There was a moment—just after Tommy Gainey’s missed birdie putt on the final hole of the 2011 Heritage, a 13-footer that could have earned him a playoff spot with Luke Donald and eventual winner Brandt Snedeker—when the Bishopville native nearly flung his cap to the ground in disgust.
But it was only a moment.
Then, in a gesture that earned him a standing ovation from the Easter weekend crowd at Hilton Head Island’s Harbour Town Golf Links, the Bishopville native instead swept his cap into a deep bow to the gallery.
“Yeah, I was mad because I had a chance to win, and when you get in that position, you’ve got to take advantage,” he said months later, reflecting on his third-place finish worth $387,600—his biggest regular-season paycheck.
To even play in the Heritage was, in many ways, a dream come true for the former A.O. Smith factory worker now on his second PGA Tour run. But make no mistake: Despite his unorthodox path to professional golf’s top level, the 36-year-old Gainey believes he belongs, and he’s working hard to prove it.
“I think people understand I’m a player, someone they see being out here a long time,” he says. “I see myself the same way.”
Confidence has never been an issue for the player known as “Tommy Two Gloves” (he wears golf gloves on both hands). Even when he was hustling buddies for pocket money at courses around South Carolina, and playing on mini-tours for small purses, Gainey always believed he could compete at the highest level. He got his shot when agent Paul Graham landed him a spot on the Golf Channel’s reality show Big Break. Gainey was such a hit that the show invited him back. The second time, he won, and soon was playing on the developmental Nationwide Tour.
In 2008–09, Gainey qualified for the PGA Tour, but failed to earn enough money to stick. Undeterred, he won two Nationwide Tour events in 2010 to secure his return, and this time, he intends to stay.
Heading into the 2011 FedEx Cup playoffs, Gainey’s six top-10 finishes (including a third-place showing at the Wyndham Championship after leading for 36 holes) and $1.9 million in earnings have already guaranteed his membership on next year’s PGA Tour. His next goal is to finish the postseason in the top 30 and thus earn a spot in the only tournament he ranks ahead of the Heritage: The Masters.
“I’m trying to get in that top 30,” Gainey says, “and the only way is to win.”
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