Rabalais: Toms at crossroad of career

• By SCOTT RABALAIS
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Jul 17, 2008 - Page: 1C - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Most of the golfing world is in England this week focused on the British Open. Notable exceptions, of course.

Tiger Woods is back home in Orlando, rehabbing his left knee in hopes of returning to the PGA Tour not even he knows when. Kenny Perry, currently the planet’s best golfer not on crutches, is in Milwaukee, explaining why he isn’t at Royal Birkdale.

Then there is the former LSU Tiger, David Toms, back home in Shreveport, standing at the crossroads of a career. Wondering where it will take him next.

Toms played nine of 11 weeks from The Masters in mid April through the Travelers Championship in late June. Some of his golf was good, some indifferent. His play and his physical state, which now includes a back that requires round-the-clock supervision, persuaded Toms to sit this major out.

“I feel like I’m 41 years old,” said Toms, who is that old. “I was exhausted and wanted to take some time off. I figured if I did that I wouldn’t be prepared for the British Open, and I didn’t want to go there if I wasn’t prepared to play my best.”

Not surprisingly, for a man of his age and accomplishments, Toms found plenty to occupy his time during what he describes on his Web site as his “summer vacation.”

He’s preparing to open a Shreveport branch of a Baton Rouge restaurant, Bistro Byronz, next week. His latest course design, The Club at LaTour in Mathews, debuts in September. Through his David Toms Foundation, the former LSU All-American is trying to bring together funding to build a multi-sports facility in Shreveport.

Then there’s his family, now able to travel with Toms less often because son Carter is in grade school. Instead of beating balls into an Irish Sea gale, Team Toms was flying a purple and gold LSU flag off the dock of the family’s lake house in Arkansas.

As much as Toms has enjoyed his time away from the Tour grind, he still yearns to play — well. He plans to put together another long stretch starting with the Bridgestone Invitational in August, a prelude to the PGA Championship he won in 2001.

Then there’s the Ryder Cup. At 122nd on the FedEx Cup points list and 45th in the Ryder Cup standings, Toms is by any measure a long shot to be on the U.S. team.

But with four selections to make, U.S. captain Paul Azinger may crave Toms’ experience. He’s played on each of the last three Ryder and Presidents cup teams, and was a brilliant 4-0-1 in the 2007 Presidents Cup.

“I think if I play well, contend a couple of times — especially at the PGA, I will be considered,” Toms said. “If you step up and win a tournament, you’re on the team.”

Toms still burns to win — the last of his 12 career PGA Tour wins came in January 2006 in Hawaii. But does he still have the drive to press through the physical and mental demands to win deep into his 40s like Perry or Vijay Singh?