With his son Jacob facing MRI scans every three months, Australian veteran John Senden admits it is tough to focus on his US PGA Tour career.
But the 47-year-old managed to avoid thinking about his son's brain tumour treatments briefly while making the 36-hole cut on the number at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
Senden battled the notoriously difficult South course at Torrey Pines during a one-over 73 on day two which left him at three-under for the tournament.
The Queenslander made the weekend at a PGA Tour event for the first time since November.
Although he sits 12 shots back of 36-hole leader Justin Rose (66), two more solid rounds will go a long way towards Senden's major medical exemption.
The two-time PGA Tour winner needs to earn 280 FedEx Cup points from three starts, which includes this week, in order to secure fully exempt status for the remainder of the season.
However, he can also draw on conditional status as a past champion.
Senden is playing on a major medical having taken an extended break from the PGA Tour in 2017 when Jacob was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 13.
Jacob battled through six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments between April and November that year.
Senden, a prolific ball-striker, is now getting back in the swing of tournament golf and even shared fifth at the Australian Open recently.
But he concedes his mind is not always on golf, even during competition.
"It's tricky ... probably 75 per cent of the time I'm able to focus," Senden told AAP.
"The whole thing has improved ... (the tumour) has gotten smaller and Jacob feels pretty good.
"(Wife) Jackie is at home in Dallas taking good care of Jacob and that makes me feel great.
"Jacob is going steady but treatment has whacked him pretty good; his immune system fluctuates now so every time he gets a bug or a cold he goes down for a week or so.
"We need to keep monitoring him; all this year he will have MRIs every three months ... then that will change to six-monthly and then 12-monthly and do that for 10 years.
"When it comes closer to the day of an MRI, you get a bit worried but as soon as you get good news it's a relief."
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