Watch the Sheer Agony After Golfer Misses PGA Tour Card by an Inch

By Dave Kovaleski August 20, 2018 at 12:25pm

Dodgers legend Branch Rickey once called baseball a game of inches, but that adage could apply to golf, too.

Just ask Web.com Tour player Kevin Dougherty.

On Sunday, competing at the WinCo Foods Portland Open, Dougherty fell an inch short of earning his PGA Tour card.

This shot from Kevin Dougherty for a @PGATOUR card.

An absolute gut-wrenching result.

Kevin Dougherty will continue the quest in the #WebTour finals. pic.twitter.com/J4r0GddEGT

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 20, 2018

Dougherty needed a birdie on the 18th hole at the Witch Hollow at Pumpkin Ridge course outside Portland to crack the Top 25 for the season on the Web.com Tour, which is essentially the minor league for the PGA Tour.

The top 25 players for the year qualify for their PGA Tour card, which is life-changing for any golf pro.

Dougherty’s chip from just off the green rolled right at the cup, then turned left at the last moment, settling about an inch from the hole.

He finished 11-under for the tournament in a tie for sixth place. Sungjae Im won it at 18-under.

With his finish at the tournament, Dougherty finished in 26th place in the season-long standings, one spot from getting his PGA Tour card.

Meet #The25!

These players punched their 🎟️ to the @PGATOUR. pic.twitter.com/p8UzdUVYbf

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 20, 2018

Despite the heartbreaking finish, Dougherty has one proud father.

Chasing a @PGATOUR dream is as tough on the parents of the players.

Kevin Dougherty's father gets emotional rooting on his son down the stretch of the @PortlandOpen. pic.twitter.com/BcBHaUdzvj

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) August 20, 2018

“As a parent, to think that one of your children is a professional athlete is pretty amazing,” Dougherty’s father said, fighting back tears.

Is golf the most difficult individual sport out there?

The good news for Dougherty, 27, is that he, along with others who fell short, still have a chance to qualify for their PGA Tour card.

PGA tour rules state that the 25 players who earn the most over the final four Web.com Tour playoff events will also qualify for their tour card.

The Web.com Tour playoffs start this Thursday at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, Ohio, and ends Sept. 20-23 at the Web.com Tour Championships at Atlantic Beach, Florida.

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Dave Kovaleski

Contributor, Sports

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Dave is a lifelong sports fan who has been writing for The Wildcard since 2017. He has been a writer for more than 20 years for a variety of publications.

Dave has been writing about sports for The Wildcard since 2017. He's been a reporter and editor for over 20 years, covering everything from sports to financial news. In addition to writing for The Wildcard, Dave has covered mutual funds for Pensions and Investments, meetings and conventions, money market funds, personal finance, associations, and he currently covers financial regulations and the energy sector for Macallan Communications. He has won awards for both news and sports reporting.

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Massachusetts

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English

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Sports