Dade City, Fla. – Maybe it’s the calming nature of golf that keeps the Howard brothers from a sibling rivalry.
Jared and Chad Howard are a junior and a freshman at the University of Cincinnati, respectively. The Columbus natives are teammates on the men’s golf team and have never let their family ties get in the way of the bigger team picture.
“There’s not a sibling rivalry because Jared’s at a different level than Chad is right now,” said coach Doug Martin. “I think it’s good for Chad to see Jared play the way he is because that’s the motivation for Chad to get better. They get along well.”
The Howard brothers, according to Martin, are very similar in that they are both very structured.
Unintentionally, both Jared and Chad have the number 13 in their Twitter handles. Also, when asked what their favourite sports memories are, both said it was Jack Nicklaus winning the 1986 Masters.
“That just might be another brother thing,” Jared said. “It happens and you don’t even realize it but it’s funny you should say that.”
Majoring in marketing, Jared knows the balance between school and sport is important. He hopes to pass on these lessons to his younger brother.
“I’ll tell him some things here and there but I think he just sees everything happen,” the elder Howard brother said. “Hopefully my actions, practice habits, study habits, work, whatever it is [can help him]. Growing up, he’s got to see how I’ve progressed and he can learn whether it worked or didn’t work. I think he’s kind of fed off that.”
Chad agrees, saying that being on the same team as his brother has been a great learning experience.
“We played on the same team for a couple years in high school, but this is completely different,” the 18-year-old said. “This year is more of me learning from how he has gotten better. His game has taken huge strides in the right direction and I’m trying to do the same thing.”
Being siblings, Chad knows that brotherhood can be a reason for competition. He’s quick to shoot down that notion, instead turning the Howards’ unique situation into something they use to motivate each other.
“We both want to see each other play well,” Chad said. “It’s been great seeing him play the way he has this year and it motivates me to get better because I want to be on the course with him. We push each other to get better, and if one of us is slacking off the other isn’t afraid to say something, which has made both of us better golfers.”
Jared currently sits tied for 78th after the second day of the University of South Florida Invitational. With a +3 outing on Monday, the 21-year-old’s tournament score sits at +7 while the University of Cincinnati sits in 12th. Chad is not competing in this competition. The final day of the Invitational takes place Tuesday.
-30-