Life is hectic for PGA golfer Jonathan Byrd. The former All-American from Clemson is one of many outstanding young players on the tour.
A native of Anderson, SC, Byrd was a four time all-ACC player in college and has five wins on the PGA Tour. His latest win was in the opening tournament of the season at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii in January.
Byrd will be the first to tell you he is more than just a PGA golfer. He is also a husband and a father. Fatherhood is important to Byrd as he lost his own father several years ago to brain cancer.
In a visit earlier today, Byrd indicated that he tried to travel his family with him whenever he could. "Quite frankly it might easier if my wife and children didn’t come as sometimes it can be distracting from the work I have to do. My kids are still very young. If they get sick or have trouble sleeping, they don’t care that daddy needs his rest and that he has to get up at 5:00 a.m. the next day to get on the driving range for an early tee time. But despite the potential distractions, it is important that our family be together as much as we can."
When we see these guys on the course, sometimes we forget they are people also. We imagine that life on the PGA Tour can be exciting and glamorous. We don’t realize that the same golfer who is competing to win a title and to make a living, might be going back to a hotel room with a frazzled wife who has been taking care of sick children all day.
It may seem distracting, but family and his Christian faith are important to Jonathan Byrd. I don’t think he would have it any other way.