Tommy

Gainey

There was no reason cited for this WD but his 1-over 72 would have put him in a tie for 122nd place. Gainey traded just one birdie with two bogeys today. This will be his seventh career mid-tournament WD, in 221 PGA TOUR starts.

Both golfers got in on a sponsor’s invite this week and were pleasantly surprised to be paired together. “He told me I was playing with Tommy, and I was so happy because I know this dude can get on a roll. I can hit it any spot on the golf course because I’m used to getting it out of the bushes.” That is exactly what happened today as Gainey poured home six birdies and Garrigus circled birdies on the two holes where Gainey struggled. Garrigus arrived with a 4-for-4 record this season with a T16 at Pebble Beach being the highlight. Gainey popped with a T3 at the Puerto Rico Open in March but missed the cut in his other four starts this season. Next up, they’ll switch to the alternate-shot format ahead of Friday’s second round.

Playing as a Past Champion (2012 McGladrey Classic) and Beyond 150 category, starts are tough to come by for Gainey. He took full advantage this week in Puerto Rico. The 46-year-old picked off 17 birdies and an eagle while dropping just six shots along the way. He ended the week ranked T17 in Fairways Hit and T39 in GIR Percentage. Gainey did win on the Korn Ferry circuit last season but hadn’t found a top 25 on the PGA TOUR since the 2018 Corales (T22). This will be the eighth podium finish of his PGA TOUR career and first since winning the 2012 McGladrey Classic.

Gainey roared out of the gate with birdies on four of his first seven holes today. He slowed his pace after the turn, trading one birdie with a pair of bogeys on his homeward nine. Steady iron play has been crucial for Gainey this week as he currently ranks T15 in GIR Percentage (74%). The 46-year-old has finished 67th or worse in each of his last 10 PGA TOUR events played in, so gamers may not have seen this performance coming. This will be the eighth time in his PGA TOUR career that he’s entered the final round sitting inside of the top 5. He’ll start the finale four shots off the lead set by Ryan Brehm.

The 46-year-old is playing with full Korn Ferry Status this season due to his win at the 2020 Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. He added one more top 10, in 37 total events played, but that wasn’t enough to play his way into The 25. The result will be limited opportunities on the PGA TOUR but that’s nothing new for Two Gloves who has found his way into just 46 total PGA TOUR events since 2014 when he lost his card. He will now turn his attention to Pebble Beach Golf Links. He boasts plenty of experience at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am (7 starts) but his lone payday at the event was a T39 back in 2011.

The 45-year-old is looking to take advantage of a relatively rare start on the PGA TOUR. He spends most of his time on the Korn Ferry circuit now, collecting a win and three other top 25s in 17 appearances this season. Gainey hasn’t posted a top 25 on the PGA TOUR since a T22 at the 2018 Corales. He’s looking to change that, though, this week at the Grand Reserve Country Club. Today he had a few blemishes, including a three-jack from 12 feet, but easily erased them with nine birdies. “I have been hitting good for a while. And today I just made more putts than I’ve made in a while. And, let’s be honest, I mean, when you get your putter rolling out here, you can take it deep.” This will be Gainey’s fourth career first-round lead or co-lead on the PGA TOUR and first since the 2013 Greenbrier.

The 44-year-old told GolfChannel.com that he’d have a statement on his arrest soon but that’s yet to be released. This was not a small-time sting as it led to more than 120 people getting drug or prostitution charges. Gainey was booked on December 8th and released after posting bail. He has since commented on Twitter (on Dec 9th and Dec 10th) when fans wished him luck at Korn Ferry Tour Q School Final Stage which kicks off on Thursday. Gainey is scheduled to tee off Thursday at 10:21 am and based on his social media activity, he is still scheduled to peg it.

We last saw him at the Honda two weeks ago before he withdrew prior to his second round with a wrist injury. Gainey hit only five (of 13) fairways and 10 greens today. He limited the damage rather well until incurring a triple bogey-7 at the 10th hole. His only two birdies occurred at the 13th and 14th holes, the first of which a conversion from five yards just off the green. He closed his round with a par save of 13'8" at the the 18th hole.

Gainey has only cashed two times in nine tries, with his best finish being a tie for 52nd at the Northern Trust. His struggles have been across the board, as he ranks 177th in all-around ranking, 146th in ball-striking, 161st in scrambling and 113th in total putting.

This is the first time in 10 starts this year that Gainey has posted consecutive sub-70 scores; he has just five in 23 rounds. Prior to arriving in Houston, he was 2-for-9 with no top 40s. He opened this week with a 20-foot birdie conversion on Thursday; it was the first of five birdies in the round. In his second round, he circled six more, four of which measuring over 13 feet, including rolls of 21'4", 22'6" and 21'5" at the 11th, third and fourth holes, respectively. Overall, he’s hit 29 greens and taken just 54 putts.