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By John Maginnes
PGA TOUR Contributor

Winning a professional golf tournament is hard. The ability to handle your nerves and the situation is fleeting at best -- although, sometimes, it does look easy. Tiger has spoiled us with his 57 PGA TOUR victories in slightly more than a decade. By making it look easy, we run the risk of forgetting just how hard it is to break through.

Tim Clark had to settle for his third runner-up finish on the PGA TOUR. (Getty Images)

Tiger's failure to make the key putts down the stretch at Oakmont gave us a glimpse. If his two runner-up finishes in major championships tell us anything, they tell us that it has been harder than he has made it look.

This week was an interesting trip down memory lane for me. Two years ago, I made my final cut on the PGA TOUR at the TPC Deere Run. A few years before, that I had one of my best opportunities to win on the PGA TOUR at the old B.C. Open. The Champions Tour played the inaugural Dick's Sporting Goods at the old En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, N.Y., the old site of the B.C. Open.

I started the final round just two shots back, then missed birdie putts inside 10 feet on each of the first three holes. My ballstriking was perfect, but I just couldn't find the line. I ended up shooting under par that day, but I lost to Craig Stadler. Craig went low and won for the last time on the PGA TOUR.

Watching the Champions Tour at En-Joie reminded me what it felt like coming down the stretch trying to earn my first victory. Obviously, it didn't happen.

Watching Tim Clark coming down the stretch at the John Deere reminded me just how fickle the golf gods can be. Tim took what seemed to be a commanding lead on the back nine.

With five holes remaining, he was four shots ahead of two-time PGA TOUR winner Jonathan Byrd. Birdies at 14, 16 and 17 for Byrd and a bogey at 15 for Clark drew things dead even.

Tim Clark is arguably the most successful man on the PGA TOUR without a victory. Brett Quigley and Harrison Frazer are the only two players who have made more money than Tim without a victory.

At 31, Tim is in his sixth full season on the PGA TOUR. Both Brett and Harrison have been on Tour since the mid 1990s. In addition to his success in the United States, Tim has several international victories, including the 2004 Scottish Open.

Lest you judge Tim's finish too harshly at the John Deere, look no farther than this year's edition of the Barclays Scottish Open. Phil Mickelson seemingly had that tournament won, but bogeyed the final hole and went into a playoff with a little-known Frenchman named Gregory Havret. Another bogey by Lefty in the playoff, and the champagne was flying for Gregory.

For Clark, this was his third runner-up finish in three years. Most notably was his runner-up in the Masters in 2006. Although the finish of the John Deere will likely haunt Tim for some time, there were a lot of positives to take away from the tournament.

Although he has been limited to just 10 starts this year with a nagging back injury, he continues to play well. This second-place finish is his best of the year and moves him into the top 65 in Fed Ex Cup points.

The Presidents Cup veteran still has an opportunity to reclaim a position on Mr. Player's team later this fall. Tim is a gritty competitor and will make a great addition to any team. The fact that he hasn't won on the PGA TOUR yet is more a testament to how difficult it is to win on TOUR than an indictment of Tim's ability.

The truth is that Tim battled like a true champion all the way down the stretch on Sunday. One miscue and two bad breaks opened the door for Jonathan Byrd. Tim will be back to battle another day.

Perhaps the fates will smile on him the next time.