Leah Bertuccelli postponed chemotherapy to go to Los Angeles Country Club to cheer on her boyfriend Corey Pereira in his first major tournament hosted by the United States Golf Association.
"I have to be there because this is an important milestone in Corey's career, and also an opportunity to repay the great love he has for me, especially during his critical illness. If the doctor doesn't agree, I will go," Bertuccelli, 26, told Golf Channel .
Bertuccelli (left) wants to accompany Pereira in her boyfriend's most important tournament. Photo: australiangolfdigest
Entering the Los Angeles Country Club after 10 rounds of chemotherapy, Bertuccelli walked with Pereira for nine practice holes, determined to keep going until her boyfriend finished the official points race.
In September 2022, Bertuccelli discovered a small lump in her pelvis. Three weeks later, it was the size of a golf ball. "At that time, I was still healthy, with no unusual symptoms," she said.
However, the test results confirmed that Bertuccelli had soft tissue sarcoma. This is a malignant disease, most cases occur in children. As for Bertuccelli, the doctor said she was a rare case because the probability of getting it in adults in their 20s is 1/200,000,000.
Because of the seriousness of the disease, the doctor ordered immediate treatment. In the first seven weeks, Bertuccelli underwent 35 radiation treatments. This was followed by 12 chemotherapy sessions. Since Bertuccelli's illness, Pereira has made golf a secondary priority and prioritized his time caring for and taking his lover to the hospital, even though a month earlier the American golfer had lost his membership card on the Korn Ferry Tour for the second time in six years of professional play.
For the past eight months, Pereira has not played in any tournaments, only practiced lightly to maintain his skills, and at one point considered quitting professional golf altogether. However, thanks to encouragement from his family and girlfriend, he registered to play in the 2023 US Open qualifiers on April 26.
Leah Bertuccelli (left) at a meal with her boyfriend Pereira in 2019, before she was diagnosed with cancer. Photo: Instagram
After passing this stage, Pereira entered the next cut in Ohio to compete for 11 spots in the main tournament. There, he scored -9 after two matches in the same day. With that result, Pereira finished T3 and qualified for the prestigious cup at the 123rd tournament in Los Angeles this week. Bertuccelli burst into tears when Pereira called with the good news.
This US Open was played on a par70 course. Pereira shot 71 strokes, finishing T56 with a score of +1 after round 1. With that position, he needed to play well in the next match to be able to participate in the entire tournament when the Organizing Committee determined the cut point according to the principle of taking top or T60. However, Pereira was stopped early because he finished round 2 with a score of +7 while the cut line was at +2.
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