Editor’s be aware: “In Case You Missed It” is a GGP+ function that highlights a narrative from World Golf Put up‘s Monday journal.
In Could, incoming Clemson College freshman Jackson Byrd made his PGA Tour debut on the Myrtle Seashore Traditional on the Dunes Golf and Seashore Membership and superior to the weekend. The identical can’t be mentioned for his dad, five-time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd, who missed the lower by a stroke.
“I feel I’ll have hinted at [me making the cut and him not] one time and he bought pissed off with me for one thing I didn’t do round the home,” Jackson mentioned.
Jonathan isn’t only a father, he’s a competitor.
“Everyone I talked to was like, ‘How nice is it that your son made the lower? It in all probability didn’t matter that you just missed it,’” the elder Byrd mentioned. “I’m like, ‘No, it sucked. I bought beat by my son.’”
The Byrds are a golf household, and it’s not simply Jackson and Jonathan. Jordan Byrd is Jonathan’s older brother and now Jackson’s head coach at Clemson. He’s been teaching for 20 years. All three have a love of the sport of their blood.
“It’s simply what we’re good at,” Jackson mentioned. “We’re not good at too many issues however golf is considered one of them.”
Every thing began with Jim Byrd, father of Jordan and Jonathan. Jim was an athlete. He performed soccer on the College of North Carolina and coached wrestling for a bit after graduating.
“He liked golf,” Jordan mentioned of his dad, who died of most cancers in 2009. “He bought launched to it in a while in life after faculty. He grew to become an excellent participant, just about self-taught. I feel he bought right down to a few 2 handicap.”
The Byrd brothers instantly fell in love with the person facet of golf, the place they may compete towards not simply others, however towards themselves.
“It suited me,” Jonathan mentioned. “I prefer to follow and to be on my own. It’s a cool oasis to be on the market in my very own head visualizing pictures and training.”
Jonathan says he had that “youthful brother grit” when it got here to competing towards Jordan. Earlier than lengthy, Jonathan began to tell apart himself as the perfect golfer within the household.
“It didn’t take him lengthy to beat me,” Jordan mentioned. “The final time I used to be higher than him was in all probability once I was 14.”
Fourteen was additionally an essential age for Jonathan. It’s when he began outdriving his dad and beating him.
“It was a tragic day once we began hitting it by him and his sport began to say no,” Jonathan mentioned. “That was exhausting for him. However I do know what that’s like now as a result of my son hits it approach farther than me.”
“I bear in mind following Davis Love and Greg Norman. It’s like, ‘Man – this could possibly be a job.’” – Jonathan Byrd
Fourteen can be when Jonathan determined he wished to be a tour professional. The Byrd household lived in Columbia, South Carolina, an hour and a half away from Augusta Nationwide, they usually had the chance to go to their first Masters.
“I bear in mind following Davis Love and Greg Norman,” Jonathan mentioned. “It’s like, ‘Man – this could possibly be a job.’”
In 1995, Jordan began at Furman College, and, two years later, Jonathan went to close by Clemson. Whereas in faculty, the brothers performed towards one another 4 instances and shot the identical rating the primary two. Jordan says that whereas his mother and father didn’t decide sides, they needed to pay a bit extra consideration to him.
“Later my dad instructed me that he would go down one facet of the green and my mother [Jo] would go down the opposite facet of the green as a result of they knew they have been going to need to search for a ball in some unspecified time in the future,” he mentioned. “They in all probability didn’t have to try this with Jonathan.”
Jonathan’s profession took off. In 1999, he gained the Northeast Novice and made the Walker Cup and Arnold Palmer Cup groups.
“It was a summer time that proved to me that I can do that,” Jonathan mentioned. “I feel it’s important to win at each stage to really feel like you possibly can transfer to the subsequent one.”
In 2000, Jonathan turned professional, incomes his PGA Tour card in 2002 and profitable his first title, the Buick Problem, later that 12 months. Nonetheless, Jonathan mentioned his dad had doubts that he might make it as a professional. This all modified on the 2003 Masters, when Jonathan performed within the third to final group on Sunday and completed T8.
