Player Profile - Jonathan Byrd

This week’s player profile showcases the career of American golfer and five time PGA Tour winner Jonathan Byrd. Born Jonathan Currie Byrd in 1978 in the town of Anderson, South Carolina Byrd grew up in an environment rich with golfing influences. Attending Clemson University after completing high school, Byrd was a highly successful college level golfer, being the first student to retain the title of First Team All-ACC Player for four years running. In 1999 he was named a First Team All-American and he represented the United States on the Walker Cup team in the same year.

Making his professional debut a year later in 2000, Byrd had a lucrative year on the BUY.com tour (now known as the nationwide tour), winning the BUY.com charity pro-am at the Cliffs and finishing his first season eighth on the money list. Following a successful 2001 season, Byrd qualified to join the PGA Tour in 2002. In his rookie year he was awarded the Rookie of the Year award after winning the prestigious Buick Challenge.

With his first important victory under his belt, Byrd continued to improve his game and increased his top 10 finishes successively throughout the 2000s. In 2004, he won the B.C. Open by one stroke over compatriot Ted Purdy. Victory came again for Byrd in 2007 when he won the well-know John Deere Classic, beating his closest rival Tim Clark of South Africa.

2008 and 2009 were a difficult time in the life and career of Jonathan Byrd. After seeing his game dip a little in 2008, with only two finishes in the top ten and just over a million dollars in earnings, personal tragedy struck Byrd’s life when his father passed away in 2009 after battling brain cancer. Byrd took some time off from the PGA circuit to mourn and regroup his game and in 2010 he came back fighting.

In 2010, Byrd made his comeback when he won the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in a playoff against Martin Laird and Cameron Percy with a spectacular hole in one at the third playoff hole. At the weekend, he was victorious once again at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii.