This ex-U.S. Open contender and Florida Gator is currently facing ALS, lamenting, “Unfortunately, the disease is gaining ground.”
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Tony Soerries sends his apologies.
As a three-time champion of the Greater South Bend Men’s Metro Golf Tournament, which marks its centennial at this Sunday’s final-round site Erskine Park Golf Course, the 55-year-old Soerries would have been eligible to participate in this year’s event and join the celebration.
“I wish I could have returned, caught up with friends, and played a few rounds up there,” lamented Soerries, watching golfers on the 12th hole of Bentwater Yacht and Country Club from his home in Montgomery, Texas.
“I miss those courses (Erskine and Elbel Park); they were a joy to play,” recalled Soerries, who clinched his first Men’s Metro title in 1987 as an 18-year-old Clay High School graduate, standing at 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds. He set a record with an eight-under 276, securing a 16-stroke victory over former champion Jon Phillips.
Soerries later added two more Metro titles in 1990 and 1991 while playing for Buddy Alexander’s Florida Gators and won two Indiana Opens (1996, 1997) after turning pro. Returning to amateur status, he competed in the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black and qualified for two U.S. Senior Opens after turning 50 — in 2019 at Warren Golf Course and 2022 at Saucon Valley in Bethlehem, Pa.
During its peak in the 1980s, the Metro attracted nearly 300 golfers annually. Entries have since dwindled significantly. Last year, organizers opened the field to any male golfer within a 25-mile radius of South Bend and extended invitations to past champions regardless of their current residence.
“I really wish I could have attended,” Soerries continued.
“I wish I was healthy,” added Soerries, who is battling Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control. Eventually, it affects essential muscles required for movement, speech, eating, and breathing.
ALS is commonly known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” after the legendary Yankees first baseman who succumbed to it in 1941 at the age of 37, nearly two years after his diagnosis. Other notable figures affected by ALS include pitcher Jim “Catfish” Hunter (who died a year after diagnosis), former Notre Dame wide receiver Pete Demmerle (who lived eight years post-diagnosis), and physicist Stephen Hawking (who lived to 55).
Currently, ALS has also affected former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael, who is bedridden but hopes to attend his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction on August 1 in Canton, Ohio.
“The first thing people should know — there’s no known cause or cure,” stated Soerries, who received his diagnosis on November 15, 2023.
Brian Gay, a teammate from Florida and a Champions Tour veteran, connected Soerries with Steve Anderson of Renue Clinic, which specializes in stem cell therapy for diseases. As the clinic’s first ALS patient, Soerries spent 2½ months in Mexico undergoing treatments involving stem cells from umbilical cords of newborns’ mothers. The treatment included three stem-cell injections spaced 30 days apart, along with several spinal injections of vitamins and daily hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
“The disease unfortunately has the upper hand,” Soerries acknowledged. “I can walk, albeit very slowly. Around the house, I rely on a small rolling walker for balance. I’ve lost about 90 to 95 percent of muscle strength in all areas — hands, arms, legs, everything. Everyday tasks are quite challenging for me. Even simple actions like brushing my teeth or raising my arms above my head are difficult.”
Supporting him through it all is his devoted wife Dana, whom he met during his senior year at Clay in 1987 when she was a sophomore. Dana followed Soerries to Florida, and they married after he had earned enough money.
“We’ve known each other for 37 years and have been married for 21,” Soerries said, his voice filled with emotion as he expressed his love for Dana and their son Ty, who will start college next fall.
“Many of my daily routines have become difficult,” Soerries continued. “It’s not something I want her to do, but she’s helping me — trimming my nails, for instance — without complaint. She’s incredible and as beautiful today as when we first met. I definitely married up.”
Despite being unable to play golf, Soerries still watches the sport avidly. He woke early on Sunday to follow Xander Schauffele’s victory in the Open Championship, the same athlete who won the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan and has since claimed two major titles this season.
“Watching keeps my spirits up and my hope alive for a miracle,” Soerries shared. “Sometimes, I imagine what it feels like to hit a perfect golf shot, a 6-iron right onto the green. I can still feel it.”
Unfortunately, Soerries knows those moments are likely consigned to memory. Yet, he refuses to lose hope.
