New Game, New Thinking: Bob Sowards profile

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Standing over a birdie putt to qualify for the PGA TOUR or dealing with your wife's emotional state when taking your little kindergartener to her first day of school. Which would you choose? Rookie Bob Sowards has dealt with both over the last year and he's come through with flying colors. He's a brave soul indeed, as we find out in his interview with PGATOUR.COM freelancer Rudy Klancnik, who spoke with Sowards as part of the New Game, New Thinking series.

PGATOUR.COM: The first day of school is all about the wife. It's like your wedding day. The wife is the star and you and your child are along for the ride. And it's an emotional ride.

SOWARDS: Yeah, she's already a basket case and we haven't even gotten out of the door. My strategy is to keep my distance and just let her do what she needs to do. We'll see how it goes.

PGATOUR.COM: You're a good husband and father, obviously.

SOWARDS: I try to be. I've been married to Lynn for 11 years and our 5-year-old little girl, Jordan, is fantastic. I love spending every extra minute I have away from the course with both of them. Traveling this year has been a bit of a strain, but we're spending a lot on long-distance charges. And they've made it out to several tournaments, so that's been rewarding.

PGATOUR.COM: You're pretty new to this travel schedule, right?

SOWARDS: It's like nothing I've ever done before. I was a club pro who had success at q-school and made it to this level. I've never been to most of the cities that I've visited this year, so that's been a learning process, but a fun one.

PGATOUR.COM: Learning the new courses might not rank in the "fun" category.

SOWARDS: You've got that right. It's tough with having only one practice round before a tournament to learn the course. You can talk to [as many] TOUR guys as possible, but it's still not like you really know the course. That's been a challenge transition to this level.

PGATOUR.COM: You had a top-10 in North Carolina a couple of weeks back. How big was that finish for your confidence?

SOWARDS: It was huge, especially since I have four weeks off as the FedExCup is going on. A lot of the changes to my swing have started to take hold over the last few weeks. My confidence is at an all-time high. In fact, instead of taking off a month, I'm going to enter a pair of Nationwide Tour events just to keep fresh. I want to be ready to roll when the TOUR starts back up for me. I need a few top-10s to break into the top 125. That's my goal. I've put myself behind an 8-ball, but I'm feeling very excited about getting back out there.

PGATOUR.COM: It's been a long road for you to the TOUR. I'm sure you want to make sure your stay here lasts as long as possible.

SOWARDS: It's so great being out here. Earlier this year, I'm hitting my tee ball at No. 6 at Pebble Beach and it dawned on my that I'm really on the TOUR. Pebble was spectacular and being out here is tremendous. I'd been a club pro since 1991 and tried q-school in 1994 before my dad and then mom got sick. I had to take some time off. I then won the National Club Pro title in 2004, which gave me entry into seven PGA TOUR events the next year. That really whet my appetite. I only made two of seven cuts, but it was great being out there. I figured I'd give q-school one more try. If I didn't make it, I'd go get a real job. And then I sank a birdie putt on the last hole to qualify for the TOUR.

Yeah, I'd like to stay out here.

PGATOUR.COM: When your family hasn't joined you on the road, how do you keep busy away from the course?

SOWARDS: I'm a big book reader. I love John Feinstein's books and practically any sports autobiographies. I grew up a fan of Walter Payton and Jack Lambert. I'm also a big fantasy football guy.

PGATOUR.COM: Please, I don't want to hear about your draft, your roster or who you plan to start at your third receiver slot in Week 1.

SOWARDS: I just do it to stay up with football.

PGATOUR.COM: Have you read "Dead Solid Perfect" by Dan Jenkins? If not, do so immediately. It's my favorite.

SOWARDS: I'll add it to my list.