By Peter Owen
CAMERON Percy, who was as soon as placing so poorly he performed a whole match with out wanting on the gap, has earned himself a spot on one of many world’s highest profile golf excursions.
Percy, who didn’t play golf till he picked up a set of his grandmother’s outdated golf equipment on the age of 15, is one in every of 4 Australians who received locations on the PGA Tour Champions following a gruelling collection of qualifying tournaments late final yr.
When he turns 50 in early Might, he’ll be lining up towards among the finest over 50 golfers on the planet – doubtlessly giving himself the chance to earn a profitable earnings within the twilight years of his {golfing} profession.
Inevitably, comparisons can be drawn between Percy and New Zealander Steve Alker, a fellow journeyman who rocketed from comparative obscurity on the Korn Ferry Tour to grow to be the most effective participant on the Tour Champions circuit, profitable hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in prizemoney within the course of.
Percy’s profession, in lots of respects, duplicates Alker’s. Each golfers tasted early success of their homelands, sought fame and fortune on the US PGA Tour, persevered within the face of constantly disappointing outcomes after which, when just about written off as failures, all of a sudden produced their finest of their later years.
Cameron Percy, the medalist on the latest Q College is able to make his presence felt on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024.
Although his returns have been modest, Percy is a veteran of 220 begins on the PGA Tour, his finest end being a playoff loss to Jonathan Chicken on the 2010 Shriners Youngsters’s Open. He’s had 12 top-10 finishes, together with three within the 2021-22 season.
The most effective of his 4 top-25 finishes in 2023 was a tied twelfth on the Honda Basic, however he’d resigned himself to going again to Q College to attempt to retain his taking part in privileges earlier than altering his thoughts and profitable medallist honours on the Last Stage of PGA Tour Champions qualifying.
Earlier than that he’d been taking part in maybe the most effective golf of his profession.
He had shot 10-under-par 62 to be the primary spherical chief of the PGA Tour’s World Huge Know-how Championship on Mexico in November, earlier than firing a seven-under 64 within the second spherical of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship every week later.
Born in Chelsea, on Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, Percy performed each different sport as a child – Aussie guidelines, cricket, tennis, soccer and basketball – however as soon as he’d borrowed his grandmother’s golf equipment and first performed the sport as a 15-year-old, he was hooked on golf.
He turned skilled in 1998, certified for the 2003 British Open together with his spouse Katie on the bag, and joined the second tier Nationwide Tour (subsequently the Internet.com Tour and now the Korn Ferry Tour) within the US, the place he had little success.
Again in Australia, he received twice on the Von Nida Tour in 2006 – the Queensland Masters and the Queensland PGA.
That led him to return to the US the place he rejoined the Nationwide Tour. Eight top-10 finishes in 2009 noticed him promoted to the PGA Tour for the primary time, however he struggled to carry his spot. He completed 168th on the FedEx Cup factors listing in 2010, 161st in 2011 and 158th in 2013.
In 2014, he received the Worth Cutter Charity Championship on the Internet.com Tour and completed fifteenth on the Internet.com Tour cash listing to safe his PGA card for the next season.
Over the subsequent six seasons he completed outdoors the Prime 125 on the FedEx Cup listing ever yr, forfeiting his PGA Tour taking part in privileges. Nonetheless he was positioned inside the highest 150 most of these years, sustaining conditional standing on tour.
It was in direction of the top of 2018 when Percy, sitting forty fourth on Internet.com Tour standings and needing a powerful end within the season-ending Internet.com Tour Championship to regain his PGA Tour card, resorted to placing blind in the course of the match.
Annoyed by lacking quick putts, he stopped wanting on the gap as he putted, with speedy success in a pre-tournament follow spherical. “It’s actually onerous to belief your self on the golf course to not even take a look at the outlet however I used to be feeling so dangerous that I did it and had 9 birdies and shot 64 and putted fantastically,” he stated.
When it counted, nonetheless, it didn’t work. Percy shot rounds of 71 and 67 to overlook the minimize – consigning himself to a different season on the secondary tour the place he continued his wrestle to make sufficient cash to maintain his {golfing} desires.
Like Steve Alker, it could be that these targets weren’t meant to be reached till Percy discovered his method onto the US seniors tour.
Percy received the Last Stage of PGA Tour Champion Q College by 5 strokes, main a bunch of 4 Australians onto the tour for the primary time. The others to undergo had been:
MICHAEL WRIGHT, a Queenslander who earned his card by miraculously holing out for a birdie from 110m on the ultimate gap of the ultimate spherical. Wright, who turns 50 on February 21, was born in Gympie and has been a journeyman on the Australasian Tour, his finest outcome being fifth within the 2013 Australian Open. He has contested simply two PGA Tour occasions, lacking the minimize each instances. He’s by no means performed a PGA Tour Champions occasion.
STEVE ALLAN, whose finest efficiency as an expert was to win the 2002 Australian Open. The Victorian has been a daily on the PGA Tour, notching 9 top-10 finishes, together with two second locations, from his 214 begins. The most effective of his 164 Korn Ferry Tour appearances was tied 2nd in Colombia in 2015. The 50-year-old has by no means performed a PGA Tour Champions occasion.
DAVID BRANSDON, who shot a closing spherical 67 to seize fifth and closing spot. The Melbourne professional has only one top-25 exhibiting from his 9 Korn Ferry Tour appearances. A daily on the Japan Golf Tour over time, he received twice on the Legends Tour final yr – at Killara in November and at Beerwah in December. He contested Brooks Koepka’s 2018 US Open at Shinnecock Hills, lacking the minimize.
