Hendry, who has won tournaments on the Australian and Japan tours – where he has spent most of the last decade playing – was diagnosed with leukemia in April, two months after winning in Melbourne.

The 2017 New Zealand Open champion has undergone one course of chemotherapy and is in remission. The 43-year-old said he has a "90 percent" chance of a full recovery.

Hendry expects to have three more cycles of chemotherapy and will be back in Auckland Hospital from Monday.

"The last six weeks have seen me in hospital undergoing treatment to try and rid myself of the disease," he said in a social media post. "I have a long battle ahead of me.

"This is the fight of my life, a fight for my life, but one I am determined to win."

Hendry had qualified for the Open Championship and was due to play the tournament for the third time.

But he said while his prognosis is good, he would likely suffer a relapse if he stopped his treatment.