Remembering Where They Came From: Curt & Tom Byrum

by Kolbe Nelson
August 15, 2011 8:29 PM


Curt and Tom Byrum, our Taco John's Athletes of the Week, have come from some very humble beginnings.

"Tom and I grew up in a little farming town of Onida," Curt says, "900 people, our dad was a farmer, our mother grew up on a ranch out there so it wasn't like we were born into a golf family."

But they sure made their family into one. The Byrums have been a part of the professional golf world for quite a while, with Curt picking up nearly 40 top-10 finishes on the PGA and Nationwide tours before turning his attention to the broadcast booth. And Tom has played in over 500 PGA Tour events himself, turning in top-ten finishes in two major championships. The only problem with all that, is their schedules make it pretty tough for them to return to their home state.

"We just don't get back for things," Tom says, "We haven't even been back to Pierre enough, we try to schedule a hunt or two there if we can make it, but it's about every other year it seems like."

South Dakota isn't the only thing the two have been missing.

Despite the similar career choices from both the Byrum brothers, they actually don't see each other that often.

"Not as much as we used to be able to." Curt says, "When we were both on tour together we played a lot of practice rounds together, we occasionally got paired together, so we don't see each other as much as we'd like."

But when they do get together, like last week when they played in a charity Pro-Am at Westward Ho, it's just like old times.

"It's good to see each other when we're around and we help each other with our golf games just like when we were 17, 18 years old so nothing's really changed there," Curt says.

Nothing aside from the venue. They've made quite a run since starting out on a modest 9-hole course in Onida. And even if they can't get back as often as they like, the Byrums know they wouldn't be where they are today without those nine holes.

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