Early Professional Career
After graduating from Long Beach State University in 1988, Goydos played the Nationwide Tour while augmenting his paltry playing income as a substitute teacher. On the Nationwide Tour, Goydos won his first event, the Ben Hogan Yuma Open in 1992. Despite eight Top 25 finishes that season, Goydos' earnings of $61,104 were not enough to earn him a PGA Tour card. In December of that year, he finished T16 at Q School for a spot on the big tour. Goydos struggled near the bottom of the Money List in his first 10-plus seasons on the PGA Tour, though he did have one victory, at the 1996 Bay Hill Invitational.
Later Professional Career
A member of the PGA Tour for more than 15 years, Goydos has suffered from long winning droughts and has struggled with his game. However, he seems to be improving with age. In 2007, at the age of 42, he won for the second time, this time at the season-opening Sony Open in Hawaii. Unfortunately, he did not fare well through the rest of the season, though he did come back to have five Top 25 finishes in 2008, marking the best season of his career. Goydos earned $1,640,737 and was 85th on the Money List. Goydos first broke the $1 million barrier in earnings in 2007. Through half of the 2009 season, Paul has finished in the Top 25 five times and has finished in the Top 5 in three tournaments.
In the Bag
Goydos favors TaylorMade clubs, though he carries a Titleist 907 D4 (9.5 degrees) driver with a custom shaft, a Cleveland 485 Tour Action wedge and plays Titleist Pro V1 balls. Goydos also carries a TaylorMade Burner TP 3-wood, two TaylorMade hybrids, TaylorMade irons and a TaylorMade rac Black wedge. His putter is a TaylorMade Rossa Monza Spider.
Statistics
A very average Tour player, Goydos' driving accuracy has been above the Tour average. Goydos hits the ball about 275 yards, which is 13 yards below the Tour average. He is solid when it comes to hitting greens in regulation, but sometimes struggles with his putter. As his history bears out, Goydos is a streaky player.
Personal
As a 1988 graduate of Long Beach State University, Goydos was inducted into the University's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. Born and bred in Long Beach, Goydos still lives in California. He was born on June 20, 1964, is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. Goydos, the youngest of three brothers, has two children.
About The Author
J.D. Chi is a professional journalist who has covered sports for more than 20 years at newspapers all over the United States. She has covered major golf tournaments and the NFL as well as travel and health topics. Chi received her Bachelor of Arts in professional writing from Carnegie Mellon University and is working toward a master's degree in journalism.
