FORT WORTH, Texas – The early morning hours of May 9 were devoted to the infusion port placement procedure. The first chemotherapy treatment took up the majority of the afternoon. Lisa Cink’s battle against Stage 4 breast cancer had officially started.

At that point, the last thing on Stewart Cink’s mind was his PGA TOUR career. He even said so the previous week, issuing a statement that he was stepping away from competitive golf in order to devote full attention to his wife.

But in the three-week chemotherapy cycle, the third week is the bounce-back week. It’s the week when the side effects wear off, when the patient has increased energy, hopefully less pain.

On Monday, Lisa’s first bounce-back week started. Back home in Atlanta after receiving that first treatment at the renowned M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, she was feeling good. She had friends visiting from out of town, and her parents nearby, as well as the kids, Connor and Reagan. The support group was strong.

So she told her husband to go play some golf.

On Wednesday night, Stewart returned to Texas, this time to play the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational on a Colonial course that has treated him well. He intentionally arrived late; he knew plenty of people would want to hear his story and ask good-intentioned questions, and he didn’t want to tire himself out emotionally before his first round.

The next morning, Webb Simpson saw his good friend for the first time and gave him a hug. Other well wishes ensued. He and longtime caddie Frank Williams – who was on the bag when Cink won the 2009 Open Championship – discussed strategy and club selection. Then Cink joined Angel Cabrera and Chesson Hadley on the 10th tee to start the first round of a life that will never be the same.

His score of 2-over 72 was secondary. His mind was elsewhere.

“I don’t think I went one hole today without thinking about her 10 times,” Cink said. “But when I think about Lisa, I don’t think about she’s got cancer, she’s struggling. I think about how strong she’s been, how uplifting she’s been to so many people. She’s just changed people already around us.”

When Cink went public with the news of his wife’s cancer, he said he would return only when “circumstances improve” for Lisa. After his round Thursday, Cink warned about being careful how that phrase is defined.

For this week -- the bounce-back week -- circumstances have improved. The horrendous discovery phase has transitioned into the regimented treatment phase, the shock of the news replaced by an action plan. But the long-term reality is harsh, and the Cinks will lean heavily on their faith.

“We can predict a little bit more how she’s feeling,” Cink said. “That’s why I’ll come out and play a little bit here and there. But as far as her circumstances of fighting cancer, they’re not all that great.

“She’s got advanced cancer and it’s going to be a difficult fight.”

The call came on Wednesday, April 27. The results of Lisa’s latest mammogram revealed cancer in the lymph nodes. She had just turned 43.

Cancer is always shocking to hear, but especially in one so young and fit as Lisa Cink. A few years earlier, she had changed her diet, giving up sodas and dessert while increasing the family’s grocery budget by buying organic produce.

Stewart, in the blog he’s writing on caringbridge.org, noted how his wife adhered to being “her own health advocate.” Breast cancer hardly seemed like the fair outcome.

Among the first three calls Lisa made after receiving the news, one was to her good friend Amy Mickelson, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2009. Amy had worked with a team at M.D. Anderson and immediately offered Lisa help in contacting the doctors there.

“You can imagine they have quite a bit of pull,” Cink says. “When you throw around the names Amy and Phil Mickelson, things happen.”

By that next Monday, the Cinks were in Houston, meeting with some of the best people in the field. In between the tests and the consultations were the long periods in the waiting room. That can be the worst part, the mind occupying the time by racing to conclusions and fearing the worst.

The Cinks often went on walks around the hospital and neighborhood, hoping to concentrate on something else. Anything else.

“Putting one foot in front of the other occupies your mind,” Stewart says. “Better than just sitting still and wondering.

“My wife said she felt like she was wearing a suit of stress.”

The news seemed to get worse with each passing day. Told initially it was likely Stage 3, more tests revealed Stage 4. Additional tests were done for HER-2, which is a protein (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) that promotes the growth of cancer cells. The odds of Lisa having it were one in five.

The Cinks prayed the result was negative. Instead, it was positive. They were devastated, until doctors informed them it could be good news because extra treatments could now be targeted.

With a plan in place, Stewart and Lisa are determined to focus on the keys to survival.

“We have enormous faith and we have a big support group – here (on the TOUR), at home and all over the world, it seems,” Stewart says.

