Ian Gilligan at the Barracuda Championship (Source: Getty)
University of Florida senior Ian Gilligan emerged as a breakout star at the 2024 Shriners Open in Las Vegas with a T16 finish. This performance is particularly impressive considering his past struggles. At a young age, Gilligan battled a rare form of cancer for seven months.
At the age of 15, Gilligan was diagnosed with a rare form of Lymphoma. He was one of only 20 kids in the world suffering from this type of the disease. The golfer had been stretching for a tournament, when he felt a lack of mobility, which eventually turned out to be the first indication.
"I kind of noticed something was weird, was just kind of stretching for a tournament, and I just felt like I lost mobility in a stretch. I was like, that’s kind of weird. I didn’t really think too much of it," he said.
