Military veteran turned pro golfer gives new meaning to being on tour

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Tiger Woods first made his move in the JBWere Australian Masters in the middle of the opening round, getting his name on the leaderboard next to a player named "Jordan" that even some of the local fans did not recognize.

Damien Jordan, the last player to get into the field, was worth getting to know.

The 29-year-old rookie fulfilled one part of his dream by making it through Q-School last year on the Australasian Tour, a goal that had been put on hold when he enlisted in the Army and served two tours in Iraq.

The first tour was for five months in 2002, and he returned in 2005 for a seven-month tour of more heavy combat. He left the Army a year later, and took two years to polish his game. If anything, it has given him a different perspective than most.

"Regardless of what happens, I know I'll go home at the end of the day and have a hot shower, have a good feed," he said. "Half the time you're over there, you're thinking, 'This could be the time when an IED goes off and I'm not going home."'

Jordan's parents introduced him to golf at a young age, and he was slowly developing into a decent golfer when he felt compelled to join the Army, serving in the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment.

"A lot of people before me have given their lives for the country, and I thought, 'Why should I be different and not put my end up?"' Jordan said. "That's what I did. I met a lot of good mates, a lot of friends for life, and it made me stronger out here."

Even now, he faces a struggle different from most.

He said his time in the Army cost him his marriage, which Jordan said was one of the untold statistics of Army life. He spends as much time as he can with his two daughters, ages 2 and 3.

Jordan said he will take medication the rest of his life to cope with the dreams, and he continues to see a psychiatrist twice a month.

"Even smells can bring it back," he said. "I walked into a fruit and vegetable shop, and there had been an Iraqi shop that had the same incense going," he said. "That made it tough. It was exactly the same. I'm trying to get away from stuff like that."

Jordan mostly played the pro-am circuit this year in Australia, in which amateurs put up the purse while playing with the pros. It would be comparable to a mini-tour in the United States, and Jordan won eight tournaments.

The Australian Masters was his first event that counted on the world ranking. He opened with a 69 before falling well back and finishing toward the bottom of the leaderboard.

Asked for his greatest moment in golf, he smiled.

"Playing here, mate," he said. "It's the biggest thing I've ever done in my golf career. To make the cut, and to be out here, is just brilliant. And I got to see Tiger. To play in the field with anyone of that stature is phenomenal."

Jordan was not sure if he would get into the Australian Open or the Australian PGA Championship next month. Asked for his ultimate goal, he did not mention winning or even playing a particular tournament.

"Just keep living the dream, doing what I'm doing," Jordan said. "Every day is a win for me."

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.