This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Boyd Summerhays once turned down an opportunity to play Augusta National Golf Club, believing he someday would earn his way onto the grounds as a contestant.
He's walking inside the ropes during practice rounds this week in a role he pictured only recently — as his brother's coach. Daniel Summerhays, who is four years younger, will tee off in Thursday's opening round, creating a family moment that "will be pretty emotional," his brother said. "We took such different paths to get there for the first time, but both [routes] included each other. I had a hard time accepting that I wasn't going to be a player and get to Augusta. He accomplished something that allowed me to get there as a coach."
Boyd Summerhays, 37, was the family's original golf prodigy, as the American Junior Golf Association's No. 1-ranked player and a PGA Tour member for parts of three seasons. Through the AJGA, he became friends with Charles Howell III, his eventual Oklahoma State teammate and an Augusta native. That explains how he could have played the course after their freshman year at OSU, but chose to wait for a more meaningful event.
Working with his brother this week qualifies. Even after Boyd Summerhays became established as a teaching pro and had success with Salt Lake City native Tony Finau on the PGA Tour, the brothers initially resisted a professional arrangement. When they considered it, their father, Lynn, reminded them, "You're brothers first."
They have followed his advice. "Their relationship is so fantastic; that's my great joy right now," Lynn Summerhays said. "Watching them interact, it's really beautiful."
They have work to do in the interest of reviving Daniel Summerhays' game. After a breakthrough summer when he tied for eighth place in the U.S. Open, shooting a second-round 65, and finished third in the PGA Championship, he struggled in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The slump has continued in the PGA Tour's 2016-17 season, which began in October.
"I know it's just a flip of a switch from turning on really well," Summerhays said last week at Oakridge Country Club in Farmington, his home course.
"He's a tinkerer; he's a perfectionist," said Bruce Brockbank, Summerhays' coach at BYU.
Boyd Summerhays tries to keep his brother from being too perfect and too tough on himself. He was confident enough in his teaching ability that he was sure he could help, and he soon realized that working together would not harm their relationship.
"On the lesson tee, I never act like I'm his big brother," he said. "He's my boss. Seriously, it's been awesome to work with him. We've bonded as brothers even more."
Boyd Summerhays qualified for the PGA Tour's 2004 season and showed promise, only to have a back injury derail him. Subsequent injuries would limit his PGA Tour tenure to parts of three seasons. He continued to pursue a playing career into his early 30s, when he became a full-time teacher based at McDowell Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
He spends the summers in Davis County, where his family lives in a basement apartment of his brother's home. Their childhood memories revolve around golf. As a teenager, Daniel Summerhays once said living up to his brother's achievements "sometimes gets frustrating," but that was before he won consecutive State Amateur titles. So the example was more inspiring than daunting as it turned out.
"Boyd was my hero," Daniel said.
"I liked having a little brother," Boyd said. "I knew he looked up to me. … He didn't get the attention, but he was a lot better than people thought he was. When you look back, he was doing special stuff for a long time. You don't have a shadow on you when you win the Utah State Am at 16."
The same theory applies to playing in the Masters at 33, or any age.
Twitter: @tribkurt —
Teeing off
• Daniel Summerhays will hit the first official shot of the 2017 Masters. Shortly after honorary starters Jack Nicklaus and Gary Players hit their drives off the No. 1 tee Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, Summerhays and Russell Henley will begin the first round in a twosome at 6 a.m. MDT.
• Sandy resident Mike Weir will play with Billy Hurley III and Scott Piercy two groups later, teeing off at 6:22 a.m. MDT. Piercy played one year at BYU before transferring to San Diego State.