Nationwide Insider: Jamie going the distance this year
By John Dell, Nationwide Tour Insider
It's hard to tell, but Jamie Lovemark might own the early lead among professional golfers for most air miles flown so far this season.
Lovemark, a 22-year-old rising star on the Nationwide Tour, started his odyssey in mid-January at the Bob Hope Classic in La Quinta, Calif. He played on a sponsor's exemption there and tied for 48th.
Then he started to log some serious travel time. He drove three hours to Los Angeles after the Bob Hope Classic concluded and took a 14-hour flight to New Zealand where he opened the season on the Nationwide Tour by finishing third.
"Luckily I slept about nine hours on the plane," said Lovemark, a former star at Southern Cal, who made it just in time to play in the pro-am before the Michael Hill New Zealand Classic in Queenstown.
After opening his Nationwide Tour season on a good note, Lovemark then made his way to Australia for the Moonah Classic. But he hit the wall there, thanks to a bout of food poisoning.
"I think about 12 of us had some bad pasta or something," he said by telephone before his first round where he sucked it up, despite feeling lousy, to shoot a 4-under 68.
Turns out, the traveling and food poisoning may have actually taken its toll during the second round. Lovemark wound up with an 81, his worst score as a pro, to miss the cut in the tournament that was eventually won by Jim Herman, who beat Chris Kirk in a playoff on Sunday.
Even so, Lovemark wasn't going to complain about his start to the season. Yes, there was a lot of traveling, but that's the way it has to be as he tries to chase down a PGA TOUR card for 2011.
And now he heads back to the PGA TOUR this week for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. With a 15-hour return flight on the itinerary, the missed cut in Australia may be a blessing in disguise.
Lovemark, who lives in San Diego, did have one regret, though. He forgot to bring his guitar with him on the overseas trip.
Early in his career at Southern Cal, where he built an impressive resume that included the NCAA championship as a freshman, he was introduced to the guitar by teammate Tom Glissmeyer. Lovemark was hooked.
"I like playing anything," he said. "I play country a little bit and while it's boring I like playing that type of music. I guess a little country hip-hop -- if there is such a thing -- is what I like to play."
Lovemark can also play some classic rock, but says he has no real style yet. "I keep playing the guitar hoping to get better, so it's fun," he said.
He also lists playing basketball and surfing as hobbies, but admits that playing the guitar is a lot less dangerous.
Lovemark says that music is something that relieves the stress that comes with trying to carve out a living playing pro golf. While he's only been a pro since last summer, he found out in a hurry there's a lot of down time at tournaments.
"A lot of guys like to go to the movies or whatever, but I like to play the guitar," Lovemark said. "It's a good release for me."
Last summer and fall, Lovemark tried to play his way onto the PGA TOUR, but he didn't win enough money to earn his card. He tied for second at the Frys.com Open, though, getting into a three-man playoff with Troy Matteson, the eventual winner, and Ricky Fowler.
He hopes that the experience he gained on the PGA TOUR can translate into a successful showing on the Nationwide Tour. But he realizes the competition is just as stiff.
"There's no doubt it's very challenging on this Tour and there are a lot of great players," said Lovemark, who ranks fourth on the Nationwide Tour money list. The Tour will take two weeks off before heading to the Panama Claro Championship on Feb. 25-28.
Lovemark says that staying consistent will be a big key during the long Nationwide Tour season.
"These guys out here have proven they can play and I'll be fighting for one of those top 25 places," Lovemark said, referring to "The 25" who get their PGA TOUR cards at the end of the year.
Back in 2007, when Lovemark had just completed his freshman season at Southern Cal, he played in two Nationwide Tour tournaments. He wound up losing in a playoff to Chris Riley at the Rochester Area Charities Showdown at Somerby.
It's early this season on the Nationwide Tour, but Lovemark has already made his mark.
"I just have to stay at it and keep working hard," he said.
He was talking about his golf game, not his guitar playing.
John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 15 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
Shop your favorite brand name golf equipment and accessories at SHOP.PGATOUR.COM
PGATOUR.com is part of Turner - SI Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network 