A brotherly bond

Bryce Alderton

From the time brothers Ryan and Jacob Knapp took their first steps as

toddlers, a golf club was never too far from their reach.

Together, they tagged along with their father, Bob, to Costa Mesa

Golf & Country Club for 6:30 tee times on Saturday mornings.

Together, they pounded balls on the driving range after school,

partaking in the occasional putting contest, steadily developing an

affinity for a game they could play, together.

Three years separates the close-knit Costa Mesa brothers -- Ryan

is 13 while Jacob is 10 -- but the numerical gap merely means they

must enter different age brackets for tournaments. Ryan, who will

enter eighth grade at TeWinkle School this fall, usually plays in the

boys 12-13 grouping while Jacob, soon-to-be in the fifth grade at

Adams Elementary, takes charge in boys under-11 divisions.

Ryan started playing when he was 3, while Jacob strolled alongside

his father and older brother as early as age 5.

Pretty soon, the brothers were entering Southern California PGA

junior tournaments, and tallying successful results.

Ryan has won four tournaments this summer, including two in

back-to-back days in late July. He won his age bracket when Newport

Beach Golf Course hosted an SCPGA junior event. Jacob has several

top-five and top-10 finishes this season.

In the summer, the brothers play an average of two tournaments a

week in addition to practicing at least twice every seven days.

“I have always loved playing,” said Ryan, who finished 34th in the

Callaway Junior World Championships, a prestigious event that

attracts golfers from around the world, when he was 10.

Jacob played in the event when he was 7 and 8.

Ryan savors the sibling bonding time on the course.

“[Jacob] is good so we play matches against each other,” Ryan

said.

When asked who wins most of the time, Ryan said, “Me.”

By winning at least one SCPGA junior tournament this year, Ryan

qualified for the Tournament of Champions at the PGA of Southern

California Golf Club in Beaumont on Thursday.

“They have always enjoyed the game playing together,” said Bob,

who needed to improvise when it came to securing clubs for Jacob, a

left-hander. “When Jacob was old enough to walk, we cut down clubs,

like a 5-wood and a putter, to try out. It was tough to get

left-handed clubs.”

With a full set of clubs, Jacob has begun to show what he can do

with a swing mother Jennifer saw beaming with promise at an early

age.

“They showed talent at a young age,” Jennifer said. “They had

natural swings.”

Ryan and Jacob each play multiple sports, including baseball,

soccer and basketball.

Ryan, who will begin at Estancia High in the fall of 2005, said

golf is his favorite, though. He plans to play basketball in the

winter and golf in the spring, when the latter season also features

baseball and volleyball.

“You don’t have anyone else to rely on,” Ryan said. “Focus is the

biggest thing.”

Both Ryan and Jacob have honed their swings after lessons with

Costa Mesa teaching pro Doug Booth while Ryan has also worked with

Mesa Verde Country Club head professional Tom Sargent.

Competing regularly in tournament, combined with the lessons, has

seemed to season both Jacob and Ryan to better handle nerves.

“They both seem to enjoy competing,” Jennifer said. “They have no

problem standing on the tee box with 40 people watching them.”

Even when things don’t go according to plan, Bob is glad they both

took up a game that teaches in itself.

“There are a ton of great lessons you learn about yourself,” Bob

said. “When you’re playing bad, you have to keep focused and battle

back.”

Bob said Ryan beats him nine of 10 times and added, “it gets old.”

Ryan said his goal is to play on the PGA Tour.

He admires Masters champion Phil Mickelson.

“[Mickelson] enjoys the game, unlike some of the other guys with a

straight face,” Ryan said. “He always has a smile, no matter how he

is playing.”

Two Costa Mesa brothers revere the game as well, together.