Half a lifetime ago, Ty Tryon made it to the PGA Tour. Ever since then, he’s been trying to get back.
Monday showed a sign of hope for the former golf phenom, who once made the cut as a spiky-haired 16-year-old at the 2001 Honda Classic: Tryon shot 5-under 67 on Monday morning to qualify for the Web.com tour’s Savannah Golf Championship. When he tees it up in competition on Thursday, it will be now-33-year-old Tryon’s first sanctioned start since qualifying for the U.S. Open in 2011.
Tryon’s morning actually got off to a rocky start when he bogeyed the first at the Oakridge course at The Landings Club in Savannah, Ga. But he rebounded quickly, making four birdies in his next seven holes and getting to 5 under par through 16. He made his second bogey of the day on No. 17 but answered with his seventh birdie on 18 to post the round of 67.
As scores came in throughout the day, Tryon found out his effort had been just enough: the 67 left him in a five-way tie for second place on a day when six qualifiers advanced.
Tryon turned pro in 2001, making it through PGA Tour Q-School at just 17. But he battled illness and a tough adjustment to the Tour lifestyle over the years that followed. In 32 career starts on Tour, he notched just one top 10.
Still, he has resurfaced over the years, including surviving open qualifying to play in the 2010 and 2011 U.S. Opens, where he ultimately missed the cut. Most recently, Tryon played Web.com Q-School in the fall of 2017, where he fell seven shots shy of advancing from First Stage.
The next chapter of his comeback tour will begin this week.
