Recent PGA Tour University graduate Brendan Valdes announced on Wednesday he was diagnosed with primary mediastinal lymphoma and will be leaving the Korn Ferry Tour while undergoing treatment.
In his Instagram post, Valdes said a mass was discovered in his chest during a medical examination a month ago and further testing revealed his diagnosis. He recently completed his first round of chemotherapy.
“While a long journey lies ahead,” he wrote, “my treatments should get me back on the golf course and fully healthy this year.”
Valdes, 22, was a member of the Auburn men’s golf team that won the NCAA Championship in 2024. A three-time All-American while in college, Valdes earned his 2026 Korn Ferry Tour card through the PGA Tour University Rankings. David Ford of North Carolina finished atop the standings to earn a 2026 PGA Tour card, and numbers 2-10 earned Korn Ferry Tour status. Valdes finished second in the standings.
One of the sport’s promising young talents, Valdes made four of 11 cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025 — his best finish a T3 at the Price Cutter Charity Championship — and made the cut in all three of his PGA Tour starts, highlighted by a T20 at the 3M Open.
In the caption of his Instagram post, Valdes wrote: “As the Terminator once said … I will be back.”
