LUKE SWILOR , CANADIAN TOUR

2008 Blog:

"Hey everyone. My name is Luke Swilor. I'm a professional golfer from Sandy, Utah. I grew up playing in the UJGA for ten years until heading off to college golf at the University of Utah. Here's what's been going on in my golfing life since leaving junior golf:

I didn't have the best college golf career. I never seemed to get anything going. While I would play some really good golf in the summer months, winning quite a few tournaments, I never got it going in college golf. It was frustrating, but I knew I could play. I needed a change, to start playing for myself again.

So I finished a mediocre career at the University of Utah and immediately turned pro in May of 2004. It was my dream ever since I was a little kid, caddying for my dad on the Nike Tour. I had never felt so much pressure as I did that first tournament. I got off to a flying start, finishing 4th, 2nd, and 3rd in my first three tournaments, making some money in the process. Wow, this is easy! Maybe not, but it sure felt easy those first three weeks!

My professional career has seen me play on just about every mini tour out there. I've played state opens all over the country, the Gateway Tour, the Spanos Tour, the Dakotas Tour, the Golden State Tour, the Pepsi Tour, the Wasatch Tour, the US Pro Golf Tour, and the Canadian Tour. I've even gotten to play on the Nationwide Tour. I've managed to bring in 5 wins, but nothing significant, YET! Life on the mini tours can be tough at times. Money is always tight, there is a lot of travel (most of it in the car), and you don't get to see a whole lot of your family. But the positives far outweigh the negatives, at least for me. I'm living my dream! I get to play golf pretty much every day, on courses all over the world. I can't ask for much more.

Last year I earned my Canadian Tour card, and I've just begun my second year up there. If you're not on the PGA or Nationwide Tours, I believe this is the place to be. The tournaments are as close to the "real" thing as you can get. Grandstands, gallery, ropes, scoreboards. It's the real deal, and we're treated like tour players. It's got to be the best place to learn how to play in the "bigs," and I'm going to take advantage of my second year. We're three tournaments in, and it's been a bit of a roller coaster so far, but my game is coming around. We head back down to Mexico in a couple weeks. Stay tuned to hear all about it!"

Luke Swilor