by CHEBOYGAN – Twenty-three years ago, Kyle Parsons watched his father have his moment of glory.
As they walked the 18th fairway together at the 2001 Northern Michigan Open, a then-young Kyle was caddieing for Earl, who held a narrow lead over Kim Hocquard heading into Sunday’s final round.
Earl finished the job – and the two of them took it all in together.
“I think spending the day with him, talking about my journey and seeing him see what I did in different situations… I didn’t really do anything stupid that day,” Earl recalled of his championship win. “I played smart golf and I think (Kyle) took a lot of advantage of that. I think it helped him a lot and, in that competitive atmosphere, I think that was important.”
The Open victory was not only a career-defining feat for Earl, but it was also a moment of wonder for young Kyle, who was motivated by his father’s triumph. Since Kyle picked up a club at age 3, golf has truly become the family sport for the Parsons, a duo of Open champions.
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“I used to take him out when I was playing when he was young, so it was an easy way for him to learn,” Earl said of Kyle. “I didn’t have to teach him much, he was pretty much self-taught, and he’s helping me now.”
For Kyle, working with his father was never a difficult task. In other words, he learned as much of his father’s golf techniques as possible and applied them to practice.
“You lean on each other a little bit, you learn from each other’s mistakes, you know what you can do physically yourself,” Kyle said. “He was an idol to look up to.”
After an impressive high school career, Kyle was finally eligible to compete in the Open at age 18. Once he competed in one of Northern Michigan’s premier events, he was hungry to one day win it all.
After years of wondering when his turn would come, 2019 has arrived.
After battling his way out of a tough round on Sunday, Kyle realized moments later that he was headed to the playoffs. But instead of flinching, he continued to live in the moment.
“I didn’t want to hear anything from anybody,” Kyle said. “I went straight to the 18th hole, took a few deep breaths and said, ‘This is it, let’s see what happens.’”
What happened four playoff holes later was the highlight for Kyle, who won his first Open title by sinking a 22-foot putt to hold off Canadian Frank Couture.
And the father who had won 18 years before was so proud of his son.
“It was fun to win like he did,” Earl said.
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The two victories symbolize the competitive spirit of the Parsons family, which doesn’t play together as much anymore, especially since Kyle, 34, has been living in Florida for the past 11 years. When Kyle arrived in Michigan on Wednesday, they finally played a round. Although Kyle is the last Open champion, his father outshot his son by seven shots in the round, much to Kyle’s dismay.
“I hate to lose to him, but I do,” Kyle said. “He’s a good golfer. He beat me, but it gives me a little headache to say it’s possible going into the weekend. Now I’ve got to improve my game a little bit and see what happens.”
No matter how intense the competition is, Earl and his son always find the strength to have as much fun as possible. What’s unique is that their careers are similar, both having made four holes-in-one.
But they still have something to do: play together in the last group of the championship. If that happens, both teams will feel at home on Sunday.
After all, it’s family that ultimately reigns.
“I would feel more comfortable because I play with him all the time,” Kyle said. “He’s easy to play with; we talk about golf, fishing, everything else. It would take my mind off of all that, unlike playing with four guys I don’t know and wouldn’t be around during a round of golf, where (my dad and I) would be running into each other, talking, keeping our heads out of the game.”
The 77th Northern Michigan Open will be held at Cheboygan Golf & Country Club on Saturday and Sunday.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article was originally published on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Parsons father-son duo continues to have fun and thrive at Northern Michigan Open
