By Bill Cooney
Special to PGATOUR.com

MILWAUKEE — At the time, the decision to quit college golf and forfeit his amateur status never crossed Jason Bohn 's mind.

The year was 1992. Bohn was a wide-eyed 19-year-old freshman at the University of Alabama when he decided to enter a $1 million hole-in-one shootout.

And sure enough, Bohn’s 9-iron tee shot from 135 yards disappeared in the hole to win top prize.

“I knew I was going to get $50,000 a year for 20 years,” Bohn said. “That’s putting food on the table for a family is the way I looked at it, so no matter what I did I was going to have a big bonus at the end of each year.”

Few days go by when Bohn, now 33 and in his third full season on the PGA TOUR, doesn’t relive the shot that changed his life. He still remembers every detail and has a reminder on display in his office in Acworth, Ga.

But Bohn’s arrival to golf’s top level came later than most. Since he had to turn pro to accept the money for making the ace, Bohn didn’t get to play four years for the Crimson Tide, rolling in putts and cracking deep drives alongside the game’s future stars.

Bohn, who shot a 5-under-par 65 Friday in the rain-delayed first round of in the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee, admitted his lack of college golf may have held him back.

“I would have played a lot of great golf courses in college against great competition and I had to basically pay for that,” said Bohn, who was tied for fifth at the conclusion of the first round. “I had to go out, play the mini-tours and get drummed on and beat up and learn how to manage my game and play professional golf.”

The past two seasons, though, Bohn has started to come into his own. He captured his first TOUR victory at the B.C. Open in 2005. He also tacked on a second-place finish at the Deutsche Bank Championship and tied for third at the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro that year.

Entering the U.S. Bank Championship, Bohn stood 54th on the money list ($962,737) and ranked in the top 50 in five of the eight major stats on TOUR. No part of Bohn’s game stands out. He just gets the job done and his all-around ranking of 31st proves it.

“I don’t excel in any (category), but I do them all fairly solid,” Bohn said. “And if you can make some putts, you’re going to come out on top at the end of the week. And I made some putts today.”

Bohn finished 36 holes at 11-under 129 (65-64) and trailed leader Corey Pavin by a shot. Pavin was 12 under through seven holes of his second round when play was suspended for darkness.

Bohn putted just 52 times on the day, and carded a combined eight birdies on the back nine alone, stringing together four straight in Round 1 on Nos. 13-16.

He hit 14 greens in regulation in each round and hit a total of 20 of 26 fairways. Again, nothing flashy. And Bohn knows it.

“Every aspect of my game needs to improve. Absolutely,” he said.

Like most players on TOUR, Bohn’s No. 1 goal is winning. He also says the Ryder Cup would be “the ultimate dream to represent my country playing golf.”

Bohn might be 55th on that list but don’t count him out. He’s still a newcomer, despite his age. What’s held him back this season? Try 16 of 20 first-round scores of 70 or higher.

“When you shoot a 73 or 74 on Thursday, you’ve got to grind so hard just to make the cut,” Bohn said. “I need to get off to better starts and play four solid rounds and give myself a chance to win the tournament.”

Sandwiched between a hurried lunch Friday, Bohn gave himself that opportunity.