Pat McGowan spent 15 years on the PGA Tour before giving it up in 1993.
Now, 12 years later, he’s going to try it again, this time as a member of the over-50 players on the lucrative Champions Tour.
McGowan was Rookie of the Year in 1978, but despite some strong showings over the years, including some second-place finishes, he was never able to win. He’s confident he can overcome that hurdle this time around.
“I’m really excited about getting back out with the guys and reestablishing the camaraderie,” he said during a recent interview at his home club of Pine Needles on Midland Road in Southern Pines. “That’s what I love most about the Tour — that and the competition.”
McGowan is confident as he readies for his Seniors debut in Hawaii on Jan. 20-23.
“I’ve had 11 years to think about how I played, and it’s going to be different this time,” he said. “When I was on the PGA Tour, I was the typical three-birdie, two-bogey guy. That works in the U.S. Open, but not in the regular events on the Tour.
“I’m going to be a much more aggressive player, trying to see how many birdies I can make. That’s the attitude I had in qualifying. I went in confident, relaxed, and expecting good things to happen. One thing I’ve learned is that the perfect way to make a bogey is to try not to. Besides, no matter how cautious you try to be, a couple of bogeys are going to happen. So, you might as well be trying to make birdies.
“I feel that I’m a better player now, and I know that I’m older and wiser and hopefully more mature.”
All those factors came into play in the sixth and final round of the Champions Qualifying School.
“I came to the 18th hole knowing that it was in my hands,” McGowan said. “I had stuck to my routine of just trying to do the best I could on each hole and adding them up at the end. But I got a little conservative on the last hole, a reachable par-5, and pulled the tee shot. I had to chip back to the fairway, but then I hit a heck of a 3-iron third shot from 230 yards to within 50 feet of the cup. I thought I needed to birdie the hole to make the top seven, and got too bold with the first putt. I had to make an eight-footer for par and 69.
“I didn’t think 69 was all that good, because I figured a couple of guys behind me would shoot 64-65 and I would finish eighth or ninth. But one of the caddies from the group ahead told me that I had made it and that gave me hope.”
McGowan and Canadian Norm Jarvis tied for the seventh and final fully exempt spot and headed into a sudden-death playoff. McGowan had a great opportunity to win it on the first hole, but missed a putt from just outside three feet for birdie.
“I knew exactly what the putt did, but I just pushed it,” he said. “Norm thought I had made it and had already taken his hat off and was getting ready to shake my hand. I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’, and I got a little ticked off at myself. But you don’t have time to think, so I just kind of mentally kicked myself.”
McGowan won it on the third playoff hole when he drained a 12-foot birdie putt. “I didn’t want to give him another chance, so I just hit an aggressive putt and it went in.”
With the dream a reality, McGowan is not only honing his game but also his mental approach. He remembers how tough it was being on the road for the regular Tour and feels he will be able to handle that aspect better now.
“It’s going to be a big change,” he said. “I’m used to working here at Pine Needles (as director of instruction) and being home at night since 1993. But the regular Tour was 30 tournaments a year, and I won’t play that many on the Seniors Tour. There are some nice breaks in the schedule, too, and with most of the events being only 54 holes, I can be home on Mondays and Tuesdays a lot of the time.
“I’ve watched a lot of golf on TV in the last 11 years, and I see the mistakes the guys make and remember the ones I made. I learned a long time ago that if you go out thinking Top 10, that’s all you’re going to do. On the Champions Tour, there’s no cut to worry about, and with the three-day tournaments, you just go out and play golf, try to make birdies, and give yourself an opportunity.
“Realistically, my goal is to be in the Top 10 on the money list. I think I can accomplish that by being aggressive and positive. If I do what I’m capable of, things will work out.”
McGowan is married to the former Bonnie Bell, daughter of Pine Needles owner Peggy Kirk Bell and the late Warren “Bullet” Bell. They have two children, a son Michael and daughter Scotti.
“Bonnie has just been great about it all,” McGowan said. “She knows I’m a golfer and she’s very supportive. She’ll come out on Tour quite a bit and I’ll be at home as much as I can.
“The children are older now and that won’t be a problem. It may be late sometimes — I hope — but I’ll be home on Sunday nights.”
