Ryan Howison Sets Sights On PGA Tour
September 28, 1999 | Baseball
Sept. 28, 1999
By Bill Pate
Athletic Media Relations Student Assistant
When Ryan Howison journeyed to the 1989 College World Series as the Tar Heels' starting third baseman, he could never have guessed he was about to embark on a professional athletic career, much less in a sport other than baseball.
Howison's baseball career was one of true determination and grit. Coming out of Atlantic High School in Delray Beach, Fla., he was an all-conference football and baseball player whose skills on the diamond attracted offers from several colleges. However, the opportunity to walk on at Carolina was Howison's most attractive option. After surviving an open tryout and working hard his first two years, Howison finally began to see some action as the Tar Heels' third baseman. Despite hitting just .197 for his career, he used his excellent glove to win the starting position at third base his senior season. "My favorite baseball memory is playing in the College World Series," says Howison, who was a member of the most recent Tar Heel squad to make that trip. After the World Series, however, a new sport took Howison's interest.
After two shoulder surgeries and with only average collegiate numbers, Howison realized that his career in baseball was short-lived. "I had been playing golf during the summers, especially between my junior and senior seasons," Howison says. "I got pretty good in those three months, so I wondered what would happen if I played golf full time."
A slow transition from one sport to the other was not in order. "After the College World Series, it was all golf," Howison says. "I was at the driving range the day after we got back. Six months later, I turned pro."
Howison's early golf career was rough. Having admittedly turned professional prematurely, he struggled on the mini tours. All of this changed in 1995 when Howison entered Qualifying School, a weeklong event that allows golfers to earn their PGA Tour cards. Howison used solid play and a birdie on the last hole to earn his card and the chance to compete in select 1995 PGA Tour events. "Of all my golfing experiences, the feeling I had after waking up the morning after Q-School and knowing I had earned my card was by far the greatest," he says.
After a disappointing 1995, Howison found himself playing on the Nike Tour, the unofficial minor league of the PGA Tour. After several average seasons of Nike Tour play, Howison came into 1999 ready to produce. His determination was rewarded with a win at the Nike Lakeland Classic in January. He won again in August, collecting the $45,000 winner's check at the Ozarks Open. Having won two Nike Tour events Howison is one win away from an automatic PGA Tour promotion. He can also earn a spot on the PGA Tour by finishing in the top 15 in year's Nike Tour money earnings, a goal well within his reach after two victories and another second-place finish this season. With a Nike exemption, Howison would likely be able to play in about half of the 49 events scheduled for the PGA Tour next year and he'd join Davis Love III and Tom Scherrer as the third Carolina graduate playing on Tour.
"My initial golf goal was making the top 15 of the Nike Tour," Howison says. "Now I look to finish in the top 125 in the PGA money, win a PGA Tour event, and eventually win a major championship."
Howison attributes some of his golf success to his Carolina baseball experience. "The baseball helped with my golf in that it got me used to competing," he says. "I learned what it takes to win. When I have been in contention and playing in front of crowds I've used that experience."
In comparing the two sports, Howison speaks of how baseball is team-oriented versus the individual aspects of golf. "Golf is much harder and more stressful," he says. "In baseball, you could go 4-for-4 and lose, or go 0-for-4 and win. In golf, you must blame yourself. There is no team in golf."
While there may be no team, any golfer can appreciate the support and encouragement from galleries. If Howison is successful in joining the PGA Tour next year, he can expect Tar Heel fans from across the country to cheer his every effort to make it on Tour and accomplish his new golfing goals. He hopes to give UNC fans a reason to celebrate.
As a Tar Heel, his only collegiate home run was a grand slam against Wake Forest his junior season. Now Howison is setting his sights on another Grand Slam, that of professional golf.