Goydos goes from the brink of retirement to top form
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
The gold watch is going to have to wait. So will the farewell tour.
Mr. Sunshine isn't going anywhere. Well, other than Colonial Country Club to play in this week's Crowne Plaza Invitational.
That's quite a turnaround because Paul Goydos was so disenchanted with his game recently, he told several friends he was on the verge of retirement from competitive golf. But Goydos, who turns 47 next month, obviously has a different mindset after contending Sunday in the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship for the second time in four years.
Goydos shot a three-under 69 to post an 11-under 277 that had him within one shot of leaders K.J. Choi and David Toms as he was standing outside the clubhouse (not "in the clubhouse," as NBC's Jimmy Roberts said during their interview). Goydos sensed it wasn't going to be enough to make another playoff -- he lost in one to Sergio Garcia at the 2008 PLAYERS when he hit his approach at the par-3 17th into the water -- but the solo third should keep one of the PGA TOUR's offbeat personalities around a little longer.
Not only did the third-place finish move him from 112th to 59th in the FedExCup standings -- assuring him of full-exempt status for 2012 -- it reminded Goydos he still has some game left.
"Today was good," Goydos said. "You take away the week at John Deere last year, it's really been a bad two years. It's not like I've been burning buildings down out here."
Goydos had a memorable week at last year's John Deere Classic, becoming just the fifth player on the PGA TOUR to shoot a 59 in the first round before eventually finishing second to Steve Stricker. But that was just one of three top-10s in 25 starts last year for the California native who has won twice on the PGA TOUR and first gained national prominence when he was featured in John Feinstein's A Good Walk Spoiled.
This year didn't start off much better for Goydos. He didn't finish in the top 20 in any of his first 11 starts, not recording his first top-10 until last month when he was T9 at The Heritage.
But something about the TPC Sawgrass course brings out the best in Goydos, especially Sunday. He had played the back nine in three-under 33 to move up the leaderboard when the rain-delayed third round was completed Sunday morning.
"I guess I like this course," Goydos said. "I didn't know it until '08, but I guess I like playing here."
Goydos hasn't followed the traditional path to the PGA TOUR. He was a substitute teacher in Long Beach, Calif., in the early 1990s when he won his first title on the Nationwide Tour. His most memorable moment at Long Beach State came when football coach George Allen, a former NFL Hall of Famer, chased him off the practice range so his team could practice.
"He yelled, 'Get that golfer off my football field,' " Goydos said. "I never met the man, but let's just say he definitely knew who I was."
Goydos is one of the TOUR's quirkier personalities. You never know what answer he will give to the most innocuous question. When asked, for instance, by NBC's Bob Costas before the final round of the 2008 PLAYERS how he had slept before the pressure-packed final round, Goydos didn't blink: "On my back."
That was back when Goydos was affectionately known as a Dirtbag because he wore the cap of the Long Beach State baseball team with the same nickname. Goydos wore the hat at the 2008 PLAYERS because he had no endorsement deal at the time.
Almost winning THE PLAYERS and shooting a 59 has changed Goydos' Q-rating -- he now wears a TaylorMade hat to signify his club deal. So he has that going for him, which is nice.
But his life hasn't been all fun and games. Goydos took over raising his two daughters (Chelsea is 20, Courtney 18) full-time when his ex-wife, Wendy, died in early 2009.
Also lost amid his constant humor is the fact he has been a member of the PGA TOUR since 1993, with the two victories, six runner-up finishes and more than $12 million in earnings. He seems a certainty to top $1 million in earnings this year for the fifth consecutive time, after failing to do so during his first 14 seasons.
Don't be surprised if Mr. Sunshine continues to glow this week at Colonial, where he was second in 1999, fourth in 1997 and 10th in 2008. He may have thought about hanging up the clubs a month ago, but now he's back grinding away.
"Hopefully, it's something I can build on," Goydos said. "I'm getting to that age where I need to find something to hang onto. I feel old. But I didn't feel old until this year. Playing bad does that to you. I've got a great job, and I'm going to keep trying to do it."
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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