2005-12-15

Blogger Luke Swilor

Here is a guy fresh out of college blogging about his real world experiences after graduation. Real world experiences as in *trying to succeed as a playing professional just starting out on the mini tours.* An interesting read in a vicarious wish it was me kind of way. He has been writing about his tournaments for the last six months. Go check it out: Luke Swilor's Road to the Tour

Here is one of Luke's posts. (His father is a professional golfer as well)

Most golf fans don't realize how fine the line is between Tour Players and mini-tour players. While the mini-tour player isn't going to go out and beat Tiger and Vijay with any regularity (at least right off the bat), many mini-tour pros would be able to keep their tour card and make a damn good living if they could just get to the big stage. To see proof of this just look at how well Hogan/Nike/buy.com/Nationwide Tour players do when they make it to the big stage. The list of great players who were tooling around the mini-tours before they made it big is huge and growing every day. Ernie Els, David Duval, Tom Lehman, Chris DiMarco, and David Toms, all huge names in golf who played on the PGA Tour's "minor league" style tour. Chad Cambell was one of the best players on the Hooter's Tour before he became one of the best players on the PGA Tour. Come on, from the HOOTER'S TOUR to the PGA Tour! How great is that?!!

I've got a great story that helps to illustrate the fine line. In the early 90?s, before he was one of the best players in the world, Ernie Els was playing in some Hogan (now Nationwide) tour events. My dad, Milan, had played with Ernie in his first try at Tour School (Ernie didn't make it that year, my dad says he was hitting a big hook), so they knew each other a little bit. In 1991 my dad was also playing on the Hogan Tour, but in ?91 he had qualified to play in the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick. At a Hogan event the week before the PGA Ernie comes to our table at dinner and asks my dad if he was going to the next Hogan tournament. My dad told him ?No, I'm going to the PGA next week.? Ernie shook his head and said ?Man, I wish I were in your shoes.? My dad never really made it on the tour (he still has the senior tour in a couple years), but Ernie Els at one point would have traded places with him. Now Ernie has three majors and is part of the ?big four? (?big five,? sorry Retief). TRUE STORY. Fine Line.

Good luck Luke, the Internet is rooting for you!

Click here for Luke Swilor's blog

He is a Utah guy so maybe there is a six degrees from Mediaguru connection?

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