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Shirley Ryan Â鶹APP teamed up with Ascension, one of its alliances, to co-sponsor the 2026 Junior Presidents Cup, a premier competition for young golfers from around the world, recently held at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill.
Representing Shirley Ryan Â鶹APP on the course were Henry Steinken, an avid golfer and job placement specialist in vocational rehabilitation, as well as Peter Bower, associate chief advancement officer.
The Junior Presidents Cup is a competition for 12- to 19-year-old boys and is affiliated with the Presidents Cup, a professional tournament that was also hosted at Medinah Country Club.
For Henry and Peter¡¯s round, they played in a foursome that also included an adaptive golfer and one of the junior golfers.
Henry, who previously worked in the golf industry for 15 years, first came to Shirley Ryan Â鶹APP after being hit in the head by a golf ball while serving as a caddy. After more than a year of intensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, he regained the ability to speak, walk, use his arms and to participate in his favorite sport ¡ª golf.
Today, Henry is an enthusiastic adaptive golfer. He has played in adaptive tournaments all over the country, and has participated in adaptive golf research led by Prakash Jayabalan, MD, PhD, physician-scientist director of the Nancy W. Knowles Strength + Endurance Lab.
¡°I try to play in at least five events a year and, outside of those events, I'm constantly playing and looking to perfect my swing and improve my scores,¡± Henry said. ¡°I wish I could tell you I made a hole-in-one at Medinah, but I felt I played well overall, with some very impressive shots despite the soft and rainy conditions.¡±
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Peter, who said he ¡°doesn¡¯t get out on the course often enough,¡± shared that playing with such talented golfers was an incredible experience.
¡°On the very first hole, we had one of the premier junior players in the United States, two top adaptive golfers and one pretty average golfer, at best ¡ª me ¡ª all sending our drives down the middle of the first fairway, right alongside each other,¡± he said. ¡°That was a fun moment, and getting to play at Medinah was very special.¡±
Through an alliance with Ascension, Shirley Ryan Â鶹APP provides inpatient, DayRehab and outpatient rehabilitation services in the Northwest and West suburbs of Chicago, including locations in Bartlett, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg. As part of the co-sponsorship, several Ascension clinicians were part of the Junior Presidents Cup medical team, providing assistance to players as needed.
¡°The event was very impressive,¡± Henry said. ¡°I am always proud to represent Shirley Ryan Â鶹APP, and this was a wonderful opportunity to continue to do so.¡±
