Gainey close again, showing he belongs on TOUR

text size

Lecka/Getty Images

Tommy Gainey notched his third top-10 finish of the season this week at The Heritage.

For too long, he has been known as the guy who wears two gloves and has the same, unique nickname.

Or the guy who played on The Big Break.

The Heritage

Snedeker bests Donald
Results, FedExCup points
Final Leaderboard
FedExCup standings

Tommy Gainey needs no more sobriquets these days. He's just a professional golfer who is getting better with every start. His third-place finish Sunday at The Heritage marked his third top-10 showing in his last 10 tournaments.

That's a nice year for most guys.

Sure, Gainey is a unique individual. Not many pros hit their thigh in disgust the way he did when he missed a birdie try at the 72nd hole that would have moved him into a share of the lead. He ripped his hat off and was about to throw it to the ground before he stopped. That's how badly Gainey wanted to win the tournament, to become the first South Carolina native to win at Hilton Head.

"I think this golf tournament is unbelievable," Gainey said. "I think it's the second best tournament on the TOUR."

Then, less than two minutes after that outburst, Gainey was taking off his hat, applauding the fans for their support. He had done the same gesture as he walked up the 18th fairway. It was a Too Cool moment.

"The fans have been unreal, unbelievable," Gainey said. "I can say all the big words you want to hear, but it's been awesome to be here this week. And it's been even better to play well in front of them, in front of the home folks for me. And I just want to tip my cap to them for keeping me in it and keeping me positive."

Gainey's start Sunday mirrored his season -- and his career. Gainey bogeyed two of the first three holes to fall out of contention before playing the final 15 holes in five-under to finish just one shot out of the playoff won by Brandt Snedeker.

Gainey's season also got off to a rocky start when he missed his first three cuts. Then came an eighth-place finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, where he had a chance to win until a late-round blowup, and a fifth at the Honda Classic. Thanks to yet another top-10, Gainey now resides in 30th place in theFedExCup standings with earnings of almost $1 million and he won't have any more q-schools to fight through in his near future.

"I know I'm getting closer to winning out here," he said.

Gainey played baseball in high school, then worked on an assembly line in South Carolina wrapping insulation around water heaters before giving professional golf a try. He has a homemade swing that is holding together more often.

"This guy knows how to play golf," CBS announcer Peter Kostis said Sunday. "He has a baseball swing that he has incorporated into a golf swing. He's a very good 'feel' player."

Gainey, 35, made it through all three stages of q-school in 2007, but was over-matched as a rookie for most of 2008. He didn't have a top-25 finish until he was runner-up at Disney World to give him non-exempt status for 2009.

He returned to the Nationwide Tour last year and earned another shot at the PGA TOUR with two wins and a fourth-place ranking on the money list. Gainey said he returned a different player.

"Since I won those two Nationwide tournaments last year, I feel like I can compete because the Nationwide Tour is so deep with ex-PGA TOUR players from the field," he said. "So if you can beat them, you know you can compete out here and win. I really felt I'm just about ready to knock the door down."

Yes, Gainey has come a long way from wrapping that insulation around water heaters. Sunday, all he was trying to do was chase down Luke Donald, who could have risen to No. 1 in the world had he won the playoff.

Sure, he used to be a baseball player and he still wears those gloves on both hands. But now he's a professional golfer. And a darned good one.