30 SECONDS: Scott Sterling

Baton Rouge’s Scott Sterling has reached the PGA Tour, golf’s elite world of top professionals.

As of May he’s won $94,000 in 11 tournaments this season. We caught up with him between competitions.

So this is your first year on the Professional Golfers Association Tour after playing in the “minor leagues,” the National Golf Tour. Don’t you have to earn a certain amount in winnings to stay on?

Yeah, I need to finish in the top 125 on the money list to stay on full-time for the following year. There’s no set dollar amount; that varies. It’s more about rankings.

Traveling 30 weeks a year must be tough on a young family.

It is. I have two boys—3 years old and 9 months—and my wife. They don’t travel with me much. Since we had our second she is staying home with them in Baton Rouge. I try not to go more than two weeks in a row without seeing them. They came to Puerto Rico recently, New Orleans of course, and Houston since it’s close.

Do modern, longer courses suit your game?

Some of these longer courses haven’t. I’m not particularly a power guy. I’m in the middle. But this being my first year I have to take every tournament I can get into. More established, well-known players can pick and choose and avoid the courses that don’t suit their strengths. I don’t have that luxury. I need to play.

So do you work out more now?

It’s hit or miss with exercise. I try to do two or three times a week on the road, but when you spend seven hours a day on the course, the last thing you want to do is lift weights. I play well when I’m exercising. I don’t know if it’s a mental edge or a physical one, but it does help.

What perks do PGA golfers get?

We get courtesy cars, free laundry and dry-cleaning service, and there’s usually a gift at each tournament. The Zurich Classic in New Orleans gave us alligator skin belts. Of course, the food is better than on the National Golf Tour, but the biggest perk is getting to play with the best in the world.

So what’s the PGA atmosphere like?

There is less cutting up and hanging out than the National Golf Tour. The players are more business-like. The thing is, if I don’t make the cut, I don’t get paid that week. Unlike, say, a second or third string quarterback may not play in the game, but he knows he’s getting a paycheck.

Who introduced you to the game?

I grew up in Orange, Texas, and my dad got my brother into it when he was about 15, and I was younger, I was 12, and started playing, too. I did well in some junior tournaments, and decided to quit all my other sports at age 15 so I could concentrate on golf.