Linn Grant, who turns 27 in a couple of weeks, opened up about her illness this spring after she was forced to withdraw from an LPGA tour competition in Las Vegas due to severe stomach pain.
That was just the tip of the iceberg.
"I've had days where I wonder if I'll even be able to swing. I've gone out and just toughed it out through 18 holes, made it through a couple of rounds and hoped that tomorrow would offer something better," she tells TT.
"The hardest part is probably that it (endometriosis) is something that no one sees. Not because I need confirmation or want people to feel sorry for me. But more that you try to perform at an elite level, when you feel that you have a disadvantage that you can't do much about. And everyone who interviews you and talks to you, who doesn't know, expects you to perform no matter the day."
“Has been a bit hopeless”
Linn Grant has had the symptoms throughout her professional career, but they have gradually gotten worse. Her patience and energy have been affected, while the disease - which affects approximately ten percent of all women - has raised thoughts and concerns about both future family formation and her golf career.
It is not possible to cure endometriosis, but various treatments can at best relieve the symptoms.
"I've felt a little hopeless before, when I've read and heard about others in the same situation. But I think I might be a little better on track now," says Linn Grant ahead of this week's US Open.
At the classic Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades outside Los Angeles, Linn Grant is playing in the US Open.
Grant won her second LPGA Tour victory late last year and is ranked 38th in the world. So far, she has had four top-10 finishes in majors.
Strong reigning champion
Last year, she was able to celebrate when her close friend Maja Stark won the US Open - and Linn Grant really wants to be a major winner one day.
"It's important, I would say. If I didn't win a major, I think I would have felt - not disappointment, that's the wrong word - but maybe a little bit like I tripped over the finish line. I don't have a lot of golf goals in general, but winning a major will always be there. It just is, for good reason."
Grant begins the first round at 4:51 p.m. on Thursday, local time in Sweden.
+ Linn Grant
Has been in the top 25 in more than half of all the majors she has played, but is still waiting for her first real top finish.
+ Maja Stark
Won the first major title of her career when she won the US Open last year, but has since had more difficulty getting her game right.
+ Madelene Sagstrom
Expecting her first child in September, but continuing to play for a while even as her pregnancy progresses.
+ Anna Nordqvist
The three-time major winner is Europe's Solheim Cup captain this year. Her own game is also inconsistent.
+ Ingrid Lindblad
Won on the LPGA Tour early in her debut season last year. At the start of this year she has struggled with swing problems.
+ Meja Örtengren
There is much to suggest that the 21-year-old amateur is the next Swedish world star. She made her major debut in the British Open last year. Now she has qualified.
+ Johanna Sjursen
A 22-year-old hidden gem who will make her major debut at Riviera. She is also an amateur who made it to the US Open via qualifying.
Endometriosis means that the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. Approximately one in ten people who menstruate have the disease.
The most common symptoms are severe abdominal and menstrual pain, pain deep in the vagina and abdomen during intercourse; symptoms similar to a urinary tract infection, including frequent urination or difficulty starting to urinate. There may also be blood in the urine or stool.
Endometriosis can also cause fatigue, nausea, and fever.
Source: 1177