“She’s got a lot going for her, too – she’s in great shape, she’s young and the type of cancer she has, there’s been some real, real big inroads as far as treatments that are effective against it.

“It doesn’t mean it’s going to be real effective for Lisa. (Or) it may mean that it’s super-effective for Lisa. Everybody’s different. Unfortunately, we have to spend the difficult time waiting to figure it out.”

In all that waiting, Stewart can’t help but think about that initial phone call. Most people would rather forget it ever happened. He always wants to remember it.

“I don’t want to get that out of my mind,” he insists, “because that moment changed me forever as a person. And it’s changed the way I interact with people who are going through cancer or have a loved one or any connection at all with someone going through cancer. That’s most everybody.”

In one of his blog entries, Cink offered a public apology to all those he’s met that have dealt with cancer or have known someone who had it. He explained that he didn’t treat them with the proper respect or sympathy, actions he now regrets.

Lisa’s cancer, he says, is making him a better person.

“I don’t ever want to forget the waiting rooms, waiting for scan results to come back, all the hormonal tests and genetic tests, all of that,” Stewart says. “I’ll never forget it and I don’t want to. I want to remember because it’s changed me – and I want to remember how it changed me.”

In 2009, Phil Mickelson was set to defend his title at Colonial. Amy was then diagnosed with breast cancer and Phil withdrew from the tournament to be with his wife. To show support for the Mickelsons, a Pink-Out day was held.

Perhaps it’s fate that has Stewart Cink making his first start since Lisa’s diagnosis on the same course. As he said, “It just felt like the right time to come back out and get back into golf.”

Moving forward, his playing schedule will stay fluid, determined by Lisa’s chemo cycle that will last for several months, followed by surgery, then radiation treatments.

Usually, it’s the second week of the three-week cycle that is the most draining for cancer patients.

Stewart and Lisa Cink, and sons, embrace after Cink's win at the 2009 Open Championship. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

If Lisa is having a good week and wants her husband to play golf, then he’ll play. Her next treatment is Tuesday in Atlanta, and if she’s doing well, then Cink might hop on a plane and tee it up at next week’s the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide.

He said most of his playing decisions will not be made until Wednesday of tournament week.

“I don’t want to stop playing,” Cink said. “I don’t think Lisa wants me to stop playing … I’m committed to a lot of tournaments coming up. I don’t know if I’m going to play a lot or not.”

His peers will happily embrace his presence, no matter the frequency. Simpson has been inspired by the determined approach that Lisa and Stewart have taken.

“To see the way they’ve handled it and bounce back in the midst of the unknown – they don’t know what’s going to happen – is pretty cool to see,” Simpson said.

Golf is no longer just a passion for Cink, and the PGA TOUR is no longer just the way he supports his family. The sport has become his therapy, providing the means to become the best caregiver he can for his wife.

Cink knows his wife needs him to be strong and supportive, and the way to do that is to cling to some type of normalcy. For Cink, that’s being among his fellow pros, especially his close friends on TOUR, enjoying each other’s company outside the course while trying to beat each other inside the ropes.

Being at Colonial this week offers him a respite, a chance to take off that suit of stress.

“It’s good to be back here doing what I do,” Stewart says. “It sends a good message to Lisa, too. That I understand how to manage myself…

“I’m trained to do this. I need to pace myself along the way. I want to be the best I can for her for a long, long time, as long as she needs me. Part of pacing myself is playing some golf.”

Another part is keeping the family engaged. A few days ago, Stewart celebrated his 43rd birthday, and he took Lisa and their two grown children kayaking down a river one afternoon. That gave Lisa a chance to focus on something other than her own fight while showing the kids that good times can still be enjoyed.

Writing the blog on caringbridge.org also helps. Not only does it offer Stewart the forum to inform his friends and all others interested in Lisa’s battle, it gives him a chance to express himself in a longer form than his popular Twitter account (1.1 million followers) allows.

Some of his posts are built on the education he’s receiving about breast cancer. He says learning about his wife’s condition has been therapeutic. He can concentrate on facts, figures and possible solutions instead of drowning in emotions.

Lisa’s strength and ability to stay positive since receiving that news less than a month ago has been inspiring. Breast cancer can be cruel, but her husband is feeding off her hope.

“It’s really scary what that stuff does, how much it changes, how many different kinds there are,” Stewart says.

“It’s a race between us and them. It’s winning right now --- but we’re catching up.”