Armchair Interview: 5 Questions for Luke Swilor, PGA Tour Hopeful

Day 88 without playing golf

Luke Swilor is a professional golfer whose dream is to play on the PGA Tour. Luke was the captain of his University of Utah golf team, and was an academic All-American (a combination of grades and scoring average). Luke learned the game from his father, a golf pro who has played the Nationwide Tour and in two PGA championships.

You can follow Luke’s progress at his blog: Luke Swilor’s Road to the Tour.

Armchair Golf Blog: What would a successful 2006 look like for Luke Swilor?

Luke Swilor: I think that as long as I continue to improve 2006 can be considered a success. The ultimate success this year would be ending up with a PGA Tour card at the end of the year.

I would also like to get some wins in some of the larger tournaments I play in (I've won a couple of pro-ams, but not yet a large, open type event). I would be a bit disappointed if I didn't reach these goals, but as long as I'm getting closer to reaching the big stage, I can look at the year as a success.

Armchair Golf Blog: What part (or parts) of your game needs the most attention in order for you to get to the next level?

Luke Swilor: I don't think there is one part of my game that is seriously lagging behind, but my short game could probably use the most work.

My shorter shots around the green are good, but I could still get the 30-50 yard pitches a bit closer to the hole. I figure if I could get one shot better each nine, I'd be on the Tour. The short game is probably the easiest spot to achieve that.

Every part of my game has been improving a great deal over the last couple of years. Last season I shot more low scores than I ever have, but I still need to be a bit more consistent.

Armchair Golf Blog: How is your 2006 schedule shaping up -- what mini-tours, tournaments and events might you be playing this year?

Luke Swilor: I haven't completely locked a schedule in stone, but I expect it to be much the same as last year. The summer months are a great opportunity to make a lot of money playing in state opens and other independent tournaments around the West.

There really isn't a need to play a lot of mini-tour golf in the summer if part of your goal is to make money. Many of the tournaments I plan on playing have much smaller entry fees ($200-500 compared to $900-1200 for mini-tours) with purses that are very similar. I will also be playing in some of the Dakotas Tour events, where I had some success last year.

It's a bit difficult to find places to play in the first few months of the year, so I will probably play in a few of the Spanos Tour events until the later part of spring.

Depending on how well I play, and more importantly how much money I have, the year should come to a close at Tour School. My schedule is all about preparing me (financially, as well as physically) for Tour School.

Armchair Golf Blog: How can golf bloggers help you?

Luke Swilor: I'm not really sure exactly what other bloggers can do to help me. I love the support and interaction I've had the last couple of months, and I hope that it will continue. It's pretty cool to know that somebody other than my mom is out there following my play.

Armchair Golf Blog: Anything else you would like to add?

Luke Swilor: Yeah. Get out and play some golf, will ya?

Follow Luke’s progress at Luke Swilor’s Road to the Tour. Also, stay tuned to the Armchair Golf Blog for future interviews and updates.