IT’S WEDNESDAY BEFORE the 2016 Web.com Tour Championship. I’m sharing a house in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., with my wife, Crys, and Zack Sucher and his wife. We’re hanging on the beach in 40-mile-per-hour winds as Hurricane Matthew approaches. I’m 27th in the standings, needing to move into the top 25 to earn my PGA Tour card for 2016-’17. And I had just missed the cut by one shot in the third event of the Web.com Tour Finals. We’re hitting balls on the sand, trying to have fun. Then my caddie calls: “The tournament’s cancelled.” My season is suddenly over, my PGA Tour card ripped from me.
IT TOOK A LOT NOT TO CHUCK THE WEDGE I WAS HOLDING OUT INTO THE OCEAN. Zack and my wife just let me have a moment to myself. We had to evacuate the area, and so we drove from Jacksonville to Birmingham, where we’d stay for a night with the Suchers before driving home to northeast Arkansas. I wouldn’t calm down for a few days, but my wife’s advice sticks in my head: She said, “I know this is heartbreaking right now, but it’s gonna happen for you.” She was right. When you’ve worked hard for a lifetime for a goal, you’ve got to remember the bigger picture.I’VE ALWAYS HAD TWO DREAMS—TO BECOME A PRO GOLFER OR A DOCTOR. My father and uncle are doctors, and my grandfather, who was a club pro in Minneapolis, played in 60 or so PGA Tour events. His career highlight was playing in the final pairing with Jack Nicklaus in the 1965 Memphis Open. My dad often told the story of being in the gallery, scrambling for a look of his father walking side by side with Nicklaus at his peak. Though Granddad didn’t play well that day, that planted the seed that maybe I could succeed at golf, too.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2018-Ausgabe von Golf Digest Middle East.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2018-Ausgabe von Golf Digest Middle East.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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Tempting Entrée
INDUSTRY IDENTITIES AND A FORMER SIX NATIONS STAR AMONG THE BIG NAMES ROLLED OUT FOR THE EAGL’S SUMMER DRESS-REHEARSAL
Year of the Comeback
Tour pros of all ages are rediscovering their mojo
THE GOLF STAYCATION PERFECTED
Golf Digest Middle East’s inaugural Play & Stay is coming to Radisson Dubai DAMAC Hills and Trump Dubai
THE GENIUS OF JORDAN
HE WANTED A CONFIDENT, RELIABLE SWING. HE FOUND IT IN A CLEVER WAY
The Starter
The Nairn Golf Club
Undercover Caddie
Think you could carry a 40-pound bag for a living?
DRIVE BLAST PUTT
THREE WAYS TO RAISE YOUR GAME
Get Set - Ball-striking success starts at address
AMATEURS OFTEN STAND OVER THE BALL with their feet too wide apart. I understand the appeal—they want to feel more stable throughout the swing, and a wider stance seems a logical way to achieve that.
Take 5
It’s hot but that’s no excuse not to warm-up before every round and range session
Classic Closer
Our monthly guide to taming the region’s stroke index 1 holes has gone off-piste. Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club professional Matthew Brookes heads to arguably the toughest finishing hole in Middle East golf