Tommy Gainey

Exempt status

• PGA TOUR: Past champion beyond 150 in 2021-22 FedExCup (thru 2022-23)

JOINED TOUR

• PGA TOUR: 2008
• Korn Ferry Tour: 2020

PGA TOUR Victories (1)

2012 Season

• The McGladrey Classic

Korn Ferry Tour Victories (3)

2010 Season

• Melwood Prince George's County Open Presented by Under Armour
• Chiquita Classic

2020-21 Season

• The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay

Personal

• Goes by the nickname "Two Gloves" for wearing two golf gloves when he plays. Developed that habit after playing baseball as a kid. Attended Central Carolina Technical College after high school. Worked as an assembly line worker in rural South Carolina before deciding to give professional golf a shot. Was a participant on Golf Channel's "Big Break V" and later won "Big Break VII."
• Favorite college team is the South Carolina Gamecocks. Favorite professional team is the Dallas Cowboys.
• Has to mark his ball with a South Carolina quarter or coin with a picture of his kids on it.
• Would round out his dream foursome with Steve Spurrier, Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods.
• Supports the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation.
• Lists his heroes as Fred Couples and Hootie and the Blowfish.
• Played on the Tarheel Tour from 2004-2007 and collected four wins during that period. Earned more than $100,000 in 2006 and 2007 combined on the Tarheel Tour during a period in which he recorded 13 top-five finishes. Won the Bentonville Open on the Hooters Tour in June 2007 in only his second career start on that Tour. Has also competed on the Gateway Tour.
• Sponsored by AO Smith, where he used to work prior to his professional career wrapping insulation around hot water heaters.

Special Interests

• South Carolina Gamecocks, pool, friends and family

CURRENT YEAR HIGHLIGHTS

• Puerto Rico Open: Finished T3 at the Puerto Rico Open, his best result on TOUR since winning The RSM Classic in 2012.

Career Highlights

2022 Season

• Puerto Rico Open: Finished T3 at the Puerto Rico Open, his best result on TOUR since winning The RSM Classic in 2012.

2021 Season

Logged seven top-25s, highlighted by his third career Korn Ferry Tour victory, in 37 Korn Ferry Tour starts across the 2020-21 combined season, which saw him finish No. 45 in the regular season points standings. Won the 2020 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, the first event of the season.

• BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation: Posted four rounds of 68 or better (68-61-68-68) to finish in fourth at the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation.
• Puerto Rico Open: Opened with a 7-under 65 and held the 18-hole lead at the Puerto Rico Open before finishing T68. Carded birdies on five of his last seven holes in the first round to take his fourth 18-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA TOUR.

2020 Season

• Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco: Claimed the first-round lead after an opening 9-under 62 at the Albertsons Boise Open presented by Kraft Nabisco before eventually finishing T29.
• The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay: After holding the 18-hole and 54-hole leads, birdied his final three holes to win his third career Korn Ferry Tour title at The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay by four strokes at 11-under 277.

2018 Season

Made two cuts in 10 starts. For a sixth straight season, failed to finish inside the top 125 in the FedExCup standings and advance to the FedExCup Playoffs. Best result was T22 at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship.

2017 Season

Split his time between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour in the 2016-17 season. Made two cuts in eight starts on the PGA TOUR and four cuts in 17 Korn Ferry Tour starts. Will play out the Past Champion category on TOUR for the 2017-18 season.

2016 Season

Battled injuries all season and only made four starts on the PGA TOUR with one made cut.

• RBC Heritage: Opened with a 69 in the first round at the RBC Heritage and got within two shots of the lead during the second round but his back locked up on the No. 10 and he had to withdraw. Took the rest of the season off for physical therapy.

2015 Season

Finished the Korn Ferry Tour season with 20 starts, one third-place finish, four top-10s and 12 cuts made. Was 46th on the combined final money list. Collected four top-10 finishes in 16 Regular Season starts on the Korn Ferry Tour. Finished No. 102 on the money list in four starts in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals. Splitting his time between the Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR, made four cuts in nine starts on TOUR. In the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, best finishes in the four events were at the Hotel Fitness Championship and at the Web.com Tour Championship.

• Web.com Tour Championship: T62 at the Web.com Tour Championship.
• Hotel Fitness Championship: T52 at the Hotel Fitness Championship.
• WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft Heinz: Just two cuts made in his next six starts following the Greater Dallas Open shoved him to 71st entering the Regular Season finale in Portland. Began with a 69 at the WinCo Foods Portland Open, then jumped into contention at T7 after a Friday 65. Was still T7 after a 70 on Saturday. Passed several players with a 65 on Sunday to finish third, which pushed him to 32nd in earnings heading into the Finals. It was his best performance on either Tour since the 2012 Crowne Plaza Invitational where he also finished third.
• Greater Dallas Open: Opened the Greater Dallas Open with a course-record 63 to take a one-stroke lead. A second-round 69 put him two back. Fell back again with a 73 in the third round. Closed with a 65 that included two eagles on his final nine, leading to a T8. Moved to 40th on the money list.
• Brasil Champions presented by HSBC: Opened the Brasil Champions with rounds of 66-64 to trail the leader by two strokes. Carded a third-round 70 to drop to T6. Made six birdies between Nos. 7 and 17 to offset bogeys on Nos. 5 and 18 the final day, resulting in a T9.
• The McGladrey Classic: Finished T32 at the McGladrey Classic, site of his 2012 victory, his best finish.

