By this point last spring in the PGA Tour season, Luke List had a runner-up finish at the Honda Classic and a tie for third at the RBC Heritage, and he had climbed to 11th in the FedEx Cup standings.
The former Baylor School and Vanderbilt University golfer is having even more fun this season, because he has doubled his traveling support. The 34-year-old former Ringgold resident not only has wife Chloe for companionship but 7-month-old daughter Ryann as well.
"This stage is so much fun," List said Tuesday afternoon. "It's been the coolest thing I've ever done. Hopefully I can win a trophy some day, and they can run out and give me a hug."
List also has reason for excitement after finishing sixth at last weekend's PGA Championship in Farmingdale, New York, which was easily his best showing in a major tournament. He tied for 33rd in the 2005 Masters, when he was a student-athlete at Vanderbilt, and tied for 39th in last summer's British Open.
Three straight birdies on the back nine in Saturday's third round put List in sole possession of second place behind eventual winner Brooks Koekpa, but his first three rounds of 68, 68 and 69 were followed by a 4-over-par 74 Sunday.
"It was a fun week," said List, who now lives in Augusta, Georgia. "It was a battle, and I didn't have my 'A' game with my golf swing, but I put together some good scores with some good putting and a good short game. From the beginning of the week when I got there, I just loved the golf course and knew I was going to have a good week. I didn't put too much pressure on certain shots and kind of just expected to be there.
"I haven't played a full schedule this year due to some nagging injuries, so I haven't had the same rhythm I had last year, but I'm happy about the way I fought this past week for sure."
List also won't forget the Bethpage Black crowd any time soon.
"Walking from 17 to 18 literally smelled like a bar," List said, beginning to laugh. "Those guys around there were pretty overserved. There were some pretty funny lines I heard over the week, and they are definitely a creative bunch."
The sixth-place finish earned List $380,000 and 110 FedEx Cup points, which enabled him to jump from 72nd to 59th in the standings. By owning a World Golf Ranking of 58th, List has qualified for next month's U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, California.
List has played four previous U.S. Opens but never has made the cut.
The consecutive 68s last Thursday and Friday followed by Saturday's birdie charge gave List plenty of television time. In fact, it was the most attention he had received since losing last year's Honda Classic to Justin Thomas in a playoff.
"They were a little different situations, but I think part of my success this past weekend was trying to treat it just like another tournament," List said. "It was a major, and the crowds were outrageous out there. It was a lot of fun, but it was more about beating the golf course than anything.
"I got off to a rough start Sunday, which was tough to battle back from, but I hung in there."
List will play next week's Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, before heading out to California with wife and daughter in tow. Ryann's first tournament was the QBE Shootout last December in Naples, Florida, and she's conquering her needed sleep despite the continual changes in weekend locales.
"She's been sleeping great," he said. "The Tour has a nice day care to give mommy a break and allow her to watch a little golf, too. It's all pretty entertaining."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.