Former Niner Goydos Back on Course
by Bob Keisser, Press-Telegram
July 19, 2005
One could look at the fact he has shot 70 or less in 10 of his last 14 rounds and who would have done better if not for one bad round in two of his last three outings.
He's ranked 231st among almost 1,000 pro golfers, which isn't bad for someone who's played just 10 events and missed the cut four times. Scan the money list and the former Wilson High standout ranks 110th and is in the PGA's statistical top 10 in driving accuracy and putting average.
"Ten events, six cuts," Goydos said, reading his own numbers. "One top 10, two top 25.
The money is a bit askew. If this was my rookie year and I was 25, maybe I could say this is a nice living. But I'm not a rookie.
"I haven't forgotten how to play, I just haven't regained what I need to compete against the top players. Every golfer has to assume at some point that he's a good player and find whatever success he can from his work.
"I guess the best way to summarize it for me is that I'm still moving forward and know I can get better."
Goydos didn't move forward very far at all in 2004. Whatever he's done in 2005 is counterpoint to 2004, which was difficult and both physically and emotionally challenging.
In 2003, the former Long Beach State golfer played in 25 events, finishing in the top 25 seven times and top 10 twice, topped by a sixth at the Buick Open, en route to almost a quarter-million in winnings.
But he barely played at all in 2004. He was hit with a double shot of injuries, needing sinus surgery in April and then extensive therapy for a pair of hips that his doctor declared "looked like those of a 60-year-old man."
Goydos didn't want hip replacement surgery at his relatively young age, especially since there's been a rash of hip-replacement surgeries gone awry among prominent sportsmen. He also realized his hips felt their worst when he was idle. The more he moved, the better he felt.
"I've been able to strengthen the areas around the hips," he said. "Down the road it may come to (surgery), but not now. I want to play with the ones I have."
Goydos goes out of his way to low-key the emotional challenge he faced in 2004, because he's hardly the first single parent in a society with a 50-percent divorce rate, and the lot of a pro golfer in this situation is much different than a single parent working a middle-class job.
But emotions don't discriminate.
Goydos and his wife divorced more than 18 months ago and he has full custody of his two bright, energetic daughters, 14-year-old Chelsea and 12-year-old Courtney.
His injuries in 2004, which earned him a medical exemption from the tour, gave him the chance to spend quality time with his daughters at a time when they needed a full-time parent. He played in just two events in 2004, both in October.
"I've always wanted my kids to have a normal life, or as reasonably normal as you can have when one parent travels and the kids are at school," he said.
"It's the hand I have, and it isn't a bad thing. I wouldn't trade my last year with the kids for any year of my career. I was fortunate enough to take a full year off and spend it with them. I liked it. The kids, they've done very well with it.
"In some cases they've probably done a better job handling it than their dad. But in general, adults can deal with things. Kids need to learn, and I'm glad I was around for them during this time."
Goydos gets help from his own family and friends but also the family of his ex-wife. His former wife's mother and sister have been incredibly supportive.
His 2005 season will likely check in with less than 20 events so he can work on his health and family and still stay competitive. He has the chance to extend his medical exemption into 2006 depending on how he does the balance of 2005. He will play in Milwaukee this weekend and the Buick Open in Michigan next week.
One of the things Goydos rediscovered about himself while spending time at home with his kids was his strong competitive streak.
"I found myself playing blackjack with the kids and throwing the cards at them when I lost," he chuckled. "I had to remind myself that Monopoly was just a game. It's what I know, competition."
He also missed the sense of fraternity in clubhouses.
"The tour is unique," he said. "You spend a big part of your life on the road, almost half of your life with these guys, and for me it was going on 16 years. So to be out of that environment was odd."
His closest friends on the tour are Kevin Sutherland and Blaine McAllister, who gravitated to each other because they both like early practice rounds. The dads on the tour Tom Lehmann, Duffy Waldorf and Kirk Triplett among others often would gravitate together at certain events with their kids in tow, like the annual sojourn to the event at Disney World.
"When you add the extended families, we would take up a whole floor of the hotel," Goydos said.
What he would like most now is his consistency back. It's impossible to understate how devastating one mistake can be on a round, and the mental tenacity needed to overcome it.
"I had played exceptionally well for 36 holes (at the John Deere event two weeks ago)," he said. "On the second hole Saturday, I had a bad swing with a three wood and took a triple bogey. Then I compound the problem at the third hole and I'm now in last.
"Then I had a five-minute wait before teeing off at four and I blister myself mentally for my mistake, and even at my age, I couldn't get myself out of it.
"There are so many different skills you need in golf. I've seen guys melt down because they're putting poorly, and it becomes a virus that wears you down and leaves you shaking over a 3-footer.
"I just have to take the position that it's a long year and there will be other opportunities. There are other priorities, too. It's easy to get impatient, but the last year taught me a lot about what's really important." |
