@chris_mellusi[/author_info] [/author]
This is the first, in a two-part series. Look for Part 2 later this fall
HAWORTH – Jim McGovern looks around White Beeches Country Club in Haworth, New Jersey reliving moments from when he was on the PGA Tour. He ponders what his life would be like if he had continued playing golf as a professional. It has been a while since he was last on a golf course as a pro, but every memory remains fresh in his mind.
McGovern was born with incredible athletic abilities. As a young boy, he was dominant in baseball and football.
When he entered high school, he became a football star for Bergen Catholic where he would excel as a tight end. Despite receiving recruiting letters from Lou Holtz and Bobby Ross, he put aside football to focus on his true passion, which was golf.
Jim would continue pursuing golf at the University of Arkansas. At first, he didn’t have any intent to play golf as a professional, but he soon realized he was competing in every single tournament he participated in.
After two years as a Razorback, he deided to transfer to Old Dominion University. As senior year approached, Jim knew what he wanted to do with his life.
“My last year of college, I set a goal to try to play professional golf,” McGovern said. “I started playing golf in Florida on the mini tours which is similar to playing minor league baseball.”
He jumped at the chance he had to play golf whenever the opportunity arose. He decided to play a couple tournaments in South Africa because of the amount of tournaments they were having internationally. He kept setting goals and tried extremely hard to attain them.
After doing well in a couple tournaments, it was time to take the next step to becoming a professional golfer.
“I went to the PGA Tour qualifying school and although I didn’t get my PGA Tour card right away, I did advance to the Ben Hogan Tour,” McGovern said. “This was the first year of this secondary tour and it was the springboard for me to get to the PGA Tour.”
McGovern would officially become a professional golfer in 1988 where he would be play on the Hogan Tour for three years. These years would end up being the building blocks for things to come.
“My first year on the Hogan Tour was a great learning experience for me and for everyone involved,” McGovern said. “Most of the players and caddies traveled together and there was a lot of camaraderie at that time.”
After realizing that his golf game had grown to an elite level, he officially joined the PGA Tour in 1991. This is when McGovern’s journey would begin.
In 1993, at the age of 28, he won the Shell Houston Open after defeating John Huston on the 18th hole – his first-ever professional tournament victory.
“I felt like I was extremely focused when I was playing,” McGovern said. “The fact that I actually won didn’t really set in until a few days later. It felt great to know that I had accomplished the number one goal that I had set for myself when I first got on Tour. I felt like I belonged out there and it opened up a lot of doors for me.”
The first couple years on Tour were difficult for McGovern. He had to balance time between his family and playing all around the world. In his eyes, it was the most difficult thing to deal with. He had four children in six years.
“Knowing all of the things that I was missing at home was very difficult,” McGovern said. “From my kid’s first words, to their recitals and ball games, I missed a lot of the very important but seemingly ordinary parts of family life. It could get very lonely traveling all of the time. Constantly eating in restaurants and living out of a suitcase could be very grinding.”
McGovern credits his first caddie, Mark Zyons, with helping him get through the rough patches during his early years. Zyons quickly became a part of his family.
“We spent day in and day out together,” said McGovern. “We roomed together, ate together, worked together, and relied on each other. He became like a brother to me and was even in my wedding party.”
Although McGovern struggled being away from his family early on in his career, in 1994 he would place 5th in the grandest tournament of them all, the Masters.
“Augusta was a place that I had dreamed about for many years,” McGovern said. “It was early in my career and one of my first major championships. I had seen tapes of Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and all the great players over the years playing at this unbelievable golf course. To finish in 5th place my first time playing in this tournament was a dream come true. It was terrifying and exhilarating at all once.”
Later on in the year, he would finish 13th at the U.S. Open further proving that he meant business. He was officially a threat on Tour. However, Jim already knew what he was capable of. His whole life he battled to put himself in a position to succeed and he did not disappoint.
McGovern would remain a professional until 1998, but it was at that time that he decided to put the clubs down and return to his home in Oradell, New Jersey.
“I have so many great memories from playing golf on Tour,” McGovern said. “I made some of the best friends of my entire life playing on the Ben Hogan Tour. We traveled the country together sometimes barely making enough money to pay our hotel bills, but it was such an amazing time.”
Jim McGovern would not be able to keep his clubs away from the PGA Tour forever though. In 2008, McGovern wanted to try and get his PGA card back. He knew his level of play was still amongst the best out there. A second journey was just beginning.