2014 Season

Made the cut in 11 of 26 PGA TOUR starts, finishing the season No. 156 in the FedExCup standings. Struggled early in the season, missing the cut in nine of his first 11 starts, followed by a T8. Made the cut in five of his last seven starts of the season, with a pair of top-20 finishes Attempted to regain PGA TOUR status via the Korn Ferry Tour Finals but withdrew from the first event and missed the cut in the next two.

• Web.com Tour Championship: Finished T46 in his fourth Finals start, at the Web.com Tour Championship, highlighted by a second-round 62.
• Barracuda Championship: T17 at the Barracuda Championship.
• Travelers Championship: T18 at the Travelers Championship.
• Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Scores of 66-67 in the second and third rounds of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans overshadowed bookend rounds of 1-under 71. The four sub-par scores resulted in a T8 with Justin Rose and Keegan Bradley in Louisiana. The top-10 finish was his first since earning a T6 at the 2013 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.

2013 Season

Made 14 of 28 TOUR cuts, with one top-10. Ultimately missed the FedExCup Playoffs by finishing No. 140 in the FedExCup standings.

• Hyundai Tournament of Champions: Was T6 in his first-career start at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, shooting rounds of 72-69-70 in the weather-shortened, 54-hole event.

2012 Season

• The McGladrey Classic: Career-low, final-round 60 at The McGladrey Classic in the fall earned him his first career PGA TOUR win. Began the final round seven strokes behind Jim Furyk and Davis Love III. Carded a course-record and career-low 10-under 60 (previous low was 63) to edge David Toms by one stroke for his first PGA TOUR victory in his 105th start. The South Carolina native was the clubhouse leader for more than two hours before he sealed the victory, with Furyk needing a birdie on the final hole to force a playoff (finished with bogey). His bogey-free round (the only one of the day) included eight birdies and an eagle-3 at the par-5 15th. His 19-foot birdie attempt at the 72nd hole for a 59 slid by on the right, with the par-4 snapping a string of seven consecutive 3s on Nos. 11-17. The seven-stroke comeback trailed only Kyle Stanley's eight-shot come-from-behind win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open for the largest of the season. The final-round 60 was just the third recorded in a PGA TOUR final round and the first that led to victory. Previous-best finish came in 2008, with runner-up honors at the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Classic, losing by a stroke to Love.
• Deutsche Bank Championship: T66 at the Deutsche Bank Championship, ending the season No. 94 in the FedExCup standings.
• The Barclays: Finished T38 at The Barclays.
• Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial: Posted his first top-10 finish of the season in his 17th start, finishing solo third in his second Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial start (missed cut in 2011). It was his fifth third-place finish in two years (had four in 2011.)

2011 Season

Enjoyed a breakout year, claiming seven top-10 finishes in 34 starts on TOUR. Of those top-10s, three were third-place finishes. After missing the cut in his first three starts of the season, rallied with a pair of top-10s in two of his ensuing five starts. Claimed back-to-back third-place finishes in the fall.

• CIMB Asia Pacific Classic Malaysia: Ended the season with a T23 at the CIMB Asia Pacific Classic, where he posted four consecutive sub-par rounds.
• Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open: Turned in four rounds in the 60s at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. That led to a T3 finish, five strokes behind champion Kevin Na. It was his seventh top 10 of the campaign.
• Wyndham Championship: Finished third at the Wyndham Championship and moved to No. 30 in the FedExCup standings. Made the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup for the first time, eventually finishing No. 62. Held a share of the first-round lead and sole possession of the second-round lead in Greensboro.
• Viking Classic: Carded four rounds in the 60s (67-67-67-68) at the Viking Classic to finish T7, his fifth top-10 of the season.
• Zurich Classic of New Orleans: Banner year continued at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he birdied the 72nd hole to claim his fourth top-10 finish of the year, a T3.
• The Heritage: Nabbed the fourth top-10 finish of his career–and third of the season–with a solo third at The Heritage. Par-or-better rounds all four days left him just one shot out of a Brandt Snedeker-Luke Donald playoff. The Darlington, S.C., native and avid University of South Carolina Gamecock fan was seeking to become the first South Carolinian to win The Heritage.
• The Honda Classic: Posted his second top-10 finish of the season with a solo fifth at The Honda Classic. Closed with a 2-under 68 to finish six strokes behind Rory Sabbatini.
• Waste Management Phoenix Open: He was the 54-hole leader at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, thanks in part to a then-career-low, 8-under 63 in the first round. Finished T8 after a 3-over 74 in the final round, largely due to triple bogey on drive-able par-4 16th where an errant tee shot hit a hazard stake and went into a greenside water hazard. His subsequent shot after a penalty drop also found the water hazard.

