A tragic personal history, a period where he quit the game, and an uncertain future. Could easily be talking about me, but we’re actually referring to one of the great human interest stories of the year: Nate Lashley. At this point, everyone knows about Lashley’s ups and downs (more downs than ups going into this week’s tour stop).
This is the kind of pro we can get behind. Comes into the week ranked #446 in the world, makes the field as an alternate, after failing to qualify on Monday, and four days later he’s hoisting a jug and being handed a check for $1.4 million.
Though he had begun to show flashes this year in a few events, including Pebble Beach, he was still an unknown and a non-entity to 99.8% of golf fans. His ESPN page only indicates that he is a right handed golfer - there is no photo of him on his profile - just a gray silhouette of a golfer. In contrast, Chad Collins, ranked #226 on the PGA tour and with winnings of $30,000 this year, actually has a full profile on ESPN, including his picture, along with interesting factoids about his life. That’s how out of left field Lashley’s win was.
I’m still waiting for this kind of redemption and turnaround to happen for me. I can visualize it: I pull my 1999 Saab 9-3 into the parking lot of Laurel Hill golf course in Lorton, VA. I warm up with a few balls on the range. Tempo is good, my mind is clear…everything is free and easy. I birdie three of the first four holes and never look back, on the way to posting a -2 under 69.
While my game will never be good enough to break 70, over even 75, breaking 80 again is definitely still in the cards. If Lashley can overcome the odds, there’s no reason we can’t realize our own goals.
Also notable: the Rocket Mortgage tournament included Martin Piller. He’s hanging by a thread trying to keep his tournament card. He’s 32 years old and has never come close to winning on the PGA tour. It would be great if Martin can find a way to break through on the next tour stop, just as Lashley did this week.
Doc Redman finished 2nd. We’re not sure whether Redman can be considered a true underdog given that he did win the U.S. Amateur last year and starred on Clemson’s golf team. One person in the field who we can be sure is no underdog is Wyndham Clark. If your first name is “Wyndham” chances are you come from a privileged background. You were born rich and you’re going to die rich, so none of this really matters, but we could be wrong.
Finally, it’s worth pointing out that Gary Woodland failed to make the cut, which underscores, yet again, just how hard the game can be.