Mallinger has come far in short time, eager to do more

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John Mallinger enjoyed his sixth third-place finish on TOUR at last week's PLAYERS Championship.

There are many ways to measure progress on the PGA TOUR. For John Mallinger, Sunday's third-place tie at THE PLAYERS Championship really hit home before he left the course.

"By the time I got back to my locker, my phone had 15 missed calls and 53 texts," Mallinger said Monday from San Antonio, where he hopes to continue his impressive play in this week's Valero Texas Open. "It was all the people who have been there for me in my career."

And what an interesting, albeit short, career it's been.

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Even though he's only in his third full season on the PGA TOUR, Mallinger has traveled further than a J.B. Holmes drive in the last 36 months. Consider this: Less than three years ago, Mallinger was making a living by playing on no less than seven professional golf tours.

That's right, seven. That gives new meaning to the term "touring professional."

In 2006, Mallinger played three events on the PGA TOUR and 15 on the Nationwide Tour, making a respectable nine cuts in 18 combined starts. He filled out his schedule by playing on the Hooters, Tight Lies, Gateway, Golden Break, Spanos and Tar Heel tours.

What, no Big Break?

"I played wherever I could," Mallinger said. "I was just waiting for q-school that year."

But waiting has never been one of Mallinger's strong suits. To wit: When he graduated from Long Beach State in 2003, he didn't waste any time in starting his golf career.

"I jumped in my car with a credit card and started playing golf," he said. "I didn't even have any cash. I just knew this is what I wanted to do for a living. I finally got a sponsor after a couple of years, so I didn't have to worry about money."

Sunday's breakout performance at THE PLAYERS was another sign he made the correct career choice. Not only did he earn a career-best paycheck for finishing tied for third (his sixth third-place finish on the PGA TOUR in 75 career starts), he tied Kevin Na for low American honors in the biggest tournament outside the majors, finishing two shots ahead of you-know-who.

"The money is great, but the biggest thing was preparing hard and then executing in a big event against the best players in the world," said Mallinger, who's 40th in the latest FedExCup standings. "This gives me a huge confidence boost."

Even if the galleries he played in front of over most of the last two days at THE PLAYERS weren't that large.

On Saturday, Mallinger estimates there were no more than 50 people in his gallery when the round started, even though he was in the second-to-last group. That's because many fans were following Tiger Woods around the Stadium Course.

"Tiger is our TOUR, and he's the guy people want to see," Mallinger said. "I'm OK with that. He's done so much for our sport."

But if there is a downside to Woods' dominance, it's that his brilliance shines so bright, it tends to cast shadows over other players. Few fans, for instance, know much about 29-year-old Mallinger, often confusing him with another Long Beach resident, John Merrick. They share the same hometown, the same initials, even the same coach, Jamie Mulligan.

"I've even had some players on TOUR call me "John Merrick," " Mallinger said. "That's kind of embarrassing."

Mallinger is slowly making a name for himself. After advancing through q-school in 2006 by finishing 13th, he needed just four starts to post his first third-place finish, at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Mallinger earned almost $1.7 million as a rookie, ranking behind only one other first-year player -- Brandt Snedeker.

Another third-place showing last year at Pebble Beach helped him again rank in the top 100 in earnings with more than $1.2 million. Mallinger started slowly this year, missing the cut in three of his first four events. But he found his game with a sixth at the Shell Houston Open and now the third at THE PLAYERS.

In the past, Mallinger seemed to stumble after a good week. But he's learned not to exhale for too long after a strong performance.

"I'm really not that tired after last week," he said. "I've learned how to let it go. My rookie year, every time I played well, I missed the cut next week because I was exhausted and mentally tired."

Instead, he's excited to return to the course to see if he can keep it going. As much as he's accomplished in the last 30 months, he knows there is plenty more out there. He's yet to move into the top 100 in the Offiial World Golf Rankings, but he's getting closer: Last week's showing moved him from No. 161 in the world rankings to a career-high No. 101. (Guess who was ranked No. 101 last week? John Merrick.)

And Mallinger knows he's getting closer to someday lifting a trophy on the PGA TOUR. Not bad for someone who less than three years ago was trying to find a game wherever he could.

"Mentally, I'm a lot stronger player now than I was then," he said. "My next goal is to get a win, but my ultimate goal is to become a top-50 player in the world and stay there."

When he does get that win, he won't have to worry about the engraver etching the wrong name on the trophy.

Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.