Growing up in Columbia, Jonathan Byrd and his brother Jordan learned to play and love golf in outings with their father, Jim. Nothing out of the ordinary there – until Jonathan began his journey to becoming a three-time All-American at Clemson and then a five-time winner on the PGA Tour.

By the time Jonathan began making waves in junior golf, Jim Byrd, a former college football player at North Carolina, had to deal with the reality of his son outdriving and outplaying him. Their love for one another never diminished, but Jim – a competitive amateur player, who died in 2009 – wasn’t one to enjoy losing, even to his son.

“I ruined my dad’s game,” Jonathan Byrd said as he prepared for this week’s ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. “He didn’t take it very well, and we weren’t very compassionate (to each other).”

Byrd laughed. “Now, I’m seeing it on his end.”

This week at The Dunes Beach and Golf Club, Byrd, 47, is joined in the field by son Jackson, 18, ranked second among the nation’s junior golfers. Both received sponsor exemptions into the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic field.

This week will be Jackson’s professional debut as an individual. Even so, Jonathan, the PGA Tour rookie of the year in 2002, is preparing to possibly get smoked by his offspring.

“He cruises (his drives) about 180 (mph) ball speed,” the elder Byrd said. “I’m in the high 160-170 range. I’m being nice to myself saying he’s ‘only’ 30 yards by me; he’ll hit it 310 (yards) carry, I’m maybe 285-290.”

Now Byrd wants to see how his son fares in a PGA Tour environment. The duo played as teammates in a pro-am event, but not as competitors. It’s not the PGA Tour’s first father-son matchup; just in South Carolina, Jay and Bill Haas have played in common events. “But it hasn’t happened much in the same pro event,” Byrd said. “It’s definitely a bucket-list item for us.”

Seeing his son excel in his own profession is meaningful for Byrd. “The last few years, I’ve had thoughts of whether he’d make it as a pro someday or play in college.” The latter was realized this year when Jackson signed to play at his father’s alma mater, where he’ll play for his uncle, Clemson golf coach Jordan Byrd.

Jackson, a three-time junior All-American, considered Alabama, Auburn and Georgia, but despite assumptions that Clemson was a done deal, “I wanted (Jackson) to blaze his own path, and Jordan wanted the same,” Jonathan said. “We sold Clemson, but Jackson had the freedom to go elsewhere.

“It was hard on me and Jordan. The whole dynamic was, if he chose Clemson, ‘that’s where he was always going,’ but if not, that’d put Jordan in a bad position, like ‘what’s wrong?’”

“That was when I was dealing with some of the pressure of that,” Jackson said after his decision. “But I would say I made a pretty unbiased choice. Clemson as a university … the people that make Clemson what it is, it felt pretty special and (I’m) glad to be a part of it.”

Another assumption – that Jackson was always golf-obsessed – is also incorrect. “Early on, he didn’t show much interest in golf,” Jonathan said. “I didn’t push him much there.” Somewhere around age 8-10, though, Jackson began following his dad – and other

players, including Sea Island, Ga., neighbors and major winners Davis Love III and Zach Johnson – via the PGA Tour app.

“That got him into golf, following players hole-by-hole, shot-by-shot; that got him pulling for me and others he knows on Tour,” Jonathan said. “He started going to the range, we’d go hit balls, and I’d notice, ‘Man, his swing is pretty good.’ And he always hit it far for his age. I think his length is what got him excited about playing.”

Not surprisingly, Jonathan sees elements of himself in his son. “The passion is first and foremost,” he said. “The desire to improve is the biggest thing you see, and he’s continued to improve.

“He’s also hard on himself like me. I watch that, and it’s harder when your son is doing the same things you did; you want him not to make the same mistakes. But he’s pretty calm on the golf course.”

With Jackson starting down a similar path to the one he took to the PGA Tour, Jonathan’s focus has changed. “It went from, can he get good enough, to ‘can I hang on long enough to be here when he plays as a pro?’ he said.

Three years from being eligible for the PGA Tour Champions, Byrd plays less frequently now, mostly due to lesser Tour status. He’s played four events in 2025, making the cut at the Mexico Open, and played six events in 2024.

His best career year, 2011, he won once (Hyundai Tournament of Champions) and earned $2.9 million, 22nd on Tour. But a wrist injury in 2012 and, later, a right hip procedure set him back. His most recent victory was in the 2017 Web.com (now Korn Ferry) Tour Championship, which gave him PGA Tour status for the first time since 2014.

Still, Byrd has won more than $20 million in his two-decade career, with some stellar moments. In 2010, he won the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open, winning a four-hole playoff with a hole-in-one that, due to encroaching darkness, he never saw go in.

“I want to stay competitive and in shape before I turn 50,” he said. “I need to be ready to make a mark” on the Champions Tour. Until then, he’s playing when he gets into events, such as this week. “I’d like to get in 3-6 more this year and see what I can do,” he said. “I’ve seen some improvements lately, (and) my ball-striking has been more consistent. But I’m not stressing over it.”

Not about his game, that is. Another player in the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, though, figures to get his attention.

“I feel good about this week,” he said. “I’ll probably be distracted this week … but in a good way.”