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The Greenbrier Classic didn't end on the Fourth of July, but American journeymen Ted Potter Jr. and Troy Kelly did their best to produce some Sunday afternoon fireworks at the Old White TPC.
Potter, who was already a mini-tour legend before this week, added another chapter to his incredible story with a stunning eagle-birdie finish that got him into a playoff with Kelly.
But even with the finish it looked like Potter might let his first PGA Tour win slip away when he missed a four-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th, the second playoff hole, that*would've have wrapped up the tournament. But Potter didn't spend a lot of time lamenting the missed opportunity; he threw an absolute dart to within a couple feet on the par-3 18th and drained the birdie putt to cap an unfathomable 16-month run.
The 28-year-old made headlines just last year when he went from big man on campus on the Hooters Tour (golf's Double-A circuit) to a member of the Nationwide Tour in one weekend, Monday qualifying and winning the South Georgia Classic to gain status for the rest of the year.
Potter made the most of the opportunity, winning again later in the year at the Soboba Classic in, what else, a three-hole playoff to secure his PGA Tour card for 2012. Seven months later he's a tour winner with a million-dollar-plus check in his bank account.
Some guys go a lifetime trying to win on the PGA Tour. Potter managed to go from Hooters Tour legend to Nationwide Tour winner to PGA Tour winner in just 16 months. It's hard to comprehend Potter's meteoric rise up the professional ladder, but what he's done over the last year-plus is nothing short of incredible.
The week started with Tiger and Phil and ended with a tour journeyman producing a storybook finish. You have to love professional golf sometimes.
Potter, who was already a mini-tour legend before this week, added another chapter to his incredible story with a stunning eagle-birdie finish that got him into a playoff with Kelly.
But even with the finish it looked like Potter might let his first PGA Tour win slip away when he missed a four-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th, the second playoff hole, that*would've have wrapped up the tournament. But Potter didn't spend a lot of time lamenting the missed opportunity; he threw an absolute dart to within a couple feet on the par-3 18th and drained the birdie putt to cap an unfathomable 16-month run.
The 28-year-old made headlines just last year when he went from big man on campus on the Hooters Tour (golf's Double-A circuit) to a member of the Nationwide Tour in one weekend, Monday qualifying and winning the South Georgia Classic to gain status for the rest of the year.
Potter made the most of the opportunity, winning again later in the year at the Soboba Classic in, what else, a three-hole playoff to secure his PGA Tour card for 2012. Seven months later he's a tour winner with a million-dollar-plus check in his bank account.
Some guys go a lifetime trying to win on the PGA Tour. Potter managed to go from Hooters Tour legend to Nationwide Tour winner to PGA Tour winner in just 16 months. It's hard to comprehend Potter's meteoric rise up the professional ladder, but what he's done over the last year-plus is nothing short of incredible.
The week started with Tiger and Phil and ended with a tour journeyman producing a storybook finish. You have to love professional golf sometimes.