LOS ANGELES — As Marcus Byrd makes a dream reality while playing in The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club, he will share the course with golf icons like Tiger Woods. While golfers like Woods will have large groups of fans keyed in on all of their swings, a collection of supporters will follow Byrd too.
His mother, grandmother, aunt, and sister will cheer him on as he makes his second PGA TOUR appearance today.
“[Having them here] makes me feel at ease, for sure,” Byrd said. “I know my mom, she’s not going to stop loving me no matter what I shoot out here this week, so that helps… Just having that comfort of being able to look over my shoulder and see the people who care about me the most.”
Despite their relieving presence, one member is missing from the Byrd supporters group. That person is his father, Larry, because he passed away in 2020. Larry introduced Byrd to golf when he was two years old, and they enjoyed the game together as Byrd tried to make it to the highest levels of golf.
Now that Byrd has reached such a stage, his mother, Karen Jefferson, knows she has to be there because his dad can not.
“I had to be here because his dad isn’t. And this was what they did together,” she said. “And for him not to have his dad here is a lot, but I know he is here… He deserves the support. We have always supported him. He was at a golf course every day. Whatever he needed, it was about golf.”
While propping up Bryd’s golf journey, Jefferson has stayed resilient through the highs and lows of her own life, including her husband’s passing. Even before, she stayed strong after being involved in a year after a three-car accident. She walked the golf course with Byrd every day to regain motion.
“So, I went from not being able to walk, and my practice every day was going with [Byrd] and walking a golf course,” she said. “So what they told me I couldn’t do, sometimes it is hard, but that is what I do.”
Jefferson defied the odds and her hardiness has inspired Byrd in his golf journey.
“Just for her to even be standing next to me and for her to be able to keep a smile on her face and still do the things that she does, it’s the most inspiring thing for me beyond anything I could describe,” Byrd said.
Having her around him will motivate him while he tries to sculpt his shots to shoot low scores on Riviera’s challenging course. The course is known for punishing golfers when they are off their game, and Byrd will be facing it in his second PGA TOUR appearance.
“[My family has] been pretty much my lifeline over these last few years,” Byrd said. “My mom is… the strongest person I know.”
Byrd was invited to play in The Genesis Invitational as the 2023 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipient, representing ‘the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.’ Before this week, he most recently competed in the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour, where he won the Farmers Insurance Invitational. Because of that victory, he will play in a PGA TOUR tournament again next week in the Honda Classic.
Byrd will remember his mother’s resilience while playing on one of golf’s most prominent stages.
