Tway’s PGA Victory Leaves Mother Stunned

Bob Tway’s dramatic victory in the PGA Championship left his mother “in shock” and his fans at Oak Tree Golf Club in Edmond roaring with pleasure.

Tway, a former three-time All-American at Oklahoma State, holed out for a birdie from a sand trap on the 72nd hole of the tournament Monday to wrest the PGA title away from Greg Norman. Norman started the day four shots ahead, but he shot a five-over-par 76 to finish at six under par. Tway had a one-under-par 70, two shots ahead of Norman.

“The phone’s been ringing off the hook,” Tway’s mother, Kay, said from her home in Marietta, Ga.

At Oak Tree, Tway’s home course north of Oklahoma City, director of golf Chris Cole said a roomful of fans erupted after Tway’s dramatic shot.

“We figured you could probably hear it down there (Oklahoma City),” Cole said. “We all hoped he could par the last hole and when he birdied, it was wild here.”

Kay Tway said she was “in shock” when her son holed out on 18.

“His short game has always been pretty solid and it seems to be getting better and better,” she said.

The PGA title gave Tway four Tour victories this season and pushed his earnings for the year over $600,000.

That’s a far cry from the player who failed three times to earn his Tour playing card after leaving Oklahoma State in 1981.

“I think an awful lot of people put an awful lot of pressure on him,” Kay Tway said. “Nobody knows how hard the qualifying school is. It’s one week, and how many people are on just that one week?

“I’ve known how hard he’s worked since he’s been 5 years old. I drove him to all those tournaments,” she said.

Kay Tway said the most difficult time for her son was when he missed qualifying for the Tour for the third time. He missed by one shot after shooting an 81 on the final day.

“But he realized what he really wanted and said he wasn’t going to give up,” she said.