For Paul Goydos, the most enticing part of his runner-up finish at last year's Players Championship was likely the career-best seven-figure paycheck and the knowledge that he had secured full-time playing privileges for another season. For the rest of us, it was that such proficiency on the TPC Sawgrass course earned him four post-round interview sessions with the media, each one a seminar in sarcasm, a workshop in one-liners.
There are few on the PGA Tour, if any, who can match the caustic wit and incisive wisdom often articulated by Goydos. When asked before that week's final round if he'd ever before held a 54-hole lead, the journeyman responded, "No, but I've only been on tour for 16 years." When asked how he slept the night before, Goydos recalled, "On my back."
The side of Goydos we've always seen publicly is that of a savvy quote machine, but he's had some trying times in his personal life. After his wife Wendy's addiction to painkillers led to their divorce in 2004, the longtime Tour veteran received sole custody of daughters Chelsea and Courtney, then 13 and 11, and gave up the game for a season to care for them.
On Tuesday, it was announced that he will once again take a leave of absence after Wendy Goydos' death this past weekend.
For Paul Goydos, this is a story that has no punch line.
"For Paul, his No.1 priority in life has always been his daughters," said Bobby Kreusler, a representative from Blue Giraffe Sports, Goydos' management company. "Right now, I don't think he can speculate on a return. … There's a chance he might play the Buick [Invitational] because it's in San Diego and he wouldn't have to leave [his Long Beach, Calif.] home, but I wouldn't speculate just yet. I think it's something that will be very fluid."
As a journalist, you root for the story. Having a main character who can narrate that story with a unique brand of intelligence and humor only enhances the tale, which is one reason so many of us start licking our chops anytime it's announced that Goydos will be performing his sit-down comedy routine in the interview room at a certain tournament.
As if his personality weren't enough to attract fans, perhaps the reasoning behind his leave of absence will only make hearts grow fonder while he remains away from the Tour. How many single fathers would -- if it were fiscally feasible -- leave their job to care for their children? Well, most of 'em, I would think, and so it only goes to prove what we've known about Goydos for years: He's just a regular guy.
"I can't imagine a parent who's financially able to do it who wouldn't do it," Goydos told GolfWorld in a story that ran in December. "If they wouldn't, that says volumes about our society and where we need to go."
His void won't be as scrutinized as that of
Tiger Woods, nor will Goydos' return be as eagerly anticipated. For a guy with two career wins who has missed more cuts than he's made over the years, Goydos is hardly one of the more celebrated players on Tour, his eternal drollness notwithstanding.
He'll need that sense of humor to get through this latest personal issue.
Speaking of which, at the end of the statement released on Wendy Goydos' death Tuesday, it read, "In lieu of flowers or cards, Goydos and his family asked that donations be made to The National Headache Foundation in her name."
Turns out, she suffered from migraines for much of her adult life, but for a guy with Paul Goydos' wicked wit, you wouldn't have put it past him to recite a line relating an ex-wife and headaches.
Instead, those punch lines will have to take a back seat until the time he is ready to join the Tour once again. Let's hope that isn't too long.
Jason Sobel is a golf writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.
