The Tarheel Tour Interview with Tommy Gainey

Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey has played the Tarheel Tour for the past three seasons. Over that time he has won four times including the 2007 Oldfield Open. Gainey is currently fourth on the 2007 Tarheel Tour money list having earned $38,855 in only eight starts. “Gloves” has amassed a cult following after winning the Golf Channel’s Big Break Reunion show earlier this year and has capitalized on his newfound celebrity cashing in on sponsors exemptions on the Nationwide Tour in the BMW Pro-Am in Greenville, SC, and more recently, finishing tied for eighth in the Cox Classic in Omaha, NB. We spoke with Tommy after the Spring Creek Classic.

You have won four times on the Tarheel Tour and have been the focus of a Golf Channel reality show. How did those experiences help you deal with the pressure of playing in the final group at the Nationwide event at The Cliffs, or more recently, in shooting a final round 65 to finish in the top-10 at the Cox Classic in Omaha?

Tommy Gainey: When I was on the Golf Channel on the Big Break, it really put a lot of pressure on me not to go home on a good shot, a bad shot or a mediocre shot. So I just got kind of got used to just playing the game and having fun with it, instead of just worrying about every shot I’ve got to hit. Just have fun and go with the flow. Well that’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last couple of years, and it seems to be working okay right now.

You have played well at every level and have done a good job adjusting from playing the Tarheel Tour and other developmental tours to playing the Nationwide Tour. Describe some of the differences between playing a Tarheel Tour event and playing a Nationwide Tour event.

Tommy Gainey: I wouldn’t say there’s much of a difference between a Nationwide event and a Tarheel tournament with the golf courses that we’ve been playing. All I can say is the conditions are pretty similar. Sometimes the greens might be a little faster than the ones we played on the Tarheel Tour. But I mean that’s okay, the golf courses are set up as tough as the Nationwide and the PGA Tour as well. I think you see a lot of people really want to show their support and come out and watch players and this past week it was just the same as a Nationwide tournament. No difference, except for the money.

You’ve played the game at a high level for the past three years or so. Unfortunately you haven’t been able to get over the hump at PGA Tour Qualifying School. What changes are you working on this year to prepare for Q School and what do you think is the reason that you haven’t been able to get through Q School yet?

Tommy Gainey: Well you know I think I’ve been putting too much pressure on myself. I know how much game I have. I know what kind of game I can play. I know I can shoot low scores at any given time and I really think I’ve been pressing the issue. Instead of trusting my game like I should, I’ve just been putting too much pressure on myself. As soon as you start putting too much pressure on yourself, I mean it’s just like folding up a Wal-Mart tent.

How has your life changed since winning the Big Break? Has the celebrity status you’ve gained allowed your confidence to grow or have the increased commitments that have come with your notoriety and success made it tougher for you to work towards your goal of playing on tour?

Tommy Gainey: It’s a little bit of both. Everybody playing knows that it’s not easy to get to the PGA Tour. Everyone playing the Tarheel Tour wants to get to the PGA Tour, that’s everybody’s goal without question; and since the Big Break I’ve got people recognizing me everywhere I go and I welcome that challenge because that just shows me that they support me, they support what I do. I’m looking forward to Q-school this year and expect to get through it.

You have recently changed your equipment. What were you playing before you switched? What have you changed to, and why did you make a change?

Tommy Gainey: I was playing with Callaway Steelhead Pro Series X-14’s. I’ve had them in my bag forever, probably five years. I changed to the Callaway Pro Series X-20’s, the Tours. I just picked them up and started playing with them and decided I liked them. I’ve been playing with them since the BMW and you know I’ve been playing pretty well with them since then. Why change back to the X-14’s when I’m playing this well and making a lot of money. You know it’s not the equipment; it’s the person using it.

What happened behind the scenes of the Big Break that you can tell us that might be interesting to the people that have followed you the last few months on the show?

Tommy Gainey: What people don’t realize is when you get on the show, it’s a reality TV show and they try to put in some suspense, drama, and they try to start fights. We just tried to chill-out and talk to each other and see what’s going on in each others lives. We just tried to get to know each other because you’re spending two weeks with them. I spent the first six episodes with Bri as my partner. I tried to get to know her and talk to her, see what her likes are, her dislikes, her strengths, her weaknesses, what kind of a person she is, because when you’re partnered up on that show, if you hit a bad shot you can be gone. Not just one of you but both of you.

So you’ve got to really get to know each other so you know what situations fit me or fit her. But I’ll tell you, to describe a couple of the players, I’ll say Gary, the guy with the glasses, the older guy that played on the PGA Tour back in like 1980 for four or five tournaments. He really is a dick. I’m just going to be honest with you cause what he did on the show, they didn’t edit or do anything. He’s just really that bad of a guy. The actions that they showed on that episode with him kicking up sand behind Cindy trying to hit that sand shot out of that bunker from about 80 yards, that’s a disgrace to the game of golf.

Don Donatello, he runs his mouth constantly. If you get him away from the golf course, he’s a good guy. But he let’s his mouth overload his game. I mean his game is nowhere near as good as his mouth is.

Is there anybody that you met on the show that you’ll actually remain friends with in the future and keep in touch with?

Tommy Gainey: No question. Andy Gordino, the guy that caddies for Angel Cabrera, who won the US Open; he’s a trip, a good guy. Mike Foster is another good guy. Bri Vega, my partner, she’s a great girl, and she’s fun. For the most part everybody was cool except for Gary doing the things he did and some of the things he said and Double D running his mouth all the time, and not being able to back it up.

Obviously for you to play at the level you do, your game is solid, but if you could take anything from another Tarheel Tour player’s game and add it to your own, what would it be and why?

Tommy Gainey: I would say to hit it as straight as Jason Martin. He hits the driver probably the straightest of anybody I’ve played with out there. I mean it’s one thing to hit it as long as I do, but it’s another thing to hit it straight. You can score when you’re hitting it straight, but when you’re hitting it crooked all you’re doing is just reaching in the golf bag for another ball, taking a drop out of a hazard, or hitting another tee shot. But Jason Martin he hits it straight with everything. Not only is he a great golfer, a great putter, and a great ball striker, but he’s a good guy.

You have played a lot of great rounds in Tarheel Tour competition. Is there one round that sticks out as being special, or is there something that you’ve done on tour that you really remember?

Tommy Gainey: Last year we played at River Run and I was paired with John Mallinger in the final round. He’s now on the PGA Tour. He shot 66 in the last round and he had a one shot lead over me going into the final round. For him to shoot 66 and me to shoot 63 on him….shooting 66 the leader should never lose. I don’t think I’d get any disagreements from anybody. But I shot 63 and you know when you think about that, you know it can happen to anybody. But you know I don’t think it’s ever happened to him being in that position. I don’t know what to say, I mean I just… it was an unbelievable day for me. I made everything I looked at. I hit it good, I didn’t make any mistakes, I shot a great round, and that’s what I remember. If I put myself in his position, in John’s position, he had a one shot lead over me so he knew if he shot anything under 68, he should win the tournament without question. I feel like everybody else would think the same thing.

Does it make it any sweeter knowing that John Mallinger is currently 66th on the Fed Ex Cup points list and has earned over $1 million on the PGA Tour this year?

Tommy Gainey: Well you know I really didn’t know he has done so well. But since you brought it up it makes me realize what type of game I have. You know all this talent that I’ve got from God; he’s really been great to me. He’s blessed me with so many things. You know I really say thanks to God because without him, I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t have the game to be in the position I am now.

But you know since you brought that up that does sound kind of interesting. You know I’ll have to think about that. But that does mean a lot. That just tells me that everybody’s right when they say I should be out there. I’ve been believing that for a long time now. I just think the timing has not been right. There’s just been a lot of other things going on in my life, but I think now, my life is going in the right direction.

Thanks for your time Tommy. Best of luck in the future on the Tarheel Tour and hopefully on the PGA Tour.

Tommy Gainey: Thanks, I enjoyed it.