While Paul Goydos wore down Waialae Country Club and the rest of the field to win last year's Sony Open in Hawai'i, what distinguished him most was his "least-likely" persona.

Goydos had gone 246 tournaments and 11 years without winning. "I set some goals and one was to win every decade," he said with a wink and a grin then. "So far I've accomplished that."

He was charmingly humble, more than living up to his cynical "Sunshine" nickname.

"Why haven't I won before this," he mused once. "You mean beyond talent?"

But in truth, his win out of nowhere still does not distinguish the guy whose most distinguishable golf trait is that he has always been good enough to be among the best players in the world, but has never been close to being one of the best.

What distinguishes Goydos can be defined in two words: "Chelsea" and "Courtney."

Goydos is a single father who has had custody of his daughters for more than four years. It is an uncommon role made even more unorthodox and daunting by the demands of a job that keeps him away from home about half the year.

The cold hard facts of life on the PGA Tour are that, for all the financial rewards, most pros share precious little precious time with their families. Those that are single can be single-minded for as long as it lasts. The majority have wives and children and sacrifices are abundant to keep some semblance of family life.

But a single father who is a PGA Tour pro is hard to fathom. Goydos considers himself blessed. He gets by with lots of help and some simple rules.

He took 2004 off to get adjusted to his single-father status and "make sure the kids had a stable environment ... priority No. 1 is that the kids are where they need to be. If I can't do that then I need to be there for them."

He limited himself to 15 events the following year, leaving his daughters with their aunt and uncle while he worked.

He tried 20 events in 2006 and was in danger of losing his playing privileges until a runnerup finish the final week of the year kicked him from 160th on the money list to 97th. Then came Sony and the win that still had Goydos stunned 20 minutes after it was over.

His second win in 379 starts came after a second-round 63 shot him into a share of first with Luke Donald, and birdies on three of the last four holes Sunday were too good for young guns Donald and Charles Howell III.

A 43-year-old guy who got his only Nationwide victory while he was still substitute teaching in Southern California won the first full-field event of the year. Meanwhile, the large, inspired Hawai'i crowds were chasing after Tadd Fujikawa, who, then 16, is a year younger than Chelsea and a year older than Courtney.

"They were watching the telecast with my mother," Goydos recalled. "They didn't really say much. They were just shocked that a kid their age — Michelle (Wie) first and then Tadd — was doing what I was doing."

Chelsea and Courtney are also old enough to understand why their father has to be away so much, the financial rewards of playing on tour and the sacrifices so many are making — including themselves — so this rare situation can succeed. They have spent lots of time with their aunt and uncle the last few years. They will spend more with their mother, recovering from health problems, this year.

If they were not mature enough to "get it," Goydos would not be defending any championship this week at Waialae.

"If my kids were 3 and 5 we would not be having this conversation," Goydos said. "I would not have played Sony. I would not have won. There have been sacrifices made by everybody — the kids, their aunt and uncle, my mom, my ex-wife's mom, my ex-wife ... they have all sacrificed to make things better. Everybody chips in. It may seem like I'm doing it alone. In reality, I'm not. A lot of people have helped out."

In the midst of all this, Goydos had the first $1 million season in his 15-year career. The $936,000 Sony first prize was more than he had won in any of his first 14 years. He has gone to three qualifying schools and endured hip, hand and sinus problems. Even with the win, he finished the year 101st in the World Golf Ranking, 192nd in driving (but 29th in driving accuracy) and 155th in the "all-around" statistic. But he's got a two-year exemption.

This is a guy who has been under the golf radar all his professional life, "not out of choice, but as a function of the way I've played." Now he is spending two weeks in Hawai'i without his kids, who had to go back to school instead of hanging out at the pool with Tom Lehman's kids — their activity of choice when traveling with their dad.

Last week's Mercedes-Benz Championship was his first appearance at Kapalua since he tied for eighth at the 1997 Lincoln-Mercury Kapalua International, and a family vacation a few years ago. Before Mercedes, he hadn't seriously practiced since September.

His girls don't play the game — "No, they're smarter than that" — and pretty much consider walking the mall their workout of choice. Dad, on the other hand, "is at an age where I can't turn back ... it's what I do for a living. I try to do the best I can each week and year and see what happens."

A year ago at Sony, something spectacular happened. And then Goydos returned to his real life as Chelsea and Courtney's dad, which he will do again this year.

"Tiger must get bored with winning," Goydos said. "With me, it was a culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of things happening and dealing with ups and downs. Having a peak makes all the hard work and down years worth it in a sense."

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.