had won the VSGA Amateur in 2004, and
defended his title in 2005.
“Those two wins were big stepping stones
for me in golf,” he said.
So, Hurley loaded up his car and headed out
to compete on professional mini-tours. He
eventually earned the Nationwide Tour’s 25th
and final PGA Tour card awarded for 2012.
And since then, Hurley has posted eight
top-10 PGA Tour finishes, eight Web.com
top-10s, and has earned nearly $4 million
in career prize money.
When asked how winning on tour had
changed his life, he chuckled.
“I don’t want it to change my life, but it
will certainly change my career,” said Hurley,
who will be adding tournaments like The
Masters and The Players Championship to
his 2017 tournament schedule. “There’s just
a sigh of relief knowing I get to play on the
PGA Tour for the next two and half years.”
Of course, most tour winners don’t
receive phone calls from admirals and top
brass in the U.S. Navy. Hurley’s phone was
buzzing after his win.
“It was just a nice affirmation that the
Navy still cares about me, which is great
because I still care about the Navy,” he said.
The win also earned him an exemption
into The (British) Open at Royal Troon,
but Hurley called it a “no-brainer” to skip
that coveted spot in a major championship
to walk with his younger sister Megan in
her wedding.
“With everything that’s happened to
my family in the last year and with my
dad’s death, it’s made me cherish them
more than I did before,” he said. “We’ve
had some bad transitions in the last 12
months or so, and now it’s a good transition, coming full circle.”
In spite of the many ups and downs in
his life and career, Hurley is grateful. That
is evident when he sends hand-written
thank-you notes to the title sponsor,
tournament director and golf course
superintendent at each PGA tournament
he plays. He writes another 100 notes of
appreciation throughout the year.
“Billy and his family have a tremendously
strong faith, and his values are such that
golf is not everything for him,” said Owen,
of his former college player. “Faith and
family come first for Billy, and I believe that
enables him to have a life outside of golf and
to stay grounded.”
It was bound to be a unique career
path for Hurley, a real-life officer and a
gentleman. Now, he can also be called
a champion.
PATRICK SEMANSKY/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gulf, the Red Sea and South China Sea with
stops in Bahrain, Hong Kong, and ports in
Indonesia, Philippines, Okinawa, Japan
and Thailand.
“It takes a long time to get from Hawaii
to the Red Sea [an Indian Ocean inlet
located between Africa and Asia] because
it’s literally close to halfway around the
world,” said Hurley.
When asked if it was harder to hit his tee
shots with a lead in the final round of the
Quicken Loans National or to steer a ship
through the Suez Canal, Hurley gave the
question some serious thought.
“They both require about the same level
of focus,” he said.
During his years of active duty in the Navy,
Hurley focused on working out to keep his
body strong for the day when he could try to
qualify for the tour. There was little off time
to play golf, and at sea, nowhere to do it.
“Especially for the last two years while
I was on a ship in Hawaii, I was basically
a recreational golfer,” he said. “But I knew
what I signed up for. It was always about
doing the best job I could do in the Navy. If
I had not wanted to play golf, I’d probably
still be in the Navy.”
But Hurley did want to test himself on
the tour, turning professional in 2006. He
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