This is a relatively new experience for the Putnams, at least on this grand stage. Growing up, they rarely played competitively against each other. Michael is five-and-a-half years older than Andrew. His playing buddy was (and still is) Andres Gonzales, an Olympia native and Lakewood resident who will also be joining the brothers on the PGA TOUR this year. His rival was Puyallup’s Ryan Moore, a year older.
Andrew trailed well behind, following nearly six years behind his brother at Tacoma’s Life Christian Academy, and then again at Pepperdine University. It wasn’t until two years ago on the Web.com Tour that the brothers finally were on the same competitive level.
“And he kicked my butt,” Andrew says.
Michael finished first on the Web.com Tour in 2013 and was named Player of the Year. He hasn’t been back to the “junior” circuit since.
“I’m almost six years older but now we’re playing professional golf and seeing each other on a daily basis,” Michael explains. “We’re working for the same goal. It’s more of a peer-to-peer or friend-to-friend relationship, not the older brother. It’s been great hanging out and a pretty cool story.”
Andrew, who finished eighth in the 2014 Web.com Tour to earn his PGA card, essentially had a path to the Tour paved by Michael. Their parents, Daniel and Karin Putnam, were members at Fircrest Golf Club and introduced the game to Michael at age 7. He took to the sport well.
Michael developed into a boomer off the tee, turning heads by pounding the ball 300 yards at a young age. But he played mostly regional tournaments and his name was not on college coaches’ lists until late in his prep career.
“The first time I saw him was on the 14th hole at Torrey Pines South (in the Junior World Championship),” says John Geiberger, the brothers’ coach at Pepperdine, now a consultant for a golf-ball manufacturer. “That was his first tournament out of the Northwest. I thought, ‘There’s a lot of good things to work with here.’ He definitely stood out. It was almost like he was getting started. To me, the upside was there. The game looked easy to him. He was effortless hitting the ball. I thought the sky was the limit.”
With that exposure, Geiberger suddenly found himself fighting off scholarship offers from Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU, USC and the Northwest schools, before successfully enticing Michael to Pepperdine.
Michael improved every season with the Waves. He earned All-America honorable mention honors as a sophomore, then third team, followed by first-team All-America his senior year. He also won the Byron Nelson Award as a senior, an honor that involves not just athletic excellence but scholarship and community service.
In 2005, he advanced to the NCAA finals against Washington’s James Lepp, who shot the course record on the final day at Caves Valley in Baltimore to force a playoff. Lepp won the title on the fourth extra hole. But rather than turn pro, Lepp put his efforts into building Kikkor Golf, a golf shoe company.
“I think about it all the time,” Michael says. “I’ve seen him since and he said if he knew he didn’t want to play professionally then, he would have wanted me to win.”
So much for that.
But Michael did win – three times, in fact, all on the Web.com Tour — which shaped his professional journey. Two years ago, he dominated, winning $515,184, third-best ever on the Web.com Tour, with nine top-10s. This past season on the PGA TOUR, he took home $818,799, making 23 of 30 cuts and qualifying for the FedEx Cup. Entering this wrap-around 2015 season, his career earnings already were $1,883,141.
“He’s in a good place,” Geiberger says. “At 31, he’s in his prime and could play for another 15 years.”
Andrew watched his older sibling’s career develop. More importantly, so did his parents. They understood that Andrew needed to play more out-of-state tournaments for better name recognition and scholarship possibilities.
“My parents figured things out once he went through it,” Andrew says. “We traveled quite a bit.”
One of his highlights was reaching the semifinals of the USGA Junior Amateur in San Diego, beating Rickie Fowler along the way.
“[Andrew] took a different path than Michael. He played more tournaments and was more polished earlier,” says Geiberger, the son of longtime PGA star Al Geiberger. “I remember Michael telling me, ‘My brother is getting pretty good. I played him this winter and he beat me.’ That was the first real piece of knowledge that hit me.”
Andrew signed with Pepperdine, following his brother. Geiberger said Andrew was not influenced by the fact that his brother played at Pepperdine, nor was he deterred by his brother’s lofty legacy there.
“I asked him whether what his brother did would hinder him and he said, ‘No, that just motivates me to be better,”’ Geiberger says. “I still remember that answer.”
Andrew was a three-time honorable mention All-American at Pepperdine and two-time academic All-American. When it came time to leave the college ranks in 2011, Andrew sought what Michael wanted, only faster.
“Andrew told me he did not want to play the mini tours,” Geiberger says. “‘I want to be good quick, coach. I’ll show you.’ He took that approach.”
He spent two full seasons on the Web.com Tour, with one win, one second and seven top-10s, finishing with $320,438 in 2014 to earn his card. Now, in 2015, both brothers are living the big time.
“It is a little weird. It’s a different feeling going into tournaments together,” Andrew says. “(But) it’s much better than the Web.com. Everything is upgraded. It’s pretty cool. Everything’s bigger. Lots of craziness going on. You walk out on the range and see all the players you’ve watched on TV.”
Geiberger, having coached both players, has perhaps the best perspective on the Putnams’ potential. He said being together “will raise the level of both of their games. They are competitive with each other. Andrew has someone out there to help him with the ropes and Michael will not let Andrew beat him.”