After brief stint as son's caddy, Tway enjoying life
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents
GRAND BLANC, Mich. -- Bob Tway was a little taken aback.
"For the whole year?" he asked incredulously. Could the 67 he shot Saturday during the third round of the Buick Classic really be his best round of the season?
Told that it was, Tway smiled wryly. "If it's for the whole year, that's not very good," he said. "(But) you've got to have something good happen sometime, right?"
And there were plenty of good things on Saturday as Tway made six birdies and dropped just one shot to par. He's 10 under through three rounds -- which is already one stroke lower than his best tournament of the season, a tie for 11th at the AT&T Classic.
Overnight rains had softened the course, and Tway was in the second group off the first tee. He knew the greens would be receptive and easy to putt, and he quickly took advantage, shooting 32 on the front and using just 26 putts for the round.
"These greens are great, and after the rain, they're going to be very smooth," the 49-year-old veteran said. "So if you give yourself some opportunities, before people start walking on them, ... you're going to be able to make some. And I was able to do that."
Tway, who counts the 1986 PGA Championship among his eight TOUR wins, is playing out of the past champions category this year after finishing outside the top 150 on the money list in 2007. He's only played in nine events this year, as a result, but he's not complaining.
The time off has given Tway plenty of chances to watch his son, Kevin, who recently completed his freshman year at his father's alma mater, Oklahoma State, play. He even caddied for his son at the U.S. Open two weeks ago.
"People had asked me, 'Were you disappointed (now) that you're here that you're not playing,'" Tway said. "I never thought twice about wanting to play. I was doing exactly what I wanted to do."
The elder Tway will also be toting his son's bag at the U.S. Amateur later this summer. Kevin won the 2005 U.S. Junior and the two Tways teamed to finish second at the Del Webb Father/Son Challenge last year.
"The reason I (caddy), I just want him to understand how we think,' Tway said. "So I go through the yardage book: we've got 167, the pin's left, the wind's in our face, so we think it's playing 177. Just kind of have him learn how we do it.
"Not that they don't do it but I don't think they are as precise as we are. I know that he kind of goes, boy, you guys think a lot. They're just kind of out there talking and whatever. We do (think). We are pretty serious about it."
Tway, who was a three-time All-American at Oklahoma State, remembers distinctly the first time Kevin beat him. Kevin was still in high school and the two were spending his spring break in Arizona.
"He looked at me and said, I got you today," Tway said, and once they added up the scores, the father knew it was true. "I tell him you may have better scores than me but I'm still smarter so I get the edge most of the time."
Tway hopes to earn enough money over the summer and fall to become fully exempt for the 2009 season -- and a good finish at Warwick Hills would go a long way toward helping him realize that goal. Tway currently ranks 159th on the money list.
At the same time, Tway turns 50 on May 4 so he has another option in the Champions Tour.
"I've had a lot of guys call me -- Hub (Mike Hulbert), Joey Sindelar -- and say how much they're enjoying it and how I'm going to like it," Tway said. "Obviously, they haven't been gone that long and they're having a great time. So that makes you feel excited about it. It should be a fun time, more relaxed and they like then idea of no cuts.
"I would like to play well enough to stay out here (on the PGA TOUR next year). ... But there will be a time when you know it's time to go."
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