Jon Trasamar, the friend of Erik van Rooyen who inspired him to PGA Tour victory at the World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, died on Saturday of Stage 4 melanoma at age of 33; South African was left in tears after his victory
Friday 17 November 2023 12:47, UK
The golfing world has offered its condolences to Erik Van Rooyen after the friend who inspired him to victory on the PGA Tour died over the weekend.
Van Rooyen retained his playing privileges after an impressive victory at the World Wide Technology Championship earlier this month, his first PGA Tour title since 2021, where he finished two strokes clear of Matt Kuchar and Camilo Villegas.
The South African was visibly emotional after his win and broke down in tears with his caddie Alex Gaugert, having learned that good friend and college team-mate Jon Trasamar - who had Stage 4 melanoma - was deteriorating in the build-up to the event.
Van Rooyen had admitted to crying in his hotel room after the second round and said a day later that victory would "mean everything", with a back-nine 28 in the final round seeing him return to the winner's circle and move back inside in the world's top 100.
"Every shot out there today was for him, and when you're playing for something bigger than winning some silly trophy, it puts things in perspective," Van Rooyen said after his victory, having flown with Gaugert from Mexico to visit Trasamar at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Allie Trasamar, Jon's wife, posted to his GoFundMe page on Wednesday to confirm his death and said: "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share the news of Jon's passing.
"Over the past few weeks, Jon was surrounded by an outpouring of love as friends and family reached out to him and traveled from all over the country to be with him. The joy he found in those moments with his loved ones are memories I will forever hold close to my heart.
"Throughout his diagnosis, Jon showed unwavering strength, grace, and humility, confronting any challenges he faced without complaint. He was, and continues to be, an inspiration to many and has left an indelible mark on those who knew him."
Speaking about Trasamar in a PGA Tour blog after his victory, Van Rooyen said: "He's like a brother to me. We were roommates for three out of the four years I was in college. I still think he's got one of the best short games I've ever seen and he pursued a career in golf up until recently.
"Jon was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma about a year ago. He was clean in April when he gave me a call and sent a picture of the scan and he was free of cancer. So obviously that was an incredible moment for all of us. Not soon after, it came back. I knew it was going to be an uphill battle.
"On Tuesday [October 31], he sent us a text, saying he's got six to 10 weeks left. They did a bunch of scans and cancer was in all his organs, everywhere. I don't think he's got that much time left. I hope he was watching the final round. We've texted and I've told him how much I love him.
"All I want is to go play nine holes with him somewhere. And extremely selfishly, that puts all of this into perspective. Is it fun to win golf tournaments? Yeah, it's fun. I've been playing golf since I was 8 years old, extremely competitive and we want to win. But it doesn't matter.
"When I kick the bucket one day, whenever that might be, this is not what I'm going to be thinking about. I'm going to be thinking about the people I love the most and Jon Trasamar is one of those people."
