could’ve gone a whole different direction. I’m really fortunate.
When it became clear that he was fine, the first thing Lenahan did was call the Michigan PGA officials. He wanted to check whether he could continue playing in the final round of the event. After all, the circumstances of his exit were unconventional. Sadly for him, though, no rule would allow him to get back into the tournament.
This resulted in him finishing No. 2 on the 2026 Michigan PGA Player of the Year standings. Notably, the 42-year-old, who won the Michigan PGA Player of the Year in 2025, lost the Michigan PGA Match Play Championship in the final. Naturally, his unfortunate exit from the Eastern Chapter Championship was a big blow.
“I was incredibly disappointed,” said Lenahan. “I felt like it was kind of taken away from me.”
He also missed out on a decent payday, since the top eight players in the event made at least $1,000. Considering he is a modest-salary club pro, the money was significant. However, he did receive $400, which a player in the last position made. Still, the incident didn’t hold him back for long, as he returned to a team event in the Lansing area. That’s because he didn’t want to abandon his partner.
More importantly, though, the event gave him the opportunity to test himself and find out whether he was ready for the PGA Cup. Having then consulted a doctor, who left it up to him to decide whether he should compete again so soon, Ryan Lenahan decided he wanted to go, since he felt missing it “would’ve been crushing”.
So, Lenahan and his wife Amy traveled to Ireland for the event, which is a biennial club-professional competition between the United States and Great Britain & Ireland. There, the Grosse Pointe North alum participated in the PGA Cup opening ceremonies and team activities. A team photo was taken at the event, in which a welt on his head was airbrushed out.
After playing some practice rounds with his Team USA teammates at The K Club, he felt the captain might bench him because of his injury. However, he claims he is ready to play.