“He checked out my brother on the primary tee and was like, ‘I feel he’s going to make it. I feel he’s going to be alright,’” Jonathan remembers.
Jordan additionally pursued a profession in skilled golf, enjoying mini-tours from 1998 to 2000. In the end, it wasn’t for him, and he joined the company world in 2001.
“The mini-tours do an important job of separating who ought to be on the market and shouldn’t be on the market,” he mentioned.
However Jordan nonetheless yearned for golf. Then, nearly out of the blue, he was supplied a possibility to hitch Clemson as an assistant coach in 2005. Jordan jumped on the likelihood.
“I don’t assume there’s any approach I’m at Clemson with out Jonathan [having been] there,” Jordan mentioned. “Jonathan has helped me tremendously in my profession and now he’s serving to me much more with Jackson.”
“Behind my thoughts I used to be pondering that he doesn’t wish to do what I do. I at all times had this concept that he’d be knowledgeable baseball participant.” – Jonathan Byrd
When Jackson was born, Jonathan had no intention of pushing the sport he liked onto his son.
“I kinda wished him to not play golf,” Jonathan mentioned. “Behind my thoughts I used to be pondering that he doesn’t wish to do what I do. I at all times had this concept that he’d be knowledgeable baseball participant.”
However Jackson grew up round golf and touring to his dad’s tournaments.
“I liked touring,” Jackson mentioned. “It was actually cool seeing all of the completely different locations like Palm Springs, Pebble Seashore or Hawaii. I missed loads of college.”
Jonathan appears again on these instances fondly. One reminiscence, when Jackson was round 5, stands out. It was on the B.C. Open in Endicott, New York.
“It was the primary time he walked all 9 holes,” Jonathan mentioned. “I get emotional serious about it. Each time I regarded over it was type of like a excessive 5. I miss that little child who was following me round at tournaments. Now I’m the one following him.”
Jackson began taking golf critically at age 8 and began enjoying tournaments at 9, inheriting the Byrd aggressive gene and, finally, the need to go professional. Jonathan was his son’s swing coach till Jackson was 12 and nonetheless needs to assist in any approach he can.
“I hold telling him to blaze his personal path,” Jonathan mentioned. “I type of envy him being 18 and having his entire profession forward of him.”
“It’s an important honor to be part of one thing that’s larger than your self and attending to play in entrance of lots of people has at all times been the aim.” – Jackson Byrd
And Jackson is blazing his personal path. He’s a three-time AJGA champion and has represented the USA on the Junior Ryder Cup, Junior Presidents Cup and Toyota Junior World Cup groups. He says he hopes to symbolize his nation extra sooner or later.
“It’s an important honor to be part of one thing that’s larger than your self and attending to play in entrance of lots of people has at all times been the aim,” he mentioned.
In November 2024, Jackson signed on with Clemson for the 2025-26 season. He selected his dad’s and his uncle’s college regardless of different affords.
“I’ve been a Clemson fan my entire life,” Jackson mentioned. “[The recruiting process] might need anxious my dad and uncle however I wished to take a practical have a look at different colleges. I simply thought Clemson was the best choice for me.”
However earlier than graduating from highschool, he achieved one other dream: enjoying in a PGA Tour occasion. He bought into the Myrtle Seashore Traditional on a sponsor exemption.
“I felt fairly comfy all week and my dad did an excellent job being there for me throughout the prep however distancing himself throughout match time as a result of we each know how one can play,” Jackson mentioned.
Jonathan is happy with what his son has achieved thus far and believes Jackson can go on to do nice issues. Nonetheless, he’s extra happy with Jackson’s character and desires his son to benefit from the journey.
“When it’s throughout, it’s the friendships and reminiscences you make which might be essential,” Jonathan mentioned. “Being the No. 1 golfer on this planet is a superb aim however hold having fun with it.”
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