A silence fell across the golf world when news broke that Auburn’s Brendan Valdes faced cancer. Players, coaches, and colleagues from the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour flooded his social post with prayers, good wishes, and steady support.

“Life, like golf, is often unpredictable,” Valdes, 22, announced in a statement on Wednesday. “A month ago, I was preparing for the start of my first full season on the Korn Ferry Tour when, during a medical exam, a mass was discovered in my chest. After further testing, I was diagnosed with primary mediastinal lymphoma, requiring me to step away from the Korn Ferry Tour while I undergo treatment.”

Before pausing his first full Korn Ferry season to focus entirely on getting better, Valdes built a brilliant college résumé at Auburn. He earned three All-America honors and two first-team nods overall. He helped the Auburn Tigers win the 2024 NCAA Championship with steady scoring and holds the school records for career birdies, top 10s, and rounds in the 60s. His career scoring average of 70.61 is the second-best in the history of the program.

Then in 2025, he made the cut in all three of his starts on the PGA Tour. Now, his rapid climb to the PGA Tour must stop as he focuses entirely on his health.

“I have recently completed my first round of chemotherapy, and while a long journey lies ahead, my treatments should have me back on the golf course and completely healthy this year,” he added.

While this form of lymphoma is aggressive, the report says the recovery rate is quite high for young patients. And Valdes also expects to be back on the grass and completely healthy this year.

“As I prepare to face this challenge, I want to thank my sponsors, Callaway and Adidas, for being in my corner. I also want to thank the PGA Tour and Korn Ferry Tour staff for their continuous support. Most importantly, I have endless gratitude for my team of doctors, my family, and, most especially, my fiancée, Rachel. I’m grateful for all the words of encouragement, and I look forward to a return to competition. I’ll be back!” Brendan ended the statement.

Valdes posted the personal note (statement), captioning it, “As the Terminator once said… I’ll be back,” on Instagram.

As the news spreads, a massive wave of love and support is flooding Brendan’s comments section.

The Golf world rallies around Valdes

Fellow star Jackson Koivun wrote, “Love you bro. Keep fighting ❤️”. Jackson and Brendan were the only two players to start every single event in 2024. They won the NCAA title together and played for Team USA in the Palmer Cup.

Coach Nick Clinard found Brendan in high school and turned him into a school record holder over four years. He shared a fatherly note of support, saying, “Love you, my man! ❤️🙏”.

Even his biggest rivals from the college rankings sent their best wishes. Josele Ballester wrote, “Ánimo amigo! You will be back soon 😘” to encourage his former collegiate competitor. Josele and Brendan fought for the top spot in the PGA TOUR University rankings in 2024 before Ballester went to the LIV Golf circuit.

Rising PGA Tour pro, Chris Gotterup, posted, “💪💪”.

Gotterup is a player whose professional trajectory closely mirrors what many expected for Valdes. Gotterup, a former Haskins Award winner at the University of Oklahoma, quickly found success on the PGA Tour, winning the Myrtle Beach Classic in 2024. And the connection between Gotterup and Valdes became tangible in late 2025. Both players were listed as contenders on the leaderboard of the 2025 3M Open. In that event, Gotterup finished tied for 10th, while Valdes was close behind in a tie for 20th.

Famous Tour pro, Joel Dahmen, who beat cancer himself, offered some powerful words, writing, “You got this, dude!” Dahmen survived testicular cancer earlier in his career and returned to winning on the PGA Tour.

Valdes’ equipment partner promised to wait for him until he is ready to play the game again soon. Callaway Golf wrote, “Sending our best and wishing you a speedy recovery! See you back out there SOON! 👊🫶”

And famous coach, Jeff Leishman(current swing coach of Luke Clanton), also shared the support, writing, “OH, sorry to hear this. Stay strong and patient. Life can throw some crazy curveballs – you’ll get through this stronger than ever..”

Others joined the support circle as Karl Vilips and Dan Rapaport prayed for Valdes’s health. Evan Thompson and Andrew Kozan also shared their love. Even the John Deere Classic and the official Auburn Men’s Golf page sent their best wishes. We all look forward to the day “BV” returns to the tee box and plays again.