Tway withdraws to caddie for son at U.S. Amateur

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PINEHURST, N.C. -- Veteran PGA TOUR player Bob Tway was proud of the second-half push he made to qualify for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup. It was no small matter that he decided on Wednesday afternoon to withdraw from the first event, The Barclays.

He had a major to go out and win instead.

Tway, an eight-time TOUR winner and former PGA champion, is on the bag this week for his son, Kevin, at the 108th U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort. His son's 2-up victory Wednesday morning over 2006 U.S. Junior Amateur champion Philip Francis of Scottsdale, Ariz., in the opening round forced the elder Tway to put aside his playing aspirations for the next month.

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Bob Tway, right, is caddying for his son Kevin this week in the U.S. Amateur.

Tway was waiting to see just how far Kevin, who won his own U.S. Junior title in 2005, would get in the national amateur tournament at Pinehurst's famed No. 2 Course. He's into the second round, where he'll face medalist Robbie Fillmore of Provo, Utah, at 7:30 a.m. EDT Thursday.

That will preclude his participating in The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, N.J.

"If I was 35, it might be a bigger deal," said Tway, 49, of Edmond, Okla., who was scheduled to tee off at 12:10 p.m. on Thursday. "I would love to play, sure, but right now this is more important to me. I want to be here with my son and help. As much as I would like to play, I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Tway caddied for his son, who is 20 and attends Oklahoma State just like Bob did, earlier this summer at the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, Calif. That automatically qualified Kevin for this week's U.S. Amateur. The elder Tway made the commitment then to his son to resume his bag-toting duties, figuring he would be free.

"When he got into the U.S. Open it automatically qualified him for the U.S. Amateur, and I said I'll go caddie there," Tway said. "And at that time I hadn't played very well to even be in the FedExCup. I played better after the U.S. Open and got up there."

Indeed, Tway tied for fourth at the Buick Open -- his first top-10 finish since the 2005 Southern Farm Bureau Classic -- and he added a tie for 12th the following week at the John Deere Classic. He finished the regular season 119th in the FedExCup standings. The top 144 qualify for The Barclays. The top 120 move on to the Deutsche Bank Championship next week.

So Tway's withdrawal from The Barclays was a 2-for-1 deal that could have proved quite lucrative.

"I know what I'm giving up," said Tway, who sent his caddie, Barry Williams, to New Jersey to scout out Ridgewood and is still paying him for the week. "I don't see how there is any way I won't be passed. So it wasn't like this was easy, and yet, there was no doubt about what I was going to do."

Asked if he would have made this choice at a regular amateur event, Tway said, "No, I only caddie at majors."

Tway said his son is farther along in physical skills than he was at that age, so his assistance this week is more on the mental side. He also injects a bit of experience and common sense into the equation.

"He makes me play smart," said Kevin, who missed the cut at the Open. "I can talk to him about the shots and what went right and what went wrong. And it's not like, when I get nervous I can talk to him, too. And he's always handing me food and stuff to keep me energized and stuff like that."

Bob said he never made it past the quarterfinals of match play in his U.S. Amateur career, so the first goal is to get Kevin at least that far.

As for his own game, he doesn't plan to enter an event until the Viking Classic in September. He stands 126th on the PGA TOUR money list, so he plans to make a push to regain his exempt status, which he lost last year. He is playing the 2008 season out of the Past Champions category.

"I would like to be able to set a schedule for myself early in the year and get ready for the Champions Tour," said Tway, who turns 50 in May. "I still want to play and compete, but, truthfully, the most fun I had this year was at the Open. I could have finished in the top 10 in the Open and not have had as much fun as being caddie for Kevin.

"I've played enough in my career. I would like to play more, but when things like this come along, there's a different kind of enjoyment, and I want to savor every minute of it."