Seemingly every year in professional golf there is a story of a player, who after hitting hundreds of thousands of shots over the course of a season, has one shot decide the fate of his immediate future.
This year, Kevin Dougherty is the man we all feel for.
Entering the WinCo Foods Portland Open at No. 36 on the Web.com Tour Money List and needing to crack the top-25 to guarantee a PGA Tour card for next season, Doughtery shot rounds of 67-67-69 to put himself right on the number. A birdie on his 71st hole meant all that stood between him and his PGA Tour card was a 72nd-hole birdie.
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
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) August 20, 2018
“It was pretty dead center, I thought. It had the line,” Dougherty said. “I thought it might end up a hair short. But it just missed a hair left.”
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
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) August 20, 2018
Hank Lebioda was the man who benefited from that ball breaking off at the last moment, securing his Tour card and 25th place on the money list. Dougherty will have another chance to earn status for 2018-19 in the coming weeks at the Web.com Tour Finals where 25 more PGA Tour cards will be up for grabs.
“I just have to keep the momentum going,” Dougherty said. “Same mindset, same routine, we’ll get it done.”
