Tom Byrum has seen plenty of competition on the PGA Tour. After competing in more than 500 events in nearly three decades, and winning once, the South Dakota native now plays on the PGA Tour Champions. At 56, the Texas resident still gets a kick out of watching his brother and former PGA Tour winner, Curt, on Golf Channel during the year. Byrum nearly won his first Champions event in November when he lost in a playoff to Scott McCarron in the Dominion Charity Classic during the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs.
What’s your best moment in golf?
Of course, getting my one PGA Tour win at the 1989 Kemper Open was a big one. But I also have good memories with my brother before I turned pro. I was never as good as he was in high school or college. I started late, but in college at New Mexico I was getting better. We were having a chipping contest and I was winning and getting on his nerves. A little brother can rub it in pretty good when he gets ahead, so it was a fun memory. I was probably 18 and he was 20. We were competitive but he always wanted the best for me. He always watched out for me.
Who has been your biggest influence?
My dad, who has since passed away, and my brother. I’ve also had great support from my wife and mom and all that my family has afforded me. Your wife will listen to you and your brother will listen to you, too, and then tell you to suck it up and get it done. Same with our dad; we had a pretty tough dad, so he always wanted the best for us but he always made us work for it.
What’s your favorite event on tour and why?
My wife and I really like the week of Pebble Beach; staying in Carmel is really fun. Whenever there’s an event in Seattle we love it, too, and stay in Bellevue. In Texas, where we live, we have the Hill Country but not the kind of scenery with the ocean and mountains, so we really enjoy that kind of view when we get it.
What’s your best tip for amateurs?
Many amateurs don’t recognize that their lie in the rough isn’t good enough to hit a wood; they should hit a 7-iron and then have a wedge or a 9-iron shot left to the green. So the tip is distance doesn’t necessarily dictate what club you hit out of the rough; it’s more the lie.
What do you do to take your mind off the game?
I like to hunt and fish. We try to find something other than golf to do. I’m always looking for quiet time to relax.