This story was originally published by the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA).¶
Sevierville Golf Course is known for its unforgiving terrain, course demands and regular elevation changes.¶
In addition to in recent years being host site of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association State Golf Championship, it now also is the site where precocious Knoxville Catholic golfer Ava Holmes stuffed cancer.¶
A member of the Irish girls’ state championship-qualifying team, Holmes initially thought some lingering back pain late this summer likely stemmed from perhaps too many golf swings and not enough stretches.¶
Medical testing told an entirely different story.¶
“I’d been having back pain for about a year and had been in physical therapy throughout the duration,” Holmes, undergoing surgery in the days here before Thanksgiving, said. “It wasn’t helping; exercising, stretches weren’t helping. One day, my entire right leg went numb, and that’s when it hit me and my parents.”¶
The it? Cancer in Holmes’s L-3 and L-4 vertebrates requiring a significant surgical procedure in Nashville.¶
Then again, Holmes has an entirely different determination. Like learning of a cancer diagnosis and golfing the same day. Setting a personal mark for her career-best nine-hole score in a prep match at Knoxville’s Beaver Brook Golf and Country Club, too.¶
“I found out that I had a tumor and went and played my golf match the same day,” Holmes said. “I shot the lowest nine I’ve had, a 38.”¶
Her courage has shot inspiration through those around her. Take Knoxville Catholic golf coach Peter Medlyn.¶
“Ava has never mentioned her illness and never complained about any pain issues, which I now know she endured,” said Medlyn, head of Catholic’s boys’ and girls’ golf programs since May 2024. “Ava always showed up to practice and games with the same big smile and positive attitude, not just for herself but for her teammates. Ava is a remarkable and courageous young woman.”¶
Surgery from oncology specialist Dr. Lackney this week in Nashville is a pivotal next step, but not the only step for Holmes.¶
She knows an arduous path awaits. Likewise, she knows golf isn’t over for her; that the sport she’s grown to love from those earliest outings with her father, Brian, is on pause; not permanent hiatus.¶
“I think the support system just makes it so much easier to deal with what I have going on,” Holmes said. “Because having the tumor and cancer I have at my young age, it’s hard. It’s a big burden to carry. Senior year, missing out on a bunch of events I’ve dreamed about since I was a freshman. Having the support system of teammates and friends I have makes it so much easier. I know every day how loved I am and how much they care for me.¶
“I’ve never doubted my support and people walking with me through it. It makes it a lot easier, and it really inspires me to have people who care so much about me.”¶
Even in those early days following the diagnosis, when questions can outweigh easy answers, Holmes’s tenacious resilience shines.¶
“So, when I first asked my doctor if it was okay for me to play golf, he was a little unsure,” Holmes said. “I first asked when I got my biopsy, before we knew I had cancer and just knew that I had a tumor.¶
“When I golf, it definitely hurts more but it was a risk I decided to take. They said it’s the state tournament, if that’s what you really want to do, you can do it. I did it last year, and it was super-fun.¶
“It was such a good experience, the tournament was fun and being with friends was super-fun. I didn’t want to let this thing define me; didn’t want to let it control me. I don’t want to be defined and controlled by this little bump in my road. I just really don’t want to let it get this best of me.”¶
So Holmes golfed. She battled the course, the cancer and the conditions in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.¶
Then, she put her golf clubs on the shelf. Temporarily.¶
“After surgery, it’s going to take some time for me to get up to walking, and I’m going to have metal in the lower part of my spine,” said Holmes, a few weeks prior to surgery. “I know it’s going to take me a bit to get walking, going up and down stairs, standing on my own. It will be probably eight to nine months before I can attempt to swing a golf club again.¶
“But I know once I get through this, it will be better. It will be a few months after surgery to go back to school and there are going to be a few minor inconveniences, like no stairs and no backpack.”¶
But?¶
“But, I’m going to make the most of my senior year rather than just be sitting at home,” Holmes said. “I just feel like dealing with this, pushing myself, going back to school is making me stronger.¶
“Yeah, I definitely … I don’t care how long I have to wait. I will play golf again. I know I will.”¶
This warrior? Everyone knows she will.¶
John Brice is a writer for the TSSAA.¶
