U.S. Senior Amateur First USGA Event for Leukemia Survivor Henning

Two simple words have guided leukemia survivor Bruce Henning’s journey through life and golf: just trust. Henning, 60, of Brookfield, Wis., adopted the phrase after watching an ESPN Make-A-Wish feature, where a young girl, also diagnosed with cancer, reassured her distressed father that everything was going to be okay by telling him, “just trust.”

While firing a 3-under-par 69 during his U.S. Senior Amateur qualifying round on July 14 at The Wisconsin Country Club, Henning proudly wore a “just trust” bracelet and embraced the words as he patiently waited for the leader board to break in his favor. After three excruciating hours, Henning’s name stood alone at the top, securing his spot at Oak Hills Country Club, in San Antonio, Texas, where he’ll make his USGA championship debut.

“I had the longest three hours of my life waiting,” said Henning. “And finally, at the end, it was good enough. Just the sheer kind of hard work and everything that has gone into this. [It] was one of the greatest feelings I've ever had.”

Competitive golf has become a renaissance for Henning. During his youth, he was a multi-sport athlete, good enough to play three sports (golf, football and basketball) at NCAA Division III Concordia University, in Mequon, Wis. Because the golf and football seasons overlapped, Henning would alternate practice days between hitting on the range and punting on the gridiron, before dropping college golf altogether to focus more on football and basketball.

That focus paid off, leading to tryouts with both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, as well as an offer to play professional basketball in Europe. For the next four years, Henning pursued his dream of competing at the highest level in professional sports before returning to golf, where he tested himself on mini-tours and entered PGA Tour Qualifying School.

As he and his wife, Ann, were expecting their first child, Henning made the difficult choice to pivot careers from athletics to the classroom, as he pursued a new career of becoming a math teacher. Although his competitive playing days were in the rearview mirror, he stayed connected to sports through coaching at Oconomowoc Middle School and High School, spending close to 20 years as the eighth-grade boys basketball coach and nearly 30 years as the head golf coach at the high school.

Life took another turn in 2017 when a routine doctor’s visit revealed an abnormally high platelet count. Henning was referred to an oncologist and was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow.

“The biggest thing is that I’m really pushing hard for people to go see their doctors for annual [checkups] every year, because I had zero symptoms,” said Henning. “I didn’t have anything wrong.”

Doctors reassured Henning that this particular type of cancer could be managed with a daily oral medicine that would allow him to live a normal life. But two years into his treatment, worsening body pains led to further testing that revealed his cancer had transformed into Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – a far more aggressive and life-threatening disease. He was hospitalized and began an intensive six-month course of chemotherapy, including eight separate week-long inpatient stays.

The next step in his treatment was to find a bone marrow transplant donor – a difficult process, as the patient’s body can reject the transplant if the donor does not closely match specific biological markers. Henning’s search began in Germany, home to one of the world’s largest donor registries and a population more likely to match Henning’s biological background. After months without a suitable match, doctors turned to the last resort – a donation from Henning’s son, Kyle, who Bruce had caddied for at three USGA championships. Such transplants carry a greater risk, with only a 50 percent chance of success.

The operation was successful, and Henning beat the odds. He attributes his community and family for helping him endure one of the most challenging times of his life.

“My school was amazing,” added Henning. “I had friends who started a GoFundMe [page]. My students raised money by selling bracelets, T-shirts, different things. The outpouring [came from] people who I never knew I touched in any way. But being a teacher, you just never know sometimes until later on. Amazing, amazing people that helped out through that difficult time.”

During those many long nights in the hospital, Henning kept a mental list of goals that gave him the strength to persevere.

“I wanted to see my kids get married,” said the Wisconsin native. “I wanted to hopefully have some grandkids and be able to see them. And then, I wanted to get back to at least playing competitive golf if possible.”

Henning had his eye on a Wisconsin State Amateur qualifier that took place only four months after his transplant. With the help of intensive physical therapy – and despite his doctor insisting that there was no way he could play – Henning teed it up at the event and shot what he called “the greatest 80 of my life.”

As he progressively began to regain strength, he continued to compete in state amateurs while focusing on the importance of taking things slow and listening to his body in a way he never had before.

“The biggest thing was just understanding my body,” noted Henning. “Going through cancer, I can feel every part of my body all of a sudden... I just tried not to push it. Being an athlete all my life, I was always taught you can push, push, push and if it hurts, it’s just part of the process. I just didn’t do that. I figured it would be smart to listen to your body when you’re tired. And when you’re sore, you stop... I definitely wanted to do it the right way.”

Two years removed from his transplant, Henning nearly broke through, holding a two-stroke lead over Wisconsin legend Bob Gregorski going into the final hole of the 2021 Wisconsin Senior Amateur. A Henning bogey and Gregorski birdie forced a playoff, where Henning ultimately fell short with another bogey. For some, this moment would be devastating, but for Henning, it was an opportunity for gratitude.

“It hurt to lose,” added Henning. “But in the end, it really didn’t bother me very much because I was back to where I wanted to be – and sooner than I ever imagined I could.”

Henning returned to the same course four years later with a chance to redeem his playoff loss, this time with greater stakes on the line – a trip to the U.S. Senior Amateur.

During the qualifying round, Henning made the turn at 1 under before picking up a bogey on the par-4 10th hole. He responded by registering three birdies over his final eight holes to finish at 3 under. Henning once again faced a challenge from Gregorski, but this time Gregorski bogeyed his final hole to fall out of contention, leaving Henning’s name alone at the top and fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams of playing in a USGA championship.

“It was relief and joy and just so much emotion on that day,” said Henning. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to be able to have this opportunity, and you know, I'm just playing with house money now. So whatever happens, I’m going to have the time of my life and soak it all in and enjoy it...It’s awesome. It’s definitely one of the top things in my lifetime.”

Looking back on his journey, Henning defines these years as his “bonus life.” He continues to practice gratitude for his remarkable recovery while appreciating each day that he’s been given.

“It’s a bonus every day I wake up. It’s bonus time. It’s just about spending time with family, friends and just enjoying moments like this...My biggest thing is to just live every day to its fullest, because nothing is guaranteed ahead.”

As Henning steps onto the tee at the 70th U.S. Senior Amateur at 12:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday, he plans to once again wear his “just trust” bracelet. For him, those two words are more than just a phrase. They are a reminder of his remarkable resilience that has carried him through illness and recovery, a symbol of faith in what lies ahead and a reflection of the many people who lifted him along the way.

Win or lose, Henning plans to soak in every moment while enjoying one of the many accomplishments of his bonus life.

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Griffin Genobaga is a USGA summer communications intern. Email him at ggenobaga@usga.org.