A funny thing happened at the 2012 McGladrey Classic a few weeks ago. Tommy Gainey, the PGA Tour veteran with the OMG AWFUL swing, won a PGA Tour event for the first time.
Tommy Gainey has his groove back
With his first career victory at the 2012 McGladrey Classic, Tommy Gainey found a new outlook on his career and his life. What will a second victory mean to the tour veteran at the Children’s Miracle Network?
Michael Cohen
As this week’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic marks the end of the 2012 season, it also marks the beginning of the next stage in Gainey’s career, and his life. Now he’s more than just a funky golf swing trying to make it on tour, and his peers are beginning to take notice.
While sitting with reporters prior to this week’s event in Orlando, Gainey touched on how his life changed after capturing his first victory.
”You know, it’s good. Life is good. I’m very lucky and very fortunate to have won, and now it’s starting to set in a little bit with everyone congratulating me on a great week. Winning the tournament and especially hitting 60 the last day. I’m pretty psyched about that.
[Winning the McGladrey Classic was] the best thing that’s happened to me. Well, let’s just say a lot of players coming up and saying great playing and congratulations. They know how hard it is to win out here and now I finally won. I know how hard it is to win out here and it was a long time coming because I think I played like 150 to finally get one win. So it’s hard. And them saying well done, that means a lot.”
Gainey was also asked about his thoughts on Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old youngster who earned a spot in the 2013 Masters after winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur earlier in the month. In doing so, Gainey very well missed his chance at a special invitation to Augusta.
”Well, I mean you have to congratulate [Guan] because he beat a lot of great players, and he deserves the opportunity. But I feel like I deserve the opportunity as well. And him being 14 he’s young enough, he’s got plenty of time. But I’m 37. So there’s a lot of difference in age there and opportunity as well.
But it’s okay. I never complain about a win. Never complain about a win. So it’s hard for me to say, although I’m disappointed that I didn’t get in Augusta, which I am, but I’ll just have to win another tournament and get in that way.”
Gainey will certainly have ample opportunity to do that, beginning with this week’s Disney-sponsored event and four months prior to next season’s first major in April.
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