Insider: Gardiner finding life OK after the bubble

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Aussie Scott Gardiner is off to a slow start in 2011 -- but he typically heats up in the summer stretch.

Australian Scott Gardiner has seen plenty of his friends reach the PGA TOUR.

"Guys like Adam Scott, Aaron (Baddeley) and Jason Day are all out there, and I'd like to get out there and see them again," said Gardiner, 35, who is a Nationwide Tour veteran who hopes to one day join some of his fellow Aussies.

It hasn't been for a lack of trying.

He was the tough-luck story in 2010 when he just missed getting his PGA TOUR card by finishing 26th on the Nationwide Tour money list. (The top 25 all received PGA TOUR cards for this season.)

Despite winning last year's Chattanooga Classic he came to the Nationwide Tour Championship at Daniel Island at No. 22 on the money list. A costly triple bogey on the 12th hole hurt his chances as he fell to No. 26 on the money list, just $2,010 behind Justin Hicks.

It was tough way to end the season, but Gardiner has bounced back and it's partly due to his wisdom he's gained from all the years on the Nationwide Tour.

"I didn't affect me that much because I've never been there," Gardiner said about missing out on the PGA TOUR. "I didn't really know what I would be missing. I felt like I played very well last year but just had that bad hole and fell short."

Gardiner has never played in a tournament on the PGA TOUR. He's tried to Monday-qualify a handful of times but has elected to focus on his seasons on the Nationwide Tour.

This is his seventh full season, and he's played in 157 tournaments and has made 95 cuts.

Maybe the fact that he's come close to earning that valuable PGA TOUR card allowed him to not beat himself up last fall. In 2007 and 2009 he had near identical seasons, and was 30th on the money list each year.

"You really can't get down on yourself too much in this game," said Gardiner, who has made four of seven cuts this season. "That's the thing I think you learn the most through all of the time I've played out here. The reality of last year is I was in position but I didn't get it done and Justin over took me that last day so he earned it by doing what he had to do."

If there's one thing Gardiner has seen first hand throughout his seven-year run on the Nationwide Tour is how much better the players are becoming. He admits he doesn't have to change a lot to his approach or his swing. It's just a matter of getting a little more consistent, especially now that the Nationwide Tour schedule will be picking up.

The Nationwide Tour has this week off, but then will play a stretch of four straight weeks starting with the Melwood Prince George's County Open at the University of Maryland Golf Course in College Park, Md. next week.

"You just have to do your best and play your game and let the results come," Gardiner said. "There are so many good players out there and you can't get caught up in that. It's a case where you almost have to have blinders on."

Despite his runs to get into the top 25 on the money list by the end of the season Gardiner has traditionally been a slow starter. He says that allergies are tough during April and May, but once the summer gets going he usually is more consistent.

"I think I've made four cuts already and for me that's a great start," Gardiner said.

Gardiner is 75th on the money list after missing last week's cut at the BMW Charity Pro-Am.

Early in the season he tied for 18th at the Panama CLARO and a little later tied for 20th at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open.

"I'm really looking forward to this next stretch of tournaments," Gardiner said. "We get a chance to play four in a row and I think that's going to be beneficial to me."

With plenty of down time at home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Gardiner has had more time to spend with is wife, their 3-year-old son and a stepdaughter, who is 10. The time at home has been nice, but he's also put in plenty of practice time.

Another benefit when the summer hits is the entire family will travel to tournaments, and that has Gardiner excited as well.

"Our 3-year-old has got some personality," Gardiner said. "He sings all the time in the car along with the radio. So we're having a lot of fun."

What would make it more fun for the Gardiner family is another run at the top 25 on the money list.

"It's time to get my butt in gear and play some better golf," Gardiner said. "I'm not about to change anything drastically -- it's just about playing better."

John Dell has covered golf for the Winston-Salem Journal in North Carolina for the last 17 years. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR. You can reach him at johndell@triad.rr.com.