2010 Season

Made 27 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour and collected two wins, a second- and a third-place finish among his six top-10s. Was one of a Tour-record four players to go over the $400,000 mark, finishing with $403,957 to wind up No. 4 on the money list. Also finished No. 3 in the All-Around ranking for the year.

• WNB Golf Classic: At the WNB Golf Classic, he finished T5. Fired 66-68 on the weekend to jump 21 spots. His final-round 68 included a hole-in-one on the 207-yard, par-3 8th hole using a 7-iron.
• Mylan Classic presented by CONSOL Energy: Posted his fifth top-10 at the Mylan Classic.
• Chiquita Classic: Four events after the Melwood Prince George's County Open, he became the season's first two-time winner with a three-stroke victory at the inaugural Chiquita Classic. Grabbed the second-round lead by one shot and expanded it to four with a third-round, 10-under 62 at TPC River's Bend. Scores of 64-66-62 put him at 24-under, equaling Arjun Atwal's Korn Ferry Tour record for most strokes under par through 54 holes. Needed only a 3-under 69 on the final day to earn his second title in four starts. Endured a mid-round stretch that didn't produce a par in nine holes (six birdies and three bogeys). Holed out from a greenside bunker at No. 14 for birdie and then saved par at No. 15 after pushing his tee shot into a hazard down the right side of the fairway. A two-putt birdie at 18 gave him a three-shot cushion over Joe Affrunti. Score of 27-under matched the second lowest in Tour history. Victory was worth $99,000 and pushed his season total over the $300,000 mark, moving him to No. 1 on the money list.
• Melwood Prince George's County Open Presented by Under Armour: Earned his first career win, at the Melwood Prince George's County Open, in June when he two-putted the final hole for birdie. Emerged from a crowded leaderboard on the last day, shooting a 6-under 65 to finish at 17-under 267, one better than Jin Park and Frank Lickliter II. He began the final round three strokes back of leader B.J. Staten but moved into the lead with four birdies and an eagle in his first seven holes. A double-bogey at the par-4, 9th dropped him into a four-way tie for the lead, which he then regained with another birdie at No. 11. Maintained a tenuous one-shot advantage until Lickliter birdied the par-5, 18th to tie. Playing in the next group, he reached the uphill, 547-yard closing hole in two and two-putted from 35 feet for the win. The victory was worth $108,000 and moved him from No. 18 to No. 2 on the money list.
• BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation: At the BMW Charity Pro-Am, posted his then career-best Korn Ferry Tour finish, T2. After shooting a second-round 64, he was only two strokes off the lead. Despite a stellar weekend, he still finished two shots back.
• Panama CLARO Championship: After missing the first two cuts of the season, went 11-under par in the final 54 holes at the Panama CLARO Championship, a feat matched only by the tournament winner Fran Quinn, to post a solo third. Stellar play in the final 54 holes offset his first-round, 1-over 71.

2009 Season

Split time between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour. Made the cut in eight of 15 starts on the PGA TOUR. Made the cut in 11 of 13 starts on the Korn Ferry Tour, with season-best finishes in his last two starts of the year.

• Miccosukee Championship: T12 at the Miccosukee Championship.
• Chattanooga Classic Presented by Black Creek: Finished T11 at the Chattanooga Classic.
• Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular: Season-best was a T21 at the Puerto Rico Open.

2008 Season

Rookie on the PGA TOUR after finishing T19 at the 2007 PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament. Earned his TOUR card in his first trip to the finals of the Qualifying Tournament. Made only six of 24 cuts in his first season on the PGA TOUR. One of nine players in 2007 to earn their PGA TOUR cards after successfully negotiating all three stages.

• Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart: Recorded his best finish (second) at the Children's Miracle Network Classic, with rounds of 68-66-66-64, one stroke behind Davis Love III. Finish at Disney ($496,800) moved him from 228th into the top 150 on the final money list.

2007 Season

Played in four Korn Ferry Tour events.

• Cox Classic Presented by Chevrolet: Finished T8 at the Cox Classic, thanks in part to a final-round 65.
• BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs: Was solo second through 54 holes of the BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs before finishing T30.
• Wachovia Championship: First career start on the PGA TOUR came at the Wachovia Championship, where he missed the cut.

Q SCHOOL GRADUATE

• PGA TOUR: 2007
• PGA TOUR: 2009
• Korn Ferry Tour: 2019