It looks like I never followed up on this post from a year and a half ago.
“Two friends of mine are playing in a local first round qualifier at Scotch Valley Country Club in Altoona for the US Open today so I’m headed over to watch them. There are 39 players contending for 3 sectional qualifier spots…
I’ll be back later tonight to fill in details of their rounds.”
The details are – they sucked. They both played terrible, tied for dead last with two other guys (although seven guys didn’t turn in cards so they might have beaten them).
You are probably asking yourself why I’m following up on this now. We’ll there’s a reason. During our friend RJ’s round, word filtered back to us that a guy in the group just in front of us was playing pretty well (it was a brutal day, the wind was blowing incredibly hard and scores were skyrocketing – by days end, only three of the pros managed to break 75 – and the guy in front of us was two under at the time). So my friend Tom Minsker and I decided to move up and watch him (RJ was playing so bad that we felt he was probably self conscious that we were watching).
There really weren’t any people following any of these groups around, just a couple of friends and family. There was no one following the guy that we moved up to watch, so we were able to strike up several conversations with him and his caddy. His name was Brad Adamonis and he was a small time 30-something Nationwide tour player from Rhode Island (he had earned all of $3531 on the Nationwide tour in 2005). He didn’t used a driver but he consistently smacked his three wood 280 or so off the tee. He seemed so much better than any of the other guys that we had seen that day that Tom and I were dumbfounded that this guy was a nobody.
Adamonis wound up being one of the three guys to claim a sectional spot and we kept an eye on him when he went on to the sectionals. At the sectionals, he came in sixth among 33 guys and thus did not qualify for one of the two available slots from his qualifier.
Every now and then though, Tom or I would check up on Brad. He finished 2006 at 71st on the Nationwide tour earning $81,000. In 2007, he won one event and moved up to 33rd on the tour with $170,000. Then this past fall he finished ninth at the Q school to earn his PGA card.
So yesterday, I’m sitting home working on my computer with the Golf Channel’s coverage of the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines on in the background. I’d occasionally look up to catch one of Tiger’s shots. Tiger finished his round at -5 two shots back of the leader. Shortly after Tiger finishes they flash to this guy whose lining up his birdie putt on eighteen. He drops it to go six under one back of the leader and they flash his name – Brad Adamonis. Whoa – that gets my attention.
Then the announcers talk about how Brad’s made a nice start on his first year on the tour, making the cut at both the Sony and the Hope tournaments and earning $40k to date. His now in a good position to take home a nice paycheck this weekend and to hang onto is card.
At 35 years old, Brad makes a nice human interest story and not surprisingly, the press has picked up on it today. Here are some:
SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports > Golf — Adamonis in unfamiliar territory – The Spotlight via kwout
Adamonis shoots 66 in Buick Open, bolsters sick father — South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com via kwout
SignOnSanDiego.com > Sports > U-T Golfblog via kwout
Success comes in bunches for rookie
By: DAN HAYES and BRIAN HIRO – Staff Writers
LA JOLLA —- Brad Adamonis couldn’t help but grin after a friend high-fived him following a birdie on the 18th green at Torrey Pines’ North Course.
The 35-year-old PGA Tour rookie has been all smiles recently, especially after a 5-under-par 67 in the opening round of the Buick Invitational on Thursday.
Consider that after eight previous tries at qualifying school, Adamonis finally reached the PGA Tour this season and has made the cut in each of his first two tournament. Then there’s the improved health of his family and friends. And then there’s his beloved New England Patriots, who are headed back to the Super Bowl after last Sunday’s win over the Chargers.
…
I’ll be paying close attention to the guy for the rest of the tournament.