How much longer will Gay earn most un-noticed player?
By Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
It took Brian Gay 293 starts before he won his first title on the PGA TOUR at last year's Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya.
But just when Gay gets the delightful opportunity to return to a tournament as the defending champion, such a moment has been completely overshadowed by Tiger Woods' return to golf this week at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
Brian Gay being overlooked? What else is new?
"Brian has always been the most invisible, under-appreciated player I've ever known," said University of Florida coach Buddy Alexander, a former U.S. Amateur champion who has been at the school for 21 years. "I remember one year when (Oklahoma State coach) Mike Holder came up to me and said, 'How in the world was Brian Gay only a third-team All-America?' I don't know why it is, but he's easily overlooked."
Holder's query was understandable. Gay, after all, won the SEC individual title -- one of three tournaments he won during his sophomore season -- while leading the Gators to the conference team championship. Heck, it's not like he did that much that season.
"I do remember thinking, 'What do I have to do to make first-team All-America,' " Gay said. "I guess it's because I don't have a game that stands out. I'm short (hitter), I hit it straight and I have a good short game. It's not something that's going to jump out at people."
It's not just that season, either. While Alexander points out that no player at Florida has more championship rings (seven) -- two SEC individual titles, four SEC team titles and a national championship team title -- Gay is rarely mentioned in the pantheon of former Gator greats that include Doug Sanders, Steve Melnyk, Bob Murphy, Andy Bean, Andy North, Gary Koch, Mark Calcavecchia, Dudley Hart, Chris DiMarco and, more recently, Camilo Villegas. Gay is the only one to win the SEC individual title twice.
Some people might point out that Gay would be more well known had it not taken him 14 years after turning pro to win that first PGA TOUR event -- and at an event held opposite the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
But Gay remains golf's version of the offensive linemen in the NFL, the penalty killers in hockey and the utility player in baseball.
While they play important roles, they are underrated by the general public.
Some of it is could just be bad luck. Gay, for instance, had his best season in 2008, compiling six top 10s and making more than $2.2 million (twice his previous best in earnings). But he still fell an agonizing $3,000 short of finishing in the top 30 on the money list and, thus, earning his first invitation to the Masters.
Gay, 37, has carried over his strong play into this season -- not that anyone has noticed. Want to guess who was the only player to open this season with four consecutive top-20 finishes, including a pair of top 10s? I'm not even going to answer the question.
Gay, who despite missing the cut last week at Riviera, is ranked 19th on this year's money list and insists he's fine with his background role. Really, he is.
"I'm an only child, so I don't crave attention," Gay says. "I wouldn't call myself shy, but I am on the quiet side."
Gay admits he second-guessed his decision to skip the Buick Invitational and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am because that ended any chance of qualifying for the Accenture Match Play (he's currently ranked 90th in the world). But his fallback plan isn't too shabby.
"It's going to be nice to go back to a tournament as the defending champion," he said. "I know how much that week has meant to my career."
Despite his ring-earning time at Florida, it took Gay five years after turning pro in 1994 before he made it onto the PGA TOUR. Even then, he had more ups and downs. He ranked 41st in earnings in 2001, when he was second at Colonial, but he never cracked the top 50 on the money list again until last year.
"I wouldn't call those years a struggle as much as part of the learning process," Alexander said. "What's important is Brian has become a better golfer every year."
Gay credits his improved play to a switch to swing instructor Lynn Blake of Atlanta. "He changed some of my (swing) angles, and it's made me a more consistent player," Gay said.
If Gay's not careful, though, he might be on the verge of making a name for himself. That's because a New York-based inventor named John Conway has renamed his latest training aid the Brian Gay Putt and chip alignment bracket. Gay also is doing an infomercial for the product.
"It's a nice training aid because it's simple and inexpensive," said Gay, who started using it in late 2007, just before his breakout year. "Anyone can whip out $20, and it will help you with your alignment."
As for the training tool helping to raise his Q rating, Gay doesn't sound like someone who has hired a team of marketing experts.
"It might get me some exposure," he says, "but that's not what I'm about. All I'm worried about is trying to get into the Masters, win another tournament and make the Presidents Cup team."
If he achieves all that, it will become very difficult to overlook Gay any longer.
Craig Dolch is a freelance columnist for PGATOUR.COM. His views do not necessarily represent the views of the PGA TOUR.
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