Estes grinds his way back into the PGA TOUR spotlight
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor
On a weekend filled with surprises -- who saw Olin Browne winning his first major or Scott Stallings capturing his first PGA TOUR event? -- the sighting of Bob Estes at the top of a leaderboard had to rank as one of the biggest shockers.
You remember Bob Estes, don't you?
The grinder from Texas, who has been on the PGA TOUR longer than about half the tournaments, seemed to re-appear from nowhere in the final round of The Greenbrier Classic.
Estes arrived at The Old White TPC having made just one cut all season long -- a 73rd-place finish at the Valero Texas Open, near his home in Austin. Of course, it didn't help that Estes had teed it up only seven times this year, but that was a big part of his story.
At 45, Estes' career seemed in jeopardy. He has been battling a chronic right-wrist injury for years. That explained why he missed five of his last six cuts to end last season, causing him to lose full-exempt status after he finished 132nd on the money list. Estes didn't make his first start this year until mid-April as he allowed the wrist to heal from another round of extensive therapy.
Estes finally made another cut at The Greenbrier, barely making it on the number at one-over 141. Then something magical happened. He shot a third-round 65 to move into the top 20. Then, in the final round, he shot a bogey-free 64 -- the best round of the day -- that ended with two birdies to move into a three-way playoff with Stallings and Bill Haas.
"I'm pretty good when I get in the hunt," Estes said. "I just don't get in the hunt often enough."
Alas, Estes' hopes for his fifth career PGA TOUR title and first since 2002 ended when Stallings made his curling 7-foot birdie putt on the first hole of the playoff. But Estes wasn't complaining too loudly after the T2 vaulted him from 254th to 145th in the FedExCup standings.
Suddenly, Estes heads to this week's Reno-Tahoe Open knowing he's just another solid showing away from qualifying for the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup and possibly his 20th career finish inside the TOUR's top 125.
"It's no fun being 30th or 40th and missing cuts and stuff like that," Estes said. "Coming off a wrist injury where I didn't play much at all the beginning of this year ... I'm very happy with my finish."
He should be. A week ago, some golf fans might have wondered if Estes had stopped playing or became old enough to join the Champions Tour. It doesn't take long on the PGA TOUR for a player to become irrelevant if he's injured or not playing on the weekends.
Estes has spent most of his career out of the spotlight, despite winning the four times and earning more than $19.6 million on the PGA TOUR. He also finished T4 at the 1999 Masters and has finished sixth in the PGA Championship three times.
While he hasn't been afraid to speak his mind -- he was one of the few players who publicly criticized some of his peers for using the Ping Eye2 square-grooved wedges when they were still legal and he's also taken shot at what he feels is the inequity in world ranking points -- his plodding game doesn't draw attention. But to finish outside the top 125 only three times since joining the PGA TOUR in 1989 speaks of his talent and his grit.
And when he gets into contention, like he did Sunday with the two late birdies, he may not always win, but he rarely loses the tournament.
"I love being in the hunt, being near the lead," Estes said. "Some guys get scared. I just try to put the hammer down and finish it off."
Estes knows he'll be dealing with the wrist for the rest of his career, however long that may be. But he said having an injury actually can help a golfer because he doesn't get too ahead of himself when he's in contention
"I've had so many issues my whole career with my physical game that I'm usually so focused on that, it kind of takes up the thoughts that might be about all the other stuff, whether it's what a win would do for you or how much money your playing or whatever," he said.
Estes is back to being relevant on the PGA TOUR. Again.
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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