Bray finding his way on the Nationwide Tour  PGATOUR.com Correspondent GLENVIEW, Ill. -- If Thursday had been in February or March rather than the last day of May, Dustin Bray likely couldn't have kept his emotions in check. Earlier this year, Bray, a rookie on the Nationwide Tour, likely would have gotten devoured by his environment, become distracted by all the little things going on around him, boarded the bogey train and let a solid round of golf fade into black numbers.  Dustin Bray is getting comfortable on the Nationwide Tour. (Ehrmann/WireImage)
But instead of panicking Bray, who was 2-under par through his first nine holes in the opening round of the LaSalle Bank Open, stayed in the moment. He shook off a scruffy miss of a point-blank-range birdie putt on the 10th hole. He didn't let the 7-foot par saver that slithered by the cup on No. 11 crawl under his skin. Then the 26-year-old Bray put on his rally cap. He birdied Nos. 14, 15 and 16 and signed for a solid 4-under-par 68 and found himself two shots off the lead of his playing partners, Jason Day and B. J. Staten. "I've learned that when I get halfway down on myself I should look around and realize where I am,'' said Bray, who knocked around the Hooters, Grey Goose and Tar Heel tours for two seasons before he qualified for the Nationwide Tour at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Earlier this year, Bray admitted he would "get in my own head'' and "get in my own way'' at the first sign of a wobble, feeling that every round had to be as close to perfect as possible at his newest -- and toughest -- level of competition. But professional golf is all about gaining experience and learning the ropes. In that regard, Bray feels like he is beginning to make the small steps necessary to become a better player. "I've always been a slow starter,'' said Bray, a native of Ashville, N.C., who was a three-time All-American at UNC-Chapel Hill. "It happened from high school to college, from college to professional golf and from the mini-tours to this Tour. It's not that I'm uncomfortable, but things don't seem to click for me from the get-go.'' No kidding. Bray, who is 152nd on the money list as the Nationwide Tour season approaches the midway point, played in six events before he made his first cut. And that didn't come until the middle of April. Bray said he finally learned to ignore the trappings of the Tour -- the leaderboards all over the course, the free clubs on the range and the culinary perks in the clubhouse -- even while missing the cut at the Livermore Valley Wine Country Championship. And the biggest lessons were to stay patient and play his own game. The first came easier than the second. Bray is an avid fisherman, a love passed down from each of his grandfathers. Fishermen, he reasoned, must be patient or go home empty handed. So when he found himself getting jittery or wanting to steal a glance at a leaderboard he'd cast his eyes out onto a lake or pond on the course and regain focus. Bray began playing his own game when he stopped looking at the leaderboards. He realized he didn't have to shoot at every flag in order to make a check like he used to have to do on the go-deep-or-else mini-tours. "I finally figured out I don't have to shoot 68 every day to compete,'' he said. Bray paused and clarified that statement. In no way did he mean he had unlocked a vault and mastered the game as it is played on the Nationwide Tour. That's impossible when your best finish is a tie for 39th. It's just that he's gaining on it. His latest discovery is finding a few holes at each tournament that he feels will play the toughest during the tournament. Then he is determined to play those holes by the numbers. Hit the fairway. Shoot for the middle of the green. Set up an easy two-putt par. "If you make a birdie it's a real bonus,'' he said. "This game is about so many little things, but I'm finally starting to look at the big picture.'' And maybe instead of taking one small step Thursday, Bray just might have taken a giant one at the Tom Fazio-designed Glen Club by matching his best round of 2007. He obviously was buoyed by the way he comported himself after his lone bogey on the 11th. "If I can play the rest of the week the way I did on the last seven holes I might just have a chance to make a run at (winning) on Sunday,'' he said. And if Bray doesn't, that's OK, too. He knows there is a lot of golf left in the season as he strives to prove he has the stuff that it takes play at this level. "But I don't feel any pressure,'' he said. "I have the best group of sponsors, investors, endorsements and family. It is the best support group anyone could possibly want in trying to meet this wonderful challenge.'' |
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