SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Chez Reavie, the 2008 RBC Canadian Open champion, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his right knee yesterday in Scottsdale.
"The doctor said there were no complications and it went well," said Reavie.
Reavie tore his ACL while in high school and never had it repaired. While still in high school he also tore the meniscus and worked around that, too. The three-time All-American at Arizona State won the 2001 U.S. Public Links Championship. After two Nationwide Tour seasons he joined the PGA TOUR in 2008 and defeated fellow ASU alumni Billy Mayfair in Canada.
This year Reavie tried to compensate for the knee that has been swollen since the Bob Hope Classic but finally underwent an MRI exam last week that revealed the extent of the damage, including a second recent meniscus tear.
"The doctor told me he was surprised I lasted this long without an ACL," said Reavie. "If I didn't have the work done now I could be in further damage and arthritis sooner rather than later so I decided to get it done."
Reavie will take a major medical exemption. He expects a six- to eight-month recovery period, depending on his progress, before he returns to competitive golf. The knee will be in a cast for the first four months.
"It's unfortunate," said Reavie, "but it had to be done now and I won't be coming back until I know I'm 100 percent ready to compete."