Matt Gogel won the 2002 Pebble Beach, and it looked like he was on the way. In 2003, he had six top 25 finishes, and three top tens. In 2004, he scored seven top 25 finishes and two top tens.
And then it all came crashing down. In 2005, he finished 172nd. He went to Q school, where he needed a top 30 finish. He finished 97.
So now Gogel is trying to figure out how to get by on sponsors exemptions. He gets a freebie at Pebble Beach, where he has a lifetime exemption. And then?
If he finishes in the top 30 on the West Coast swing, he can gain partial status. If not ….
Read the article from the Kansas City Star. It’s a good look at the bottom half of the tour that you never hear about.
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A great story that really does highlight the side of the PGA Tour life that we rarely get to see. For every Tiger, Phil, Vijay and Ernie there are dozens of guys like Gogel who are trying keep or regain their card. Thanks for posting this very enlightening story!
That was a really interesting and enlightening article. I had no idea about this type of thing or what it was like for a lot of golfers. Thanks for the like and information.
So much for that – Gogel just announced his retirement in 2007. I guess he’s made his $4.5M for his career (plus whatever he might make in ‘07). That’s enough